George M. Ashford (January 2, 1868–?) was an American civil engineer and surveyor. He was one of the pioneers of

Northern Alaska Arctic Alaska or Far North Alaska is a region of the U.S. state of Alaska generally referring to the northern areas on or close to the Arctic Ocean. It commonly includes North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, Nome Census Area, and is ...

. He was the first man of his profession to arrive in Nome.

Early years

Ashford was born near

Lisbon, Ohio Lisbon is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in and the county seat of Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, along the Little Beaver Creek. The population was 2,597 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. It is a part of the Micropo ...

, January 2, 1868. When he was eight years old, his family moved to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, and he was educated in the public schools of that state, and was subsequently graduated from the

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

in the class of 1892 with the degree of Bachelors in Civil Engineering.

Career

His first work as an engineer was with the

Carnegie Steel Company Carnegie Steel Company was a steel-producing company primarily created by Andrew Carnegie and several close associates to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century. The company was forme ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. For a period of three or four years, he was an engineer for the Pittsburgh Bridge Company, engaged in the drafting and construction department. He was sent to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

as an engineer in connection with the construction of

George W. Vanderbilt George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was an art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He commissi ...

's mansion at Biltmore. Ashford was one of the unfortunate stampeders to the

Kotzebue Sound Kotzebue Sound (russian: Залив Коцебу) is an arm of the Chukchi Sea in the western region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is on the north side of the Seward Peninsula and bounded on the east by the Baldwin Peninsula. It is long and w ...

area in 1898. At the time of the excitement caused by the report of the discovery of gold in this region, he and 27 others bought a schooner, in which they made the trip to the Arctic country. Ashford spent the winter of 1898 and 1899 on the

Kobuk River The Kobuk River (''Kuuvak'' in Iñupiaq) (also Kooak, Kowak, Kubuk, Kuvuk, or Putnam) is a river located in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska in the United States. It is approximately long. Draining a basin with an area of ,Brabets, T.P. ...

, a short distance below Squirrel River. In the spring of 1899, the news of the Anvil strike having previously reached the Arctic slope, he started over the ice with two companions for Nome. They hauled their sleds and accomplished the long and arduous journey in a month's time. They left the Kobuk and started across

on May 1. This season was unusually late, and while crossing the ice of Kotzebue Sound they encountered extremely severe weather. On the third day out Dr. De France, one of their traveling companions, became exhausted and froze to death. They were ten days on the ice before they reached

Cape Espenberg Cape Espenberg is a cape located on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, on the Chukchi Sea coast. Cape Espenberg points northwards, 42 mi NW of Deering, Kotzebue-Kobuk Low. On its southeastern side there is the small Goodhope Bay, an inlet of ...

. After reaching the coast of the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...

and crossing

Port Clarence Bay Port Clarence Bay is a waterway in the U.S. state of Alaska. It has the only harbor and safe anchorage for large vessels in Seward Peninsula. The bay is located 25 miles southeast of York. It is a large body of comparatively deep water, nearly circ ...

, the season was pretty well advanced, it being the latter part of May, and the ice over the sea in many places was rotten and unsafe. At a place above Sinuk River two men, who were traveling with a dog team and following Ashford's party, narrowly escaped being drowned. The dog team, sledge and all of their supplies were lost by the breaking of the ice. Ashford said that when he arrived within 40 miles of Nome, he saw evidence of the "pencil and hatchet" miners. At this early date, the beach for this distance west of Nome was staked. He arrived at Nome May 31 and found a bustling, thriving mining camp. His most serious regret was that he did not have his surveying transit with him, as there was a pressing demand for the services of a surveyor and much work that he could have done if he had had his instruments. During the early part of this season, Ashford became associated with J. M. Davidson, and they did the first work of surveying and engineering that was ever done on

Seward Peninsula The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska whose westernmost point is Cape Prince of Wales. The peninsula projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi S ...

. Ashford was one of the engineers of the Miocene Ditch Company, and was later connected with most of the important ditch enterprises of this region.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashford, George M. 1868 births American civil engineers American surveyors People from pre-statehood Alaska People from Lisbon, Ohio People from Nome, Alaska Year of death missing Engineers from Ohio