Part of a unbroken weekly series on Alaska historical past by native historian David Reamer. Have a query about Anchorage or Alaska historical past or an thought for a future article? Go to the shape on the backside of this story.
On July 2, 1935, the S.S. Yukon of the Alaska Steamship Co. pulled into Juneau with its common assortment of wide-eyed, world-hopping vagabonds. As a lot of the vacationers aboard crowded the deck and home windows, Laddie Kyle, an skilled traveler, as an alternative slept in her cabin. She was aware of Alaska, and Alaskans have been aware of her. Nearly a decade prior, she tried to stow away on a polar expedition flight out of Fairbanks however was found when pilot Carl “Ben” Eielson threw a bag on her. In her cabin, she snoozed fortunately till immediately jolted from her slumber. A white bull terrier was barking on the dock straight under her cabin porthole. This was Patsy Ann, the official greeter of Juneau. Only now had Kyle actually arrived.
Patsy Ann arrived in Juneau someday round 1930. Her obituary claimed that she had been beforehand owned by “Dean and Mrs. C. E. Rice.” Yet, by the early Nineteen Thirties she was emancipated, whether or not through her initiative or that of others. Thereafter, she lived the lifetime of a free canine, roaming the town when, the place, and as she happy. She was stout and outgoing, a welcome sight in any business, whether or not begging for meals or catching a nap by a fireplace or range.
More than something, she beloved to greet the ships after they docked, ready on the edge earlier than even the primary line may very well be solid ashore. No matter that she was deaf, she generally arrived on the docks earlier than a ship was even in sight. At least, that’s how the legend went. The individuals swore, “She never missed a boat,” and the ships she greeted carried the story up and down the West Coast. Soon, vacationers arrived in Juneau with the said want to see Patsy Ann. Otherwise, a visit to Alaska was incomplete. For a time, she was possibly probably the most photographed individual in Alaska, the star of numerous postcards and trip snapshots, a foremost emissary of Alaska goodwill.
For all of the love proven to Patsy Ann throughout her life and since, she briefly had an enemy. In early July 1934, Kenneth Corliss was appointed as metropolis dogcatcher. His orders have been to apprehend any canine with out a correct license tag affixed to their collar. The brass tags cost $2 for male dogs and $4 for feminine dogs.
And per these Juneau ordinances Corliss was sworn to implement, no canine was extra a bandit than the free and unhindered Patsy Ann, who confirmed no inclination of paying the required payment.
Within a day of Corliss taking his position, the Alaska Daily Empire, now the Juneau Empire, revealed a involved article asking, “Is Patsy Ann in Danger?” The wheels of native forms on this occasion turned swiftly. From that second, in seemingly each home, cafe and bar, the canine was on the forefront of dialog, with donations pouring into the Empire’s workplace, sufficient “to purchase a gold-plated collar and tag.” Yet, by even then, Corliss had capitulated. His workplace acknowledged Patsy Ann’s supremacy and donated a tag.
Moreover, the town management took steps to make sure Patsy Ann’s authorized standing for the remainder of her life with a dockside ceremony held on July 12, 1934. The occasion was scheduled for six:30 that night, timed with the anticipated arrival of the S.S. Prince George, thus making certain the bull terrier’s attendance. Freshly washed with nails trimmed, Patsy Ann was declared the official greeter of Juneau. The woman of the hour regally accepted her new collar and tag, then leapt to her correct position, able to welcome the passengers and crew of the Prince George.
The drama over Patsy Ann’s authorized standing had an surprising influence. Due to the publicity garnered by her case, extra Juneau residents knew about the necessity to license their pets than ever earlier than. Within every week of Patsy Ann receiving her license, 42 further canine house owners visited the town clerk’s workplace and paid the required payment. Only midway via the 12 months, 144 licenses had been issued in comparison with 87 the 12 months earlier than.
Everywhere Patsy Ann went, she was spoiled and accepted, whether or not stealing a morsel from a kitchen or interrupting a baseball recreation by stealing the ball from the pitcher. In 1935, she was the honored visitor for a musical efficiency, particularly resplendent given an “unaccustomed” tub. As the Empire drolly famous, “A born trouper, Patsy Ann wrote her own lines, and near the end of the performance wandered up and down the aisles inspecting the audience, presumably with an eye to box office receipts.”
For all of the fuss raised over her standing as an unlicensed canine, her collars got here and went. Many of her footage notably present her with out adornment. Yet, there was no want for one more marketing campaign in her protection. Wherever she went was home, and a succession of residents and organizations, together with spells with the police and hearth departments.
Though not political — treats have been welcome from all politicians no matter social gathering affiliation — she was, nonetheless, a faithful advocate for unions. For instance, she rode the longshoreman’s float within the 1937 Labor Day parade, her presence noting her favor. The bull terrier was one thing of a mascot for the longshoremen; their union corridor was maybe her favourite non-dock vacation spot, a place the place she may very well be assured of a heat mattress, good firm and meals.
Still, some residents ran some dangers and took little liberties with the treasured greeter. In 1935, Juneau photographer Leonard Delano painted “Welcome Navy” on her sides. Two Navy destroyers have been in port, and, as with many photographers, nothing was extra vital within the second than the right shot. Patsy Ann’s profession as a walking signal lasted longer than the go to.
The story of Patsy Ann has been considerably mythologized, exaggerated regardless of no need. Rather than assembly each single boat that docked, she missed a number of, although her absences have been notable. A single line merchandise within the May 23, 1934 Empire learn, “Has anyone seen Patsy Ann?” In 1939, the Canadian Pacific steamship Duchess of Richmond stopped in Juneau, then the most important passenger liner to go to the Alaska capital. The a number of hundred passengers loved the go to however as one expressed remorse that none of them met Patsy Ann.
Frequently described as “stone deaf,” Patsy Ann was undoubtedly arduous of listening to however might probably hear slightly, or a minimum of sufficient to be stunned by significantly loud sounds. In 1936, she was positioned alongside the sting of the dock when, per the Empire, “the half hour whistle of the Yukon so startled Juneau’s famous and ostensibly deaf canine that she fell off the dock and had to be rescued.” Some residents speculated that she might really feel the vibrations of the whistles, even from nice distances.
Still, it’s inarguable that the canine queen of Juneau was spoiled rotten, the keen recipient of treats from guests and locals alike. By the late Nineteen Thirties, she had noticeably thickened and slowed. Nobody talked about it, however possibly a number of ships got here and went with out an official visitation. On March 30, 1942, she greeted her final ship after which handed quietly in her sleep at her favourite union corridor. The subsequent day, the town gathered for her funeral. Patsy Ann was placed in a wood coffin and dropped into the Gastineau Channel, within the waters by her beloved dock.
In 1992, a bronze Patsy Ann statue designed by New Mexican artist Anna Burke Harris was put in on the cruise ship wharf, standing watch for brand spanking new arrivals. Her collar is off and laid throughout one in every of her paws, an applicable illustration of the free canine. Today, a lot of the statue has turned inexperienced from the publicity, apart from the pinnacle shined by a whole bunch of tourists rubbing her head.
Key sources:
“Is Patsy Ann in Danger?” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, July 11, 1934, 2.
“Juneau Going Over Top, Dog Licenses.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, July 19, 1934, 2.
“Juneau Sees Giant Liner Here Sunday.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, August 7, 1939, 1, 8.
“Labor Unions Celebrate in Regular Style.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, September 7, 1938, 8.
“Laddie Kyle Visits Here; Real Purpose.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, July 9, 1935, 3.
“Patsy Ann Attends Minstrel Show in Really White Coat.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, October 17, 1935, 4.
“Patsy Ann Dies of Old Age on Monday Evening.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, March 31, 1942, 5.
“Patsy Ann, Now ‘Official Greeter’ of Juneau, Will Not Forget Former Friends.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, July 13, 1934, 2.
“Patsy Ann ‘Saved’; No Dog Pound for Her; Citizens and City Come to Greeter’s Aid.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, July 12, 1934, 8.
Rudolph Murphy, Claire, and Jane G. Haigh. Gold Rush Dogs, 2nd ed. Fairbanks: Hillside Press, 2012.
“Wetting Fails to Subdue Patsy Ann.” [Juneau] Alaska Daily Empire, September 25, 1936, 1.
