William Clark Fonda

b. Glen, NY; 1860, 1870 & 1880 US Federal Census, Glen, Montgomery Co., NY; 1875 New York State Census, Glen, Montgomery Co., NY; 1892 New York State Census, Mohawk, E.D.02, Montgomery Co., NY (William C Fonda, b. 1858); 1900 US Federal Census, Gloversville Ward 5, Fulton Co., NY (William C Fonda, Head, b. Jan 1858 in NY, Jennie); 1910, 1920 & 1930 US Federal Census, Seattle, King, WA; 1923 Seattle, WA City Directory (decorator); d. Seattle, WA; o. House Painter, Prospector, House Carpenter, Seaman >> www.fonda.org <<

[Johnstown - William Fonda sold his gold mine claim in Klondike on Friday for $12,000. The Daily Times, Troy, NY, Monday, July 2, 1900.]; [William C. Fonda of Fonda, but who formerly resided in this city, who recently started for the Klondike, has reached Tacoma and his letters are full of golden expectations. Mr. Fonda sent to C. B. Clute of Fonda an Indian pipe from Dakota, and Mr. Clute has presented it to the Red Men. Johnstown NY Daily Republican, August 23, 1897]; NY Times Obituary 01-Sep-1938; [University of WA Scrapbook Collection, 1923-1928, Alaska (Klondike Gold Rush) www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll/pnw/scrapbooks.html]

[Alaska Labor Landmarks: "The Prospector" Statue Sitka AK The discovery and mining of gold in Alaska and the pioneering of new territory could offer substantial wealth and fame for prospectors. The Alaska Pioneers Home, started in 1913, was constructed for elderly gold prospectors. The model for the statue, William "Skagway Bill" Fonda, was an actual pioneer. www.laborheritage.org/iall-ak.html]; [The Prospector, in front of Pioneers' Home. 13½-foot clay and bronze statue dedicated on Alaska Day in 1949. Model was a real pioneer, William "Skagway Bill" Fonda. www.geocities.com/judcomp/ak2.htm]

[R087] NewsBank: America's Obituaries and Death Notices; [Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960 - Name: William Fonda, Death date: 08/31/1938, Death place: Seattle, King Co., WA, Gender: Male, Age at death: 80 years 7 months 7 days, Estimated birth year: 1858, Marital status: Married, Spouse's name: Lucy Gatrell Fonda, Father's name: Peter Fonda, Mother's name: Katherine Hugenon]

[Skagway Bill, 82, Pioneer in Alaska - Model for "Sourdough" Statue Is Dead in Seattle - Special to The New York Times - Seattle, Aug. 31 - William Clark Fonda, known as Skagway Bill, colorful adventurer who was the model for Alonzo Victor Lewis's 24-foot statue "The Sourdough," which towers above the grounds of the State Capitol at Olympia, died here this morning. He was 82 years old. Skagway Bill, one of the best-known pioneers of Alaska, blazed trails in the Northland before the Klondike gold rush. "I spent twenty years up there," he often related. "I built the first cabin in Skagway. I built the first bridge. I laid out the city of Skagway in 1897." Fonda was a familiar sight at Sourdough parades, wearing miner's clothes and carrying a gold pick, pan and shovel. The New York Times, September 1, 1938.]