AEL&P - Key Persons
Thane graduated from Berkeley with a degree in mining engineering in 1899 and returned to Alaska. In 1903 he became the first superintendent of the Eagle River Mining Company. He also promoted gold mining in the Berners Bay area and formed the Kensington Gold Mining Company.
Cal footbal team (1898) Quarterback Bart Thane, Middle row, second from left)
By 1911 Thane had become the General Manager and Superintendent of the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company. It was Thane's vision to develop the Perseverance Mine, which had just been a seasonal operation, into a world-class gold mine. His plan had three main points: to develop tidewater access by tunneling from Sheep Creek Valley to the Perseverance Mine; to build an innovative mill at Thane; and to power them both with year-round hydroelectric power. Thane's vision became a reality and by 1915 the Alaska Gastineau's mine and mill were operational.
Thane was one of Juneau's leading citizens at the time. He lived with his wife and daughter in a house at 213 7th St., which was later purchased by Judge Wickersham and is known as the Wickersham House.
Unfortunately, even with Thane's vision, innovation and managerial skill, things did not work out well at the Alaska Gastineau. The mine was not profitable and closed in 1921.
With year-round hydro power and the industrial development at the mill, Thane tried to promote the operation as a timber and pulp mill, though he was unsuccessful in this attempt. With the close of the Alaska Gastineau, Thane's reputation was damaged and he did not work in mining after that.
Job Titles:
- VP, Transmission and Distribution
Job Titles:
- VP, Director of Consumer Affairs & Human Resources
Harry Lincoln Wollenberg arrived in Alaska in 1909, just a year after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Mining Engineering. That year he went to work as a mining engineer for the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company. Wollenberg was described as being "one of the most brilliant students in the class of 1908". One of his first assignments for the Alaska Gastineau was to prepare a report on the feasibility of constructing a hydroelectric project on Salmon Creek to provide power for a new mine and mill.
Just 25 years old when he started work for the Alaska Gastineau, Wollenberg's talents were quickly recognized, and by 1912 he was the Chief Engineer at the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company. In this capacity, Wollenberg investigated, designed and supervised the construction of both the Salmon Creek and Annex Creek Hydroelectric Projects. Both of these projects were bold engineering accomplishments, incorporating new and innovative design and construction techniques.
In 1916, as the Annex Creek Project was completed, Wollenberg not only left Alaska, but also left the mining industry and engineering profession. He and his family moved back east where he managed an explosives manufacturing firm and later became president of an oil refining company. In 1927 he received a call from a friend asking if he wanted to be his partner in a new business venture, making cardboard. They started Longview Fibre, a pulp and paper company, with a factory located in Longview, Washington. Harry Wollenberg became the CEO and President of the company and ran the company from an office in San Francisco, California. His son succeeded him and later a grandson ran the company until it merged with a larger firm in 2013.
Job Titles:
- VP, Director of Energy Services & Metering
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology