McDermott Cabin, Town of Dyea (historical town site), Skagway, Skagway, AK

STORED OFF SITE AND ON SITE. mchr

This survey was originally located in the Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area. The name of the county was changed to Skagway.

Significance: It is temporarily located on the National Park Service Kalvick House lot approximately 1 mile north of the historic Dyea town site. It is a noncontributing resource to the Chilkoot Trail and Dyea Site National Historic Landmark.

The Cabin's date of construction is not known, but it is believed to have been built after the Klondkie Gold Rush era of 1897-1898. The building was located in U.S. Survey No. 1516 which was the original 153.69 acre homestead plat of Arthur Wilson. The survey of Wilson's claim from July 11-12, 1924 indicates there was a cabin and a barn on the Wilson's property. Wilson likely moved to the Dyea area after 1916 when he sold the property he owned in Skagway. In 1924 and 1925, Wilson was arrested by Skagway officials for producing moonshine during the prohibition. He died in 1928 unmarried and leaving no heirs. In 1953, Wesley and Vivian Patterson were granted a homestead patent for the same land Wilson once occupied. The Pattersons did not live on the lot after 1960 and in 1977 sold their property to John and Lorna McDermott. The McDermott's occupied the building on and off until 2001. In September 2002, the cabin was donated to the National Park Service and moved to its current location to save it from the eroding bank of the Taiya River. The National Park Service owns the cabin but not the property where it previously stood and has plans to rehabilitate is in the future.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1473

Survey number: HABS AK-225

log cabins homesteading skagway alaska mcdermott cabin mcdermott cabin dyea town site skagway alaska history of alaska alaska free images alaska photographs grant crosby historic american buildings survey elizabeth johnson john and lorna mcdermott christopher nielson wesley and vivian patterson michael richman arthur wilson library of congress

1933 - 1960

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html