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 Fatal Duel - Skagway, AK Posted by:  Go Boilers!
N 59° 27.226 W 135° 19.254
8V E 481806 N 6590625
On a big rock near the police station.
Waymark Code: WM773A
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 09/12/2009
Views: 24
Text:
Frank Reid, guarding the approach to Sylvester's Wharf, where the vigilantes were meeting to restore law and order, shot "Soapy Smith" who failed to stop when challenged, July 8, 1898.
Marker Name: Fatal Duel
Marker Type: City
Addtional Information:
More background from Wikipedia:
Between 1897-1898, Skagway was a lawless town, described by one member of the Northwest Mounted Police as "little better than a hell on earth." Fights, prostitutes and liquor were ever-present on Skagway's streets. The most colorful resident of this period was bad man Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith. He was a sophisticated swindler who liked to think of himself as a kind and generous benefactor to the needy. He had gracious manners and he gave money to widows and stopped lynchings, while at the same time operating a ring of thieves who swindled prospectors with cards, dice, and the shell game. His telegraph office charged five dollars to send a message anywhere in the world. Prospectors sent news to their folks back home without realizing there was no telegraph service to or from Skagway until 1901. Smith also controlled a comprehensive spy network, a private militia called the Skaguay Military Company, the newspaper, the Deputy U.S. Marshall and an array of thieves and con-men who roamed about the town. Smith was shot and killed by Frank Reid on July 8, 1898. Smith managed to return fire—some accounts claim the two men fired their weapons simultaneously—and Frank Reid died from his wounds twelve days later. However, there are also accounts that another man, Jesse Murphy, was also involved in the shoot-out and was actually the one who killed Smith.
Date Dedicated / Placed: Not listed
Marker Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Preferred would be to post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Alaska history please include that in your log.
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