After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 , Lathrop moved to that city and worked for a time as a contractor . He made plans to settle in Anacortes , but the Panic of 1893 disrupted his business and he was forced to return to Seattle . In 1895 , he purchased a steam ship , the '' L.J. Perry '' , and embarked on a new venture , transporting goods to the Territory of Alaska . Once the Klondike Gold Rush started , business picked up , and soon he was transporting both prospectors and the goods that they required
Great Seattle Fire
Great Seattle Fire
Austin E. Lathrop