Dempsey
Melvin Dempsey arrived in Valdez, Alaska in 1898 during the Klondike gold rush at age 40. Once in Valdez, Dempsey left his career as a prospector and became an entrepreneur, founding Alaska's first reading room, opening an inn and restaurant, along with many other endeavors.
He also established the Valdez branch of the non denominational organization called the Christian Endeavor Society. Dempsey was appointed town trustee, elected as a marshal and justice in 1898, a few months after arriving in Alaska. He helped form Valdez’ first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
He was also a member of the town's fire department and founded Relief Stations. The Relief Stations were located on the beach and the Valdez Glacier, and with the town's help were supplied with bedding, food, and fuel for gold miners attempting the perilous journey over the glacier to the goldfields of the Klondike. In 1898, Dempsey discovered gold on the Chistochina River. In 1901, according to the local newspaper, the Valdez News, Dempsey was appointed the miner's recorder for prospector's claims.
After his death in 1915, the local newspaper, Valdez Daily Prospector, described him as full blooded Cherokee, despite him being born enslaved to an African American slave and a North Carolina Cherokee plantation owner.