Three of Delilah Kepner's children were involved in the Alaska-Klondike gold rush activities in various ways. Their letters to their mother provide the main part of the Kepner/Crane Papers.

The Kepner family of Chicago was acquainted with Porteus B. Weare and other members of the Weare family which had business interests in Chicago, Alaska and the Fortymile-Klondike region. The North American Transportation and Trading Company operated merchandising and transportation facilities in St. Michael and Circle City, District of Alaska, and in Fort Cudahy (Fortymile) and Dawson, Yukon Territory. Alaska headquarters was at Circle City. Ely Weare, C. A. Weare and John J. Healy were principal officers of the company. Porteus B. Weare, also active in Chicago business, was apparently an active and not-so-silent partner. Their friendship with the Kepner family resulted in Budd Kepner's first position in the North around 1895.

The following year, brother Harry came north. He worked for N.A.T.&T. at St. Michael and on Yukon river steamers, until resigning his bookkeeping position to return to Chicago. His family worried about his health, but he apparently continued his medical studies to become a doctor.

Nora Kepner and John Edward Crane were married September 9, 1896. They left the following spring for Circle City, Alaska where Crane was to assist in the management of the N.A.T.&T. store operation. Arrangements had apparently been made through Captain Healy for his appointment as U.S. Commissioner at Circle City in addition to his N.A.T.&T. duties. No background beyond his birth in Maine is available on Crane, nor do the letters reveal much information of his past. He was not trained in legal matters and apparently did his legal work "by the books" until the arrival the following year of his brother-in-law, Budd Kepner, who was trained in law in Michigan. After working for N.A.T.&T. at Circle City and St. Michael, Crane opened his own business in Nome. He and Nora separated sometime after leaving Alaska; no further information appears in the collection on Crane after about 1905-6.

Nora's letters reveal much family history and most importantly, her observation of life in the mining communities and of the people who traveled through them. She apparently led a fairly sheltered life in Chicago and also in Alaska due to her husband's position. Her viewpoint may not be representative, but a researcher can find much of interest in the pages. Her letters include observations on people, her husband's work, social activities, Native life, travel, economic possibilities, fashions and health. Of interest to some will be her requests for her family to ship various items to her which she could not obtain in the North.

After Nora separated from Crane she became, according to her niece, a companion to a wealthy woman who traveled extensively. Nora helped organize a cottage crafts outlet in Chicago and did some writing.

Budd Kepner apparently worked in the North for N.A.T.&T. in 1895-96 and returned again in 1898. He had some interest in mining properties, but spent much time in Circle City working as an attorney. He left for Chicago, but was side-tracked at St. Michael by the reports of gold at Nome. There he became involved in legal work and mining. His letters comment upon the early municipal government at Nome. From 1905-06 he practiced law at Candle.

John E. Crane is represented by some personal letters to his mother-in-law, Delilah Kepner, and to his wife. He addresses both as "Ma." Crane reveals little of his background except that he was born in Maine. He and Nora apparently hoped to make their fortune in the North and his interests seemed to be mainly commercial. At Circle City, he served as the first commissioner. The community was operating its business through miners' meetings. Crane did not obtain the cooperation of the miners to any great extent, as reflected in the transcript of the miners' meeting in the Dunham file and Nora's later letters. Mining records were kept mainly in the creek books until the appointment of Claypoole as U.S. Commissioner around 1900. By this time the miners seemed more willing to work in cooperation with the commissioner.

Dr. Spencer Harris, an early arrival at Circle City, is represented in the collection by notebooks and news clippings. Harris died at Circle City Dec. 20, 1897, and was buried there. He was apparently an adventurer and reporter in addition to his medical work. He was elected to membership in the Miners' Association of Circle City, a social fraternal order of working miners, but resigned because he was not a working miner. He was then elected by the miners to honorary membership.

General Richardson, a West Point graduate, was stationed at Circle City in 1898-99 and became a friend of John and Nora Crane. He is well known for his work with the U.S. Army and the Alaska Road Commission. He and Nora Crane maintained their strong friendship until his death in 1929.

Samuel C. Dunham, Alaska's gold rush poet, was at Circle City to compile reports on the Yukon mining areas for the U.S. Department of Labor. He later reported on the Nome area gold rush and worked as a court reporter. While in Circle City, he wrote for the YUKON PRESS and exchanged poetic thoughts with Joaquin Miller, who was wintering there also.