San Francisco
County
Biographies
ERIK OLOF LINDBLOM
LINDBLOM,
ERIK OLOF, President of the Swedish-American Bank of San Francisco, was born at
Dalarna, Sweden, June 27, 1857, the son of Olof Lindblom and Brita (Olofson) Lindblom. His father was a school teacher of that
place, which, one of the most rugged and barren on the face of the habitable
globe, fostered a hardy race, of which Erik Lindblom
has proved himself to be a worthy sample.
He was married in San Francisco, June 1, 1903, to Miss Hanna Sadie Ulrika Sparman, and by a former
marriage is the father of Brita and Olof Lindblom.
He attended the Hede
public school in Sweden, and was graduated therefrom
in 1871. During the next four years he
was intermittently a pupil at the London Polytechnic School of the Y. M. C. A.,
while working in that city at the trade of tailor, which he had learned.
After spending five and a half years in
London, he sailed for America, arriving in New York in 1886. Here he again worked at his trade until 1888,
when he moved to Butte City, Montana, where he continued the same occupation
and at the same time became interested in gravel mining. On September 15, 1893, he reached San
Francisco, resumed his trade, subsequently moving to Oakland and opening an
establishment of his own. During these
years his interest in mining was growing, stimulated by studying, reading,
attending Professor George Davidson’s lectures on Alaska and by the tales of
gold discoveries. On April 27, 1898, his
imagination still further fired by the substantially backed reports of the new
“gold fields” of Alaska, he abandoned the weary grind of his trade and shipped
before the mast in the bark Alaska, commanded by Captain Cogan. His experiences in the Northwest, which taxed
his grit and hardy constitution to the utmost, and where he made one of the
most wonderful discoveries of gold in the history of the precious metals, form,
perhaps, the most romantic chapter in the story of a very remarkable life.
Landing on the shore of Grantley Harbor, July 5, 1898, whither Captain Cogan had
sent him and some other sailors for fresh water, he
determined to leave the vessel and try to reach Golovin
Bay, where he knew there was a mission and trading post. He was without food and had no conception of
the difficulties to be encountered in that season of floods. Acting on the advice of a prospector whom he
chanced to meet, he started back for Port Clarence, in the hope of finding that
the bark had sailed. When he came within
sight of the harbor he saw the vessel riding at anchor and concluded that his
presence thereon was still desired. From
this critical situation, however, he was aided to escape by an Eskimo chief, Promarshuk, who took him in his boat made of walrus hide,
covered him with foul-smelling skins, and paddled him within touching distance
of the Alaska. Boarding the bark, the chief, with five dollars Mr. Lindblom had given him for the purpose, bought a dozen sea
biscuits, returned to his boat and slipped out of the harbor, then away to
freedom from Captain Cogan’s kind of hospitality. Stopping at the mouth of the Egoshoruk River, now known as Snake River, the spot where
Nome is situated, Mr. Lindblom prospected, and on the
bar at the mouth of Dry Creek found colors.
Arriving July 27, with his Eskimo pilot, at Dexter’s trading station on Golovin Bay, Mr. Lindblom told
the trader of his discovery. Dexter
wished to send him back on a prospecting trip, but he preferred the work
offered him by N. O. Hultberg, the missionary of the
station. He first prospected in this
region on Ophir Creek. Meeting subsequently with John Brynteson and Jafet Lindeberg, the former of whom, after Lindblom’s
discovery, had also found prospects in what is now known as the Nome country,
he joined forces with them, and in an old scow rigged for the occasion the
three set out on a 100-mile sea voyage through stormy weather for the Snake
River. On September 15, 1898, they
landed at the mouth and began prospecting.
One week later they made discoveries and locations on Anvil Creek. Later they panned about fifty dollars in gold
dust, and, putting it in shotgun shells, returned to Golovin
Bay. By the beginning of winter, acting
on expert advice, they had gone back to the Nome district and measured and
staked their claims in compliance with the law of the land. Within three days’ panning in Snow Gulch and
Anvil Creek the three partners extracted more than $1800 worth of gold
dust. Mr. Lindblom
thus not only laid the foundation for the fortune which good judgment and
management has since swelled to generous proportions, but was thereby the
original discoverer of the Nome gold fields.
He returned to California in 1899 and
invested in real estate. Going to Mexico
in 1901 he became interested in electric light, water and telephone
development, bought out Thomas Lane and secured absolute control of the Parral Electric, Water and Telephone Company of Parral, Mexico.
Gradually he enlarged his real estate, mining and other operations, and
together with Captain Matson and others, in 1908, established the
Swedish-American Bank, which in 1910 amalgamated with the International Banking
Corporation.
Mr. Lindblom is
today president and sole owner of the French Gulch Mining Co., Greeneville
Mining Co., Parral Electric, Water and Telephone Co.,
president of the Swedish-American Bank of San Francisco, vice president of the
Pioneer Mining Co. of Nome, Alaska; a member of the advisory board of the
International Banking Corporation, and a director of the Davidson-Ward Lumber
Co. and the Claremont Hotel Co. His
clubs and associations are: The Swedish
Club, of Seattle; Arctic, of Seattle (life member); Olympic, Swedish Society of
S.F. (life member), B. P. O. E. No. 171 (life member), Islam Temple, Shriners (life member), Odin Lodge, I. O. O. F. No. 393;
Balder Lodge, F. and A. M., No. 393 (life member); King Solomon’s Chapter No.
95; R. A. M. (life member); California Commandery No.
1, K. T. (life member); Cal. Consistory No. 5 (life member), and California
Chapter No. 183, O. E. S. (life member)
He is a shrewd, but quiet and modest personality, in no way spoiled by
his success in life.
Transcribed by Suzanne Wood.
Source:
Press Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 511,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2007 Suzanne Wood.