Joseph Francis Ladue (July 28, 1855 – June 27, 1901) was an American

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...

, businessman and founder of

Dawson City, Yukon Dawson City is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest municipality in Yukon. History Prior t ...

, Canada. Ladue was born in

Schuyler Falls, New York Schuyler Falls is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Clinton County, New York, Clinton County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 5,181 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The town was named ...

. His mother died when he was seven years old, and his father in 1874. Upon his father's death, 19-year-old Joe headed west. In 1876, he found employment in a gold mine in

Deadwood, South Dakota Deadwood (Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as the county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had its ...

, beginning as a general labourer and working his way up to engineer, foreman and superintendent. He eventually quit to go prospecting in Arizona and New Mexico, but did not strike it rich. In 1882, he crossed the

Chilkoot Pass Chilkoot Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass through the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the U.S. state of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. It is the highest point along the Chilkoot Trail that leads from Dyea, Alaska to Bennett ...

into the interior of the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

, where he prospected and traded for a couple of years. In August 1896, a few days after the discovery of gold in the Klondike, he staked a claim to either 160 or 178 acres (65-72 hectares) of boggy flats at the mouth of the

Klondike River The Klondike River () is a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada that gave its name to the Klondike Gold Rush and the Klondike region of the Yukon Territory. The Klondike River rises in the Ogilvie Mountains and flows into the Yukon River at ...

as a townsite. In January 1897, he named the new town Dawson after Canadian geologist

George Mercer Dawson George Mercer Dawson (August 1, 1849 – March 2, 1901) was a Canadian geologist and surveyor. He performed many early explorations in western North America and compiled numerous records of the native peoples. Biography He was born in ...

. By July, about 5000 people lived there. Ladue could sell town lots for as much as $5000 or $8000. He relocated his saw mill to Dawson; it ran continuously night and day in response to the extreme demand. He also set up a store and the first saloon in town. In addition, he acquired a number of rich gold claims. All this enabled Ladue to leave the north a rich man that year. With some of his wealth, Ladue bought the steamer ''SS Morgan City'' and had it brought around

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

from New York City. After a single trip from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Skagway The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large ...

and Valdez he leased it at $600 per day as a troop transport to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The ship was lost in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

in September 1899. Ladue returned to his home town and on December 15, 1897, he married Anna "Kitty" Mason. He was in poor health and died of "consumption" (

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

) at Schuyler Falls on June 27, 1901. He was survived by his wife and a son.

References

External links

* *
''The Klondike Weekly, Dawson City, Yukon Territory''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladue, Joseph Francis 1855 births 1901 deaths American emigrants to Canada People from Dawson City People of the Klondike Gold Rush American gold prospectors People from Schuyler Falls, New York