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Pigeons, Gold, and Alaska's Wild Rush | Anchorage News
Description
In 1897, the steamship Portland arrived in Seattle with over two tons of Klondike gold, sparking a national gold rush—but its past was far from clean. Reporter Samuel Weston beat the ship to port by chartering a tugboat, securing exclusive coverage and publishing a sensational “Klondike Edition.” Determined to keep the story alive, he hitched a ride north and attempted to send dispatches via carrier pigeons—a risky gamble over Alaskan waters. Most birds failed, but a few miraculously returned days later, battered but triumphant. Though the pigeon plan fizzled, carrier pigeons lingered in Alaska’s lore, even inspiring a 1931 law to build pigeon lofts at airports—mostly ignored until much later.
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