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A Little History

Several Millennia in Three Paragraphs

Long before Juneau was Juneau, it was Dzantik’i Héeni (“Base of the Flounder’s River), for literally thousands of years, a popular Native fishing ground.

Then, in 1880 two prospectors, Richard Harris and Joe Juneau, guided by Tlingit Chief Kowee, struck gold at the mouth of Gold Creek—the rush was on (and the town was built). During the next six decades, Juneau produced $150 million of gold. That’d be worth $7 billion today!

Government eventually replaced mining as the main industry followed by tourism. In fact, attracting visitors with its Native heritage, prospector history and incredible scenery, Juneau has been a world-class travel destination since the early 1900s.