Alaska Gold: Life on the New Frontier, 1898-1906
January 27-June 24, 2001
This exhibition tells the story of Wilfred and Edmund McDaniel, two brothers who left their Santa Clara ranch at the turn of the century, boarded a steamship in San Francisco, and sailed north. For six years they lived and worked as gold miners on a Bering Sea beach near Nome, Alaska. Edmund married Jessie Drake of Santa Clara, who joined the brothers and doubled the population of white women west of Nome.
The exhibition, drawn entirely from the photographs, artifacts, and letters of the McDaniel Family Collection, provides an intimate portrait of life on the New Frontier. Themes explored in the exhibition include: Santa Clara ranch life, sea travel, native neighbors, mining, arctic life, Nome, Santa Clara epilogue, and children's curriculum. This exhibition is curated by independent Bay Area curator Jeff Kunkel. Catalog.
The de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053
© 2005 de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University - contact rnadel@scu.edu - phone: 408-554-4528