Felix Pedro
Encyclopedia
Felice Pedroni known best to Americans by his Hispanicized alias Felix Pedro, was an Italian immigrant whose discovery of gold in Interior Alaska marked the beginning of the 1902 Fairbanks Gold Rush
.
village of Trignano, Comune di Fanano
and was the youngest of six brothers. Pedroni fled home in 1881 following the death of his father. He arrived in New York City
and quickly assumed the name Felix Pedro.
He traveled to New York
, Ohio
, Washington, British Columbia
, and the Yukon
, working in each city until he earned enough to travel again. Once in Alaska, Pedro panned for gold in the Fortymile, the Piledriver Slough near present-day Salcha, and various other waterways, including the "Lost Creek" in which Pedro and his partner Tom Gilmore claimed to have found a sizable amount of gold in 1898, but were forced to abandon due to food shortage. Despite marking the spot and searching the next three years for it they were unable to find it again.
which they mistakenly believed to be a distributary
which would allow them to detour upstream from the unnavigable Bates Rapids to their intended destination in Tanacross
. In accordance with their agreement, Barnette, his wife Isabelle, five hired hands, and 130 tons of supplies were unloaded onto the riverbank. The crew quickly built two log cabins and a series of tents, establishing a trading post named Chena City.
Adams returned downstream, and Barnette had his first visitors only hours later. Pedro and Gilmore, still in search of the Lost Creek, were perched on a nearby slope and had seen the plumes of smoke from the departing steam-boat. They stumbled into the camp, bought supplies, and headed northward into the hills. At the request of James Wickersham
the camp was renamed Fairbanks
, after Senator Charles W. Fairbanks
(R-Indiana), in March 1902.
Felix Pedro discovered gold in the Tanana Hills northeast of Fairbanks on or about July 22, 1902 in a small unnamed stream (now known as "Pedro Creek") northeast of Fairbanks
, prompting him to exclaim "There's gold in them there hills", and triggering a full-scale gold rush
.
Business was booming for Barnette, but he wanted more. He sent letters to Dawson City, which arrived in the dead of winter and were published in the Dawson Daily News January 3, 1903. This triggered an influx of over 1,000 more prospectors in -53 F temperatures. Fairbanks continued to grow, and by 1908 it was the largest city in Alaska.
in Fairbanks, reportedly of a heart attack. However, this was disputed by his business partner Vincenzo Gambiani who denied that Pedro was suffering any heart problems, and suspected Pedro's widow Mary Doran of foul play. Years later on his own death bed, Gambiani was asked once again about the death of Pedro. Unable to speak, he wrote only two words ("wife-poison").
Pedro's body was embalmed and shipped to San Francisco and buried in nearby Colma. On October 12, 1972 Pedro's body was found, exhumed, and moved by Cortelloni Amato to Italy
where an autopsy was performed, and the hair samples reportedly supported the conclusion that Pedroni was murdered. His remains were buried again in a small cemetery in Fanano
.
near Pedro Creek.
The Alaskaland park in mid-town Fairbanks
had been opened in 1967 to commemorate 100th anniversary of the Alaska purchase
. However on July 22, 2002, the presumed 100th anniversary of Pedro's gold discovery (noted in Alaska as "Felix Pedro Day" Alaskaland was officially renamed Pioneer Park. Pioneer Park's annual Golden Days festival at Pioneer Park includes a Felix Pedro look-alike contest.
Also on this date, Fairbanks
and Fanano
became sister cities.
Fairbanks Gold Rush
The Fairbanks Gold Rush was a gold rush that took place in Fairbanks, Alaska in the early 1900s. Fairbanks was a city largely built on Gold Rush fervor at the beginning of the 20th century. Discovery and exploration continue to thrive in and around modern-day Fairbanks.- History :Felix Pedro spent...
.
Early life
Pedro was born April 16, 1858 to a family of subsistence farmers in the ApennineApennine
-Other places on Earth:*The Apennine or Italian peninsula*Apennins, a department of the first French Empire-Plants and animals:*The Apennine , a modern breed of domestic sheep.*Apennine Shrew, an insectivore endemic to Italy...
village of Trignano, Comune di Fanano
Fanano
Fanano is a comune in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 50 km southwest of Bologna and about 50 km south of Modena....
and was the youngest of six brothers. Pedroni fled home in 1881 following the death of his father. He arrived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and quickly assumed the name Felix Pedro.
He traveled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Washington, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, working in each city until he earned enough to travel again. Once in Alaska, Pedro panned for gold in the Fortymile, the Piledriver Slough near present-day Salcha, and various other waterways, including the "Lost Creek" in which Pedro and his partner Tom Gilmore claimed to have found a sizable amount of gold in 1898, but were forced to abandon due to food shortage. Despite marking the spot and searching the next three years for it they were unable to find it again.
Gold
On August 26, 1901, prospector E. T. Barnette and Captain Charles W. Adams ran the 150 feet (45.7 m) steamer Lavelle Young aground 8 miles (12.9 km) up the Chena RiverChena River
The Chena River is a 100-mile-long river in the Interior region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows generally west from the White Mountains to the Tanana River near the city of Fairbanks, which is built on both sides of the river...
which they mistakenly believed to be a distributary
Distributary
A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a tributary...
which would allow them to detour upstream from the unnavigable Bates Rapids to their intended destination in Tanacross
Tanacross
Tanacross may refer to:*Tanacross, an Athabascan language of Alaska*Tanacross, Alaska, a census-designated place...
. In accordance with their agreement, Barnette, his wife Isabelle, five hired hands, and 130 tons of supplies were unloaded onto the riverbank. The crew quickly built two log cabins and a series of tents, establishing a trading post named Chena City.
Adams returned downstream, and Barnette had his first visitors only hours later. Pedro and Gilmore, still in search of the Lost Creek, were perched on a nearby slope and had seen the plumes of smoke from the departing steam-boat. They stumbled into the camp, bought supplies, and headed northward into the hills. At the request of James Wickersham
James Wickersham
James Wickersham was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U.S. President William McKinley to the Third Judicial District in 1900. He resigned his post in 1908 and was subsequently elected as Alaska's delegate to Congress, serving until 1917 and then being re-elected in 1930...
the camp was renamed Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
, after Senator Charles W. Fairbanks
Charles W. Fairbanks
Charles Warren Fairbanks was a Senator from Indiana and the 26th Vice President of the United States ....
(R-Indiana), in March 1902.
Felix Pedro discovered gold in the Tanana Hills northeast of Fairbanks on or about July 22, 1902 in a small unnamed stream (now known as "Pedro Creek") northeast of Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
, prompting him to exclaim "There's gold in them there hills", and triggering a full-scale gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
.
Business was booming for Barnette, but he wanted more. He sent letters to Dawson City, which arrived in the dead of winter and were published in the Dawson Daily News January 3, 1903. This triggered an influx of over 1,000 more prospectors in -53 F temperatures. Fairbanks continued to grow, and by 1908 it was the largest city in Alaska.
Death
Felix Pedro died July 22, 1910 at age 52 at St. Joseph's HospitalSt. Joseph's Hospital (Fairbanks, Alaska)
St. Joseph's Hospital, the very first hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska was built in 1906.-History:Fairbanks was a frontier town when a Jesuit priest named Rev. Francis M. Monroe decided to build a church and hospital. The church stood in the heart of town, while the hospital, also named St...
in Fairbanks, reportedly of a heart attack. However, this was disputed by his business partner Vincenzo Gambiani who denied that Pedro was suffering any heart problems, and suspected Pedro's widow Mary Doran of foul play. Years later on his own death bed, Gambiani was asked once again about the death of Pedro. Unable to speak, he wrote only two words ("wife-poison").
Pedro's body was embalmed and shipped to San Francisco and buried in nearby Colma. On October 12, 1972 Pedro's body was found, exhumed, and moved by Cortelloni Amato to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where an autopsy was performed, and the hair samples reportedly supported the conclusion that Pedroni was murdered. His remains were buried again in a small cemetery in Fanano
Fanano
Fanano is a comune in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 50 km southwest of Bologna and about 50 km south of Modena....
.
Legacy
In 1947 a Felix Pedro monument was erected at mile 16.1 of the Steese HighwaySteese Highway
The Steese Highway is a highway in the Interior region of the U.S. state of Alaska that extends from Fairbanks to Circle, a town on the Yukon River about 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The highway was completed in 1927 and is named for U.S. Army General James G. Steese, a former president...
near Pedro Creek.
The Alaskaland park in mid-town Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
had been opened in 1967 to commemorate 100th anniversary of the Alaska purchase
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
. However on July 22, 2002, the presumed 100th anniversary of Pedro's gold discovery (noted in Alaska as "Felix Pedro Day" Alaskaland was officially renamed Pioneer Park. Pioneer Park's annual Golden Days festival at Pioneer Park includes a Felix Pedro look-alike contest.
Also on this date, Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
and Fanano
Fanano
Fanano is a comune in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 50 km southwest of Bologna and about 50 km south of Modena....
became sister cities.
Further reading
- Felice Pedroni (Felix Pedro), an Italian immigrant into the Alaska gold rush (Italian language, some sections are in English language)