This Day in Alaska History-July 8th 1898

This Day in Alaska History-July  8th 1898

On July 8th, 1898  Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith was shot and killed in a shootout on the Juneau Wharf in Skagway. Soapy was a conman who preyed on miners, He earned the nickname “Soapy” from his notorious soap racket, where he sold bars of soap allegedly containing cash prizes—but only his gang members ever “won” […]