Captain Charles Conradi Collection, 1868-1929
Title:
Captain Charles Conradi Collection, 1868-1929
Physical Description:
2.0 cubic feet
Abstract:
The Captain Charles Conradi Collection contains 61 photographs, 121 lantern slides, letters, Conradi and his passengers' writing, an annotated ship manual, ledgers, logbooks, diaries, copies of the 1908 Pacific Marine Review and ITEMS, Conradi's 1868 certificate of indenturement as an apprentice, and an undated article about Conradi's sextant. The photographs date from circa 1886 to 1929 and depict Conradi and his crew, steamship sailing in the Bering Sea, Prince of Wales, Nome, Unalaska, Barrow, St. Michael, King Island and the native people living there, Leonard Seppala, and various Arctic explorers. Explorers depicted include Bernard Hubbard, John Schildrup, Roald Amundsen with Kamilla Carpendale and Kakonita Kakot, George Wilkins, Thomas Lamphier, Robert A. Bartlett, Richard Byrd, Jr., Lorne Knight, Knud Rasmussen, A.W. Greely, Lauge Koch. Steamship depicted include the Northwestern, the Ohio, the Victoria, the Bear, and other unidentified ships. The glass lantern slides depict Conradi and his crew, various locations along Alaska's western coast and the Alaska Natives there, copies of B.B. Dobbs' photographs and images from E.A. Hegg's 1900 "Souvenir of Nome, Alaska," and images from a scrapbook about northern fur seal harvesting, circa 1899-1901. The letters are recommendations and certificates of discharge from various captains and passengers dating 1873 to 1901. There is also a letter about the litigation Conradi faced because of his extended 40-day trip to Nome in 1908 and a 1902-1910 postcard to Conradi from his aunt. The writing includes stories told to Conradi and observed by him ("Missionaries in the Hawaiian Islands," "The Hanging of the First Indian in Alaska [as told by Gordon Bettles about John Bremner's murder]," "Conradi's Dilemma," "Life Lessons for Me from the Book of Ephesians 4, ver. 1-6," and 3 other sermons likely by Conradi). They date from circa 1907. The annotated ship manual is titled "Specification for a Steel Screw Mail Steamer for the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Japan," from circa 1896. The ledgers, log books, and diaries date from 1887 - 1920. Three consecutive issues of Pacific Marine Review and two consecutive issues of ITEMS from 1908 contain light annotation and seem to be the result of Conradi monitoring the professional response to his lengthy voyage to Nome.
Biographical/Historical Data:
Captain Charles G. Conradi was an Englishman born at sea on a ship bound for Valparaíso, Chile around 1856. His birth proved prophetic as he began a four-year sailing apprenticeship in 1868 in England. Following the apprenticeship, Conradi quickly found work as a sailor and worked his way up to captaining his own ships. He married Helen Guthrie in 1877; they had three children together. Helen died in 1889. Conradi moved his family to the United States shortly after marrying Helen. He spent much of his career in the Pacific. Conradi reportedly assisted Admiral George Dewey in the American war effort in the 1898 Battle of Manila. When gold was discovered on the western Alaskan coast in 1899, Conradi guided the S.S. Garonne to become the first steamship to bring prospectors to the region. Since the location of the gold was only generally known, Conradi shanghaied a man from St. Michael who knew the location. The man guided them to the beach, and Conradi dropped off 350 men and christened the camp. Thus, Conradi became the "Father of Nome." He went on to captain the Centennial and the S.S. Ohio among other cargo ships. Although he traveled around the Pacific to places like Japan, Korea, Australia, and Hawai'i, Conradi remained most well-known for his trips to Alaska. In 1908, he stirred up controversy by making a 40-day trip from Seattle to Nome (typically a ten-day trip in good conditions). Conradi insisted this was unavoidable due to ice. After a lengthy career as a mariner, Conradi retired to Point No Point near Seattle. He died January 22, 1941.
Organization & Arrangement:
This collection is arranged by material type and chronology.
Restrictions on Access:
Access available during the Alaska and Polar Regions Archives' research room hours.
Language:
This collection is in English.