Alaska Gold Rush History & Genealogy
AKA Fortuna Ledge |
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Marshall's
previous name, changed in 1984, from Fortuna Ledge, was a mining village
in the 1800's & early 1900's, with mining operations in Wilson
Creek, just down river from the Ledge.
Gold was discovered on nearby Wilson Creek in 1913. "Fortuna
Ledge" became a placer mining camp, named after the first child
born at the camp, Fortuna Hunter. Its location on a channel of the
Yukon River was convenient for riverboat landings. A post office was
established in 1915, and the population grew to over 1,000. Later,
the village was named for Thomas Riley Marshall, Vice President of
the United States under Woodrow Wilson from 1913-21. The community
became known as "Marshall's Landing." When the village incorporated
as a second-class city in 1970, it was named Fortuna Ledge but was
commonly referred to as Marshall.
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