Charles McGonagall (b.1870)

Charles McGonagall carried mail between Forty Mile and Fort Yukon in 1897. In 1903, Harry Karstens and his partner Charles McGonagall were hired by James Fish to haul the mail from the Delta River to Fairbanks on to Manley Hot Springs and Tanana.((William S. Schneider, //On Time Delivery: the dog team mail carriers.// University of Alaska Press, 2012: 5, 20.)) They were paid $75 a month.((“Harry Karstens.” //Wikipedia,// 2020 website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Karstens)) 

McGonagall moved to Alaska to mine in the foothills of Mount McKinley around 1903.((Jason Strykowski, “Impossible Heights: The Alaskan Miners Who Conquered Mount McKinley.” HistoryNet 2020 website: https://www.historynet.com/impossible-heights-alaskan-miners-conquered-mount-mckinley.htm.)) In November 1909, Tom Lloyd took a bet from bartender Bill McPhee to make it to the top of Mount McKinley. Lloyd put together a team of fellow miners, men who had mined at Kantishna at the base of the mountain. There was Billy Taylor, Charley McGonagall, and Swede Peter Anderson.((“Sourdough Climbers: Doughnuts and Hot Chocolate Got Them to the Top.” Alaska Kids, 2020 website: http://www.alaskakids.org/index.cfm/know-alaska/Alaska-History/Sourdough-Climb.)) In the end, McPhee contributed about $1,500 to finance the trip.((Jason Strykowski, “Impossible Heights: The Alaskan Miners Who Conquered Mount McKinley.” HistoryNet 2020 website: https://www.historynet.com/impossible-heights-alaskan-miners-conquered-mount-mckinley.htm.)) 

On 3 April 1910, Taylor, Anderson and McGonagall made their final ascent carrying a long flag pole to plant on the summit. Taylor and Anderson reached the North Peak summit while McGonagall finished his turn carrying the pole and then headed back to camp. Tom Lloyd fictionalized his part in the summit attempt and his lies cast doubt that anyone had successfully climbed the mountain. In 1913, members of Hudson Stuck’s expedition saw the flagpole on the north summit as they climbed to the South Peak.((“Sourdough Climbers: Doughnuts and Hot Chocolate Got Them to the Top.” Alaska Kids 2020 website: http://www.alaskakids.org/index.cfm/know-alaska/Alaska-History/Sourdough-Climb.))