Paying Respects at the Choquette Family Cemetery
Photo credit: Kim Lewis-Olds
In the thick underbrush by Petroglyph Beach sits a cemetery known for an influential and historic Wrangell family, the Choquettes.
Buck Choquette
Alexander Taddée “Buck” Choquette is among Wrangell’s most famous and influential historical figures. He was born in 1830 in Quebec to a farming family. When he grew up, he moved around seeking opportunity in mining work. By 1860, he was in Victoria, British Columbia where he encountered a group of Tlingit men from Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw, a village near the mouth of the Stikine River. Seeing an opportunity to discover gold on the Stikine River, he joined the Tlingit men for their return voyage home.
In Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw, Buck persuaded the powerful head of the Naan.yaa.áyi clan, Shakes V (Kaawishté), to let him marry his daughter, Georgiana. With members of the tribe as his guides, Buck traveled up the Stikine River, where he discovered gold around the place today known as “Buck’s Bar.” The discovery kicked off Alaska’s first gold rush and earned him a place in the Alaska Mining Hall of Fame.
Buck spoke French, English, and Tlingit, making him an indispensable resource on the Stikine River where the three cultures converged. He worked as a trader, an agent for the Hudson Bay Company, and conducted his own mining operations. He served as a translator in negotiations between the Tlingit and outsiders. Choquette was an early booster for the first Roman Catholic mission in Alaska established in Fort Wrangel. Buck’s life is recounted in more detail in a book by his grandson, Henry W. Clark.
Buck and Georgiana’s numerous descendants became influential members of the Wrangell community over many generations and today.
To find the Choquette Family Cemetery, look behind the recently installed public restrooms at Petroglyph Beach. Depending on the time of year, the spot may be covered in brush. The spot is directly south of the ramp walkway going towards the beach.
Unique SPot
Petroglyph Beach sits along the western-most edge of Wrangell Island. From this position, you can look north into the mouth of the Stikine River or south down the winding Zimovia Strait. To the west, you can watch the sun make its long, slow descent behind the horizon.
While Petroglyph Beach rests in the tidal zone, the Choquette Family Cemetery sits perched above it at the crest of a hill leading down the beach.
The legacy of Buck Choquette is unique, just like this cemetery. Rather than being interred in the Indian Cemetery like many of their peers, the family selected a quiet spot along the north end of the island long before roads connected it to the town below.
In the spring, thick berry bushes completely envelope the headstones, making them hard to find. In my personal exploration of the area, I found five grave markers — but there may be more.
Grave Markers
Amanda May Brown died only a few months from her 6th birthday. According to the 1900 Census, Amanda lived with her parents, George and Annie Brown, and her father’s mother, Lucy Brown. While grandmother Lucy stayed at home, Annie Brown worked as a dressmaker, and George Brown worked as a pilot. Her grandmother is identified as Tlingit, and both of Amanda’s parents are mixed race. It’s not clear to me how Amanda might be related to the Choquette family.
The quotation atop the headstone is from Chapter 19 of the Gospel of Matthew:
“Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.”
Alexander Choquette Jr. was born around 1863, the second child of Alexander “Buck” Choquette and his wife, Georgiana. When he died, he left behind his widow, Josephine, and sons Cyril and William.
Thaddeus “Taddy” Wigg appears on the 1910 Census in Wrangell as the third child of four children born to Marcus and Agnes Wigg, a daughter of Buck Choquette. The entire family is identified on the Census as mixed-race. Young “Taddy” was named for Buck’s actual first name given at birth, Taddée.
The December 21, 1911 Wrangell Sentinel marked the tragic death of the young boy:
“Thaddeus W. Wigg, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Wigg, was born in Ketchikan, Alaska, August 7th, 1900. Afflicted with a weak heart, for several months he has been bravely fighting for life but steadily growing weaker until on Thursday morning at 10 A.M. he passed from the cares of the world. The funeral was held in the Catholic Church, P.C. McCormack reading the services. The body was layed away in a private burial ground north of town. The bereaved family have the sympathy of the entire community.”
The epitaph carved into the headstone was a popular phrase which appears on many headstones of this era.
According to the 1910 Census, Mrs. Sam Kohn was Johannah Kohn. She was born in 1862, the daughter of a Tlingit woman and an Irish man named Downy. She could read, write, and speak English. She married Samuel Kohn in 1882 and the couple had no children. According to her death certificate, she died at the government hospital in Juneau on August 26, 1916 of carcinoma of the stomach. It’s not clear how Johannah might be related to the Choquette family.
She may be one of the last people buried in this cemetery, as work began on the Redmen Cemetery (today’s Wrangell Memorial Cemetery) around this time which quickly became the popular place to bury Wrangell’s dead.
It’s not clear whose headstone once appeared on this base. Could this be the grave of Buck Choquette? I have no evidence, only questions, and lots of wishful thinking.
Where is Buck Choquette?
Buck Choquette was elderly and infirm when the Klondike Gold Rush broke out. Rather than watch from the sidelines in Wrangell, he traveled to Dawson City in 1898 to see for himself. Legend says he met Jack London, who learned enough from the gold rush veteran to write Call of the Wild, about a dog with a heart of gold named Buck.
Buck Choquette died in Dawson City in 1898. Several accounts suggest his remains were returned to Wrangell, but I can’t find where he is. Given Buck’s importance to the history of Alaska, it would be nice to know his resting place so that he can be properly recognized.
Thanks to Dorthea Rooney and Kim-Lewis Olds for helping me to find this cemetery. This was not something I knew about growing up, and it’s always fun to find something new. Thanks!
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Wrangell Cemeteries
Researching history is amazing, but disturbing headstones is a bad idea. Before attempting to move or clean a headstone, consult with local government, tribal organizations, and next-of-kin to make sure you’re doing it the right way! You never want to be responsible for damaging a grave, even with the best of intentions. There are people in Alaska who are experts in this field, and you should seek out their advice!