Northern Canada

To me, one of the most fascinating uses of The Albertype Co.’s postcard publishing service was by Landahl’s Emporium of Dawson City, Yukon Territory. The time when the black & white Albertype cards were coming into their peak coincides with the period that the Yukon had become a destination for visitors keen to witness the aftermath of the phenomenon of the gold rush.

Dawson City was the centre of the Klondike Gold Rush, which began in 1896 and ended by 1899. By 1898, Dawson City had a population of 40,000, but by the end of the gold rush, the town's population plummeted to 8,000 people. When Dawson was incorporated as a city in 1902, the population was under 5,000.

In Ken Elder’s remarkable A History and Directory of Yukon Postcards 1897–1942, he lists an extensive checklist of dozens of Landahl’s Emporium postcards printed by The Albertype Co. In his book, he notes the following were customers of The Albertype Co.: Bourne, C.R., Altin, BC; Brown, H.E., Atlin, BC; Hall’s Book Store, Fairbanks, Alaska; Kern, Peter E., Skagway, Alaska; Landahl’s Emporium Dawson, YT; Lowman & Hanford Co., Seattle, Washington; Lowman & Hanford S. & P. Co., Seattle, Washington; Smith’s Book Store, Dawson, YT; White Pass & Yukon Route, Skagway, Alaska; Winter & Pond, Juneau, Alaska; and Zaccarelli, John, Dawson, YT.