DSPACE7
Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush collection
Lind, John Grieve
[between 1930 and 1939]
A copy of John Lind's memoir. Additional documents and notes were added by family and friends in August 1983. Accompanied by a letter.
82 pages : illustrations, black and white ; 3 pages
application/pdf
JomN aRIEVE LIND in the " KLONDIKE GOLD FIELDS " FORWARD In 1982, it was decided that the St. Manryâs Lindâs would host the periodic "Lind Family Get Togethex" to be held in â83. One o{f the projects fonr this party was to compile any available material o0f% John G. Lind into a publication. To this editon it seemed Llike a Aimple request. : As the compiZation of material progressed â the task broadened and the Ltime shonrtened. As a consequence, this publication is the centre section of a 3 part series. Watch for further editions! There are many open areas in John Gâs Llife story that can onlky be bridged with specific informition, documentation, memonry or conjecture. The Zatter onlty Zleads to contraversy such as âdidhe go into Ataska in â92 onr â94?â and. âdid he make one fonrtune on two?â . Perthaps if everyâ one keeps Llooking, some of these gaps will be filled in. 1t is for this xeason the ring style binding was used in hopes that if{ and when fuwither infonmation becomes available, it can be added easily. C_O N T E N T S Gold Production Centificates . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1 chronofogy ° . . .0. . .0. .0. . . 9. . .Vs . 0k.. &« _ Page 2 IntroductCon ; . .o . .0. .0. . . . .. . k0 ais% Page 4 John Gâs Jouwunal Entries . . . . . . . . . ;s aisksl. (Page 9 HessStonlf sâ s . . . .o . . .0. . .0. .cs .ws o. . .& _ Page 14 Agtenr His StOAY . . . . . so. . . 0. . lsk .0. .5. Page 40 Finish with the Yukon . . . . . . . . . . . .. & . â Page 60 Kiondike Antecdotes . . . . .0. . . . . . . . . . . Page 62 Edna EZdonrado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . &_. _ Page 64 Ogilvie Excerpt . . . . . . . . . sok k oso s sâ " rage 70 Souwrdough Reunions _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Page 73 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S . For supplying assistance, materials, interviews, encouragment and conmections; my gxratitude must be given to dozens. Special thanks to Pierre Berton for his plagenrized introduction. His writing is not the wonrldâs greatest, but he makes it interesting and his research department is bigger than mine. MulZti thanks to Margaret W. Lind, without whoâs enthusiasm, help, récords and Zlove o§f John G. Lind, this project would never have been concieved or brought to fnuision. Special appreciation must be given to John M. Lind foxr his patronage, his ability to open many doors, and his secretary, Pat Champion, who had to â decifer my writing with a smile. Words cannot express my Zove and appreciation of Margaret D. King, who for b4x months has had to keep shuffling files, pictures, books and notes off the dining nroom table, kitchen counters, Lliving xoom floor, Llibrary desk, family nroom tables and our bed. 1t was she who kept my enthusiasm up, my frustrations under control and whoâs moral support and assistance made the whole thing. possible. Few of us will come in contact with such a great man as John G. Lind â I envuy those that did. . It has been an honouwr doing what Llittle 1 have â 1 just hope it helps to explain this Man to future generations . Aug/ §3 P.J. K. DAWSON June 8, 1898 July 4, 1898 GOLD PRODUCTION CERTIFICATES 18 ABOVE BONANZA 18 ABOVE BONANZA SAN FRANCISCO MINT July 18, 1898 GRAND FORKS May 29, 1899 June 28, 1899 June 28, 1899 July 6, 1899 Aug. 5, 1899 Sept 23, 1899 June 7, 1900 June 7, 1900 July 9, 1900 July 9, 1900 Aug 7, 1900 Aug 31, 1901 DAWSON July 22, 1902 Aug 11, 1902 Aug 17, 1902 (NET VALUE AFTER CHARGES) 26 ABOVE BONANZA 32 A. ELDORADO (A FRACTION) JOHN LIND 29 ABOVE 26 ABOVE BONANZA BONANZA 26 ABOVE BONANZA 26 ABOVE BONANZA 26 ABOVE BONANZA 18 ABOVE BONANZA 26 ABOVE BONANZA 18 ABOVE BONANZA 26 ABOVE BONANZA 3 _ ABOVE BONANZA GOLD GOLD DRAFTS FROM N.A. LIND 6,000.00 wW.F.G. WILKINSON 4,500.00 JOHN LIND 6,405.00 JOHN LIND 22,447.50 5,925.00 JOHN LIND 11,150.00 J.LIND, WILKINSON, CRIST CON, DAHL 20,945.00 J.LIND, WILKINSON, CRIST CON, DAHL 45,660.00 J.LIND FOR LIND, CRIST & DAHL 40,301.25 J.LIND FOR LIND, ANDERSON, DAHL & CRIST 44,396.25 âJ.LIND FOR LIND, ANDERSON DAHL & CRIST 10,983.75 J LIND FOR LIND, ANDERSON DAHL & CRIST 16,500.00 J.LIND FOR LIND, ANDERSON, DAHL & CRIST 3,900. 00 J.LIND FOR LIND, ANDERSON DAHL & CRIST 34,425.00 HARPER, LADUE ET AL 23,145.00 JOHN LIND 11,724.00 JOHN LIND 12,509.50 FULLER JOHN LIND 9,559.00 1894 April 25 May 25 June 9 June 21 Aug Sept 13 Nov 15 1895 April 29 May 9 May 10â20 1896 May 4 Aug 17 Aug 31 Sept 5 Dec 22 1897 Jan Jan May 14 May June 3 June 12 July 14 Sept 10 Sept 15 Sept 25 Sept 27 . Oct 13 1898 April 2 April 24 May 8 June 8 June 24 CHRONOLOGY John G. left Missoula by train John G and partner John Crist ran canyon in 18 foot boat. Arrive at 40 mile post. Arrive Franklin Gulch. Capt. Constantine takes control of 40 mile Freeze up. Stopped work â to trading post. Spent winter in cabin at Franklin Water broke in Franklin River broke - Spring arrives in Franklin Spent winter sinking shaft to bed rock at Chicken Water broke in Franklin Gold discovery at Klondike Antone Stander & party stake lst claim on Eldorado Steamboat "Alice" lst to land at future Dawson John G left Chicken for Klondike John G & S.S. Mitchell buy into claims on Bonanza & Eldorado Ogilvy laying out new town â Dawson Ice goes out on Yukon at Dawson | John G has 200 men working, bought other claims "Bella" arrives at Dawson Inspector Scarth & 19 Mounties reach Fort Constantine "Excelsior" arrives at San Francisco with Gold. â START OF YUKON GOLD RUSH â 10% Royalty on all gold mined in Yukon Freeze up â Skiff on 18 Eldorado, John G on 30 Above Bonanza Hansen arrives back in Dawson â no more supplies Exedus from Dawson begins. Lower Yukon freezes over â trapping boats John G spent winter in cabin â reading and a little poker. Spring â 26 above Bonanza & other clalms ready to go for a great year. John G. in Dawson Spanish American War beings. Ice goes out of Yukon River at Dawson John G. in Dawson Sam Steele replaces Constantine at Dawson City 1898 July 4 July 18 Aug 11 â Aug. 17 Sept 22 1899 Jan 6 Jan 19 April 4 April 22 May 29 July 6 July 27â Aug 2 Aug Aug 5 Sept 23 Oct 1 1900 Jan 15 June 7 Sept 7 1901 Mar 2 July 18 Aug 3 1902 July 22' Aug 11 1903 March 13 April 28 John G in Dawson John G.brought Frank Dinsmore out, then to Denver John G. in San Francisco on to Denver in London, Ontario in Montreal Discovery John G. claim staked at Nome, Alaska. in Wilton Grove Letter "you going back in Februaryâ" John G in Fire John John G. Grand Forks destroys most of Dawsonâs business district. G.: in Grand Forks in Grand Forks Gold found on beach at Nome, Alaska John G. in Dawson 8,000 leave Dawson for Nome John G. in Grand Forks John G. in Grand Forks Letter dated in Dawson â intro letter John G. left London for Dawson G in G in Jth John John G in John John G in G in G in John John John G in Letter to Grand Falls Grand Falls Dawson G. in Dawson Grand Forks Dawson Dawson & London, Ontario John G in London at corner of Dufferin & Colbourn INTRODUCTION THE YUKON & 40 MILE The Russians were the first on the river, in 1834, but they cared not for gold; no more than the natives who had given the river its name of Yukon, meaning "The Greatest". The Hudsonâs Bay Company traders heard tales of gold at midâcentury, but paid them no heed. <They built Fort Yukon and FortSelkirk some six hundred miles upstream and they did not know that both forts were on the same watercourse. Nor did they know Fort Yukon . was deep in foreign territory; the land was remote, the boundaries hazy, and the geography uncertain. But they knew of the gold and did nothing. The great company driven from Fort Yukon by the Americans and from Fort Selkirk by the Chilkoot Indians, packed up and retreated behind the rampart of the Mackenzie Mountains. Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia in 1867. The newly acquired frontier, a long strip of coastal land, aptly named "the Panhandle," attached to the main body of the peninsula, bordered British Columbia. In 1880, at a point midway down this Panhandle, hardrock gold was discovered and the mining town of Juneau sprang up. â Juneau, in its turn, served as a springboard to Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. â Thus was completed a northward osmosis that had been going on since the rush to California. And so, the first prospectors reached the last frontier and began, in the seventies and eighties, to infiltrate the Yukon Valley. The Yukon is unique among rivers in that it rises fifteen miles from the Pacific Ocean and then meanders for more than two thousand miles across the face of the North, it flows north westerly, until it attains the rim of the Arctic, turns in its tracks and plunges southwestward until it spreads in a delta at Norton Sound across from Siberia. Without the long and seemingly aimless coil of the great river, there would be no highway into the heart of Alaska. In 1873 Arthur Harper came in from the Peace and Mackenzie river valleys. In 1878 George Holt pushed directly in from the seacoast through the Chilkoot Pass, the only known gap. In 1882 Ed Schieffelin went round to the Bering Sea opposite Siberia and moved up the Yukon River itself. The two men who joined forces with Harper had arrived the same year that he did, in 1873, one was Al Mayo, the other was LeRoy ° Napoleon McQuesten, but everybody called him Jack. For more than fifâ teen years these three were alone. They could roam for a thousand miles without seeing another white face. The trioâs first post of Fort Reliance became the focus for future river settlements. Several tributaries took their names from the distance that separated them from the post. Thus the Fortymile River and the Twelvemile were named because they joined the Yukon that distance downâ stream from Fort Reliance, and the Sixtymile âwas so called because it was sixty miles upstream from the fort. Later on, the towns establishâ ed at the mouths of these rivers took the same names. This first river settlement was established six miles from the mouth of that stream which came to. be called Klondike. These men were described as"typically frontiersmen, absolutely honest, withâ, out a semblance of fear of anything, and to a great extent childlike in their implicit faith in human nature, looking on their fellow pioneers as being equally as honest as themselves" ~Few who came after them merited that accolade. Without these three men and .a fourth named Joseph Ladue, who arrived a decade later, the series of events that led to the Klondike discovery would not have been possible. Without the string of posts they set up along the Yukon, the systematic exploration of the river country could not have taken place. | Their little steamboat, the New Racket, which they had purchased from Schieffilin, was their lifeline to the outside world. Sometimes they worked together, as partners; sometimes separately. It was Harper, McQuesten and Mayo who were responsible for the mining development of the Yukon. That winter Harper persuaded two prospectors to try the waters of the Fortymile River. Here they found good coarse gold, and the men along the Stewart deserted their diggings and flocked to the new strike. The nearest point of civilization was John Healyâs trading post on Dyea Inlet on the far side of the Chilkoot. At the point where the Fortymile River joins the Yukon, a weird and lonely village straggled into being, it was named Fortymile after the river. The nearest outfitting port was San Francisco, almost five thouâ, sand water miles distant, and the only links with the sea were two cockleâ shell sternâwheelers, the New Racket A L A S K A ae ~ «5 THE EARLY GOLDâFIELDS Heume ind 12° MILES It is not always realized that a series .of smaller gold rushes into the Yukon Valley took place before the Klondike stampede, and that Dawson City was preceded by several mining camps that sprang up along the river in the ten years before the great strike. The gold along the Yukon was placer gold, or "free gold" â gold that had long since been ground into dust and nuggets and so could be mined by any man with a shovel and a pan and a strong back. By 1886 some two hundred miners had crossed over the Chilkoot Pass and gradually worked their way three hundred miles down the Yukon to the mouth of the Stewart River, on whose sandâbars they panned out , in a single year, one hundred thousand dollarsâ worth of fine placer gold. At once McQuesten and his colleagues built a trading post at the Stewartâs mouth. and the Alaska Commercial Companyâs Artic, built in 1889. These boats seldom had time to make more than one summer trip upstream from the old Russian seaport of St. Michael, near the riverâs mouth on the Bearing Sea. Fortymile was a community of hermits whose one common bond was their mutual isolation. The miners at Fortymile lived with his partner in a cabin whose windowpanes were made from unâ tanned deerhide, white cotton canvas or a row of empty pickle jars chinked with moss. Four men often lived year in and year out in a space about eighteen feet square. Above the redâ hot sheetâiron stove there always hung a tin full of fermented dough used in place of yeast to make bread,â biscuits and flapjacks rise.> This was the origin of the name "sourdough" which was applied to the pioneers of the Yukon to distinguish them from the tenderfeet or cheechakos, as the Indians called thenm. Men moved from their cabins by night into constricted mine shafts by day. Mining in the subâArtic is unique because the permanently frozen ground must be thawed before the bedârock can be reached; it is this bedârock ten, twenty and even fifty feet below the surface, that contains the gold. At first the miners let the sun do the work. Soon, however, wood fires replaced the sun. The goldâseekers lit them by night, removed the ashes and the thawed earth in the morning, then lit a new fire, burning their way slowly down to form a shaft. This method allowed miners to work all winter, below the snowâcovered surface of the ground as they tunnelled this way and that seeking the "pay streak" which marked an erstwhile creek channel. The pay dirt thus obtained was hoisted up the shaft and piled in a mound, known as a "d@ump". In the spring, when the ice broke on the creeks and water gushed down the hillsides, the miners built long spillâ ways or sluiceboxes to counterfeit the ancient action of nature. Every two or three days the water was diverted from the sluicebox as each miner panned the residue at the bottom in what came to be known as a "cleanâup". The various stages in this process had been arrived at by trial and error over the years, since the day of â49 in California; in the Yukon Valley they reached their greatest refinement. The thin varnish of civilization began to spread over the community as the years passed. There were saloons that contained Chippendale chairs; the stores that, when they sold anything, dispensed such delicacies as pate do foie gras and tinned plum pudding. There were Shakespeare clubs and a library. There was a dressmaker ,an opera house and even a cigar factory all housed in log buildings. The social life of the camp revolved around ten saloons which served whiskey or hootchinco referred to as FortyâRod Whiskey because it was supposed to kill a man at âthat distance. Fortymile thrived on unwritten laws. It had no mayor or council, no judges or lawyers, no police or jail. Credit at Harper and McQuestenâs store was unlimited. There were few "bad men" in Fortymile. Men shared their good fortune with their comrades and it was part of the code that he who struck a new creek spread the news to one and all. Each manâs cabin was open to any passerâby; as long as he cleaned up and left a supply of fresh kindling. This was more than mere courtesy in a land where a freezâ ing manâs life might depend on the speed with which he could light a fire. Although Fortymile itself was within the Canadian border, it was really an American town, getting its supplies from the United States and sending out mail with U.S.stamps. Canadian and U.S. mining camps grew up with varying legal customs which point up the very real difference between the Canadian and the U.S. character. The American has always insisted on running his own affairs. The Canaâ dian who never knew the blood bath of revolution, has more often preferred to have law and order imposed from above. In the three British Columbia gold rushes, constabulary and courts of justice enforced a single set of laws in the British colonial tradiâ tion. Mining law was the same everyâ where and the gold commissioner had such absolute power that the lawlessness so familiar to American mining history was unknown in the B.C. camps. But in the Rocky Mountain camps of the United States, and later in Alaska, each community had its own customs and its own rules made on the spot. The American minersâ meeting, which operated in the Canadian town of & : Fortymile had the power of life and death over the membersï¬of the community.. It could hang a man, .give him a dlvorce, 1mprlson, banish or lash him andxln Alaska all âthese functions were" performed in the late eighties and nineties. â (The Fortymilers hanged at least two Indians for murder.) The moment came when a man rebelled. at the authority of a minersâ meetâ ing. His name was John Jerome Healy. He had built the most famous of the whiskey forts on Canadian territory, ruled it like a feudal baron, and> dubbed it "WhodpâUp".> . âHe followed gold to Juneau, pushed on to Dyea Inlet where he built the trading post. Healy qulckly saw that there was more than one way to get gold out of the Yukon. Off he went to Chicago and convinced Portus B. Weare that there was profit in the Alaska trade. With the help of the Cudahyvmeatâpackihg fortune, these two setâup the North American: Trading and Transportatlon Company to break the monopoly of the entrenched Alaska Comme¥cial Company j In his post ét Fort Cudéhy, across the Fortymile River from the main town, Healy was no âman to accept quietly the ruling of a minersâ meeting. Although he was successful in brlnglng down prices in Alaska and the Yukon, Healy â was never popular with the Fortymilers. He wrote to his old frontier friend from the WhoopâUp days, Superintendent Samual B. Steele of the North West :Mbunted Police, and asked for the gprotectlon of the Canadian constabuâ lary At almost the same time Bishop Bompas was sending a similar letter â to the âauthorities at Ottawa. fThese submissions to Ottawa ended Fortymileâs free and easy existence. In 1894 Inspector Charles Constantine "of the North West»Mounted Police âarrived â the first Mountie to enter â the Canadian northland. The following year a detachment of twenty joined him. They had_scarcely establishéd . their barracks before a meeting was held. Constantine reversed the â verdict and abolished the minersâ meetings forever. For years McQuesten and Harper had been grubstaking men to seek out the legendâ ary "Preachersâs Creek". Two Russiani; | halfâbreeds outfitted and encouraged> by McQuesten finally found it in 1893 on Birch Creek, near the Artic Circle., | McQuesten built his new town Circle City in the dreariest â section of the Yukon Valley, one hundred and seventy miles downstream ® from Fortymile. By 1893 the traderâs formerâpartâ ; ners had scattered: Mayo was farther down the river atâthe mouth of Minook Creek, Harper and his partner,"Joseph > Ladue, had poled their way, up the river into Canadian territory. McQuesten staked everything he had on Circle. 1y 3 In the end, Circle City, was not immune to the inevitable corrosion of miningâcamp civilization. By 1896 it had a music hall, two theaâ tres, eight dance halls, and twentyâ, eight saloons. It had twelve hundred citizens. John Healyâs N.A.T. Company opened up a store in opposition to Jack McQuesten of the A.C. Company. Circle:City had its greatest year in 1896. The goldâproduction that season had exceeded one million dollâ ars. Who would have believed that before the winter was out the Paris of Alaska would be a ghost town.: no _ Waenurspay ag 0 Wes . | /âV ~'râ ".â9 Mimit sCevall ;z +4 @4 yaynt e a n T qrlenmen ? Moveces met im s Darupe 15 ï¬s nB m io o Ther. iâ ., «4d -o 0. . âI'her. Mâ hv o e t e Sun. Drc. 30, 1894 {'» Wea. tuk s 00 Seug 48 ~"_ bd wos {_.-; M ce * e &33 'h fa } â -:.'-.g_. «*n 4 x * e A *, e r + h. 1 . o in ol » on messâ se ; ) * Leue * **% ho y 2 #r srhwyets Monmv 31 naiee Aebage ue ces m atow s ol Wea. EDITORS NOTE â The following was taken from a journal in the handwritting of John G. Lind. It is believed they are the entries made during his first trip into the Yukon and Alaskan areas. Every attempt has been made to transfere the entries unchanged, Spelling, puntuation and grammar are as the entries were made, From 1894 Diary John Lind â Missoula Mont Wed. April 26, 1894 N.P.R.R. Leaving Missoula is like unto leave home after being acquainted with them for 5 years or more the friends one leaves only gives place to new friends and acquaintances. Thurs. 26 â Wake up near Pasco, raining very dissagreabel cold stormy no diner or train nothing to eate until we reach Ellmsburg at 9:40 a.m. then the caskade(s) loomed in sight and are crossed by a very toilsome route. Fri., 27 â Tacoma is reached their is one thing noticabel here the ladies seames to have contracted some disease of the mussels of face for nearly all that I met their brows were contracted go on board the "City of Topecka" at 8:00 p.m. Sat. April 28, 1894 â Leave achoma at 4 a.m, arrive at Seattel 7 a.m. which is a much better and more business done than in Iachoma raining slitely the senery is lovely, leave at 12 noon arrive Port Townsend 3 p.m,. leave at 12.30 a.m, Sun. 29 â Arrive Victoria at 5 a.m. the scenery on the straits of Georga is simpely fine. Point Comfort a cosy place the islands here ar very numberous and the boat nearly touches some of them lots of wild fowel. Mon. 30 â Got sick on Queen Charlet Sound, so sick that I liked to have tried another quiet channel and Mill Bank Sound. The water was extremely rough scenery here very grand and imposing, Tues, May 1, 1894 â Reached Alasken water at 9,30 a,.m, came to anchor at custom house weather cold and disseagreabel made a landing a a fishing cannery station Tonkis Narrows. Water smoth timber on islands very heavy Wed, 2 â Up at Wrangel lots of Totem Pools with fantastic carving natives large well built generally fat and good natured their canoes are hewed out of one tree either spruce or cedar which both grow to an enormous size here,., Sighted 6 or 7 whales lots of porpous and small ice bergs one glacier in sight. Thurs., 3 â Junean quiet large town Treadwell Mine on island opposite town start for the Youcon * EDITORS NOTE â "YOUCON" COMMON SPELLING AT TURN OF CENTURY. Fri, May 4, 1894 â Haleys Store start inland and camp in timber the steam boat landed us on a rock we had to pay an Indian 1,00 to land us and 50 cts. pr hundred to take our supplies. Sat. 5 =â go to mouth of canion have to pay 10,00 hundred to pack our stuf to the summit of Chilcott pass. Sun, 6 â make sheep camp tonight. Mon, May 7, 1984 â Make Lake Linderâ man today with my being nearly blind. Tues, 8 â Nearly blind with snow still in same camp. Wed, 9 â went to lake Benit head of it blind as a bat had to be led all day, 10 Thurs. May 10, 1894 â came to foot of Lake Bennit with quit a strong wind had to be led most of way. Fri. 11 â moved to Carriboo Crossing and camped bacon and beens, beans & bacon flat jacks constitu out bill of fair my eyes getting better. Sat. 12 â concluded to build a boat hear as their is some timber we cut down and trim one tree prepatory to skidding it up for sawing. Sun. May 13, 1894 â one of the boys killed a goose and it was quite a treat eyes pretty soore yet, sawing lumber for boat. Mon. 14 â killed another goose and several duck sawing lumber for boat. Tues. 15 â sawing lumber for boat about 6 ft. of snow yet not going very fast. Wed. May 16, 1894 â start to build boat nice warm weather. Thurs. 17 â Building boat snow melting some lots of sigh wash moving down (* Siwash â i.e. Indians( Fri., 18 â Building boat more duck and geese on Carribou Crossing than I have ever seen before. Sat. May 19, 1894 â Finish building boat and go hunting duck and geese one of party killed one. Sun. 20 â Lauched the boat on Carriboo Crossing today called it the "Ella Murray" Mon. 21â started for 40 mile Creek again which by the way is 600 miles further on we start at 2 a.m. and go till 8 a.m. Tues. May 22, 1894 â Make a start go to foot of Yukon and 11 miles down Hand slayshs drag pretting hard start we make not very encouraging kille some grouce Wed, 23 â we poled for 15 hr, to day on account of snow being soft ice 2 ft, thick yet in Taku Lake. Thurs. 24 â start at 2 a.m,. get down to Takish House for dinner and 2 miles on Lake Marshly 1 p.m. snow very soft. Fri. May 25, 1894 â started by boat down the river a fine large river lots of water fowl every place we go on open water. Ice running bad in places Sat., 26 â Portaged the white horse rappids on account of rocks and came to Lake Labarge today or rather night yesterday even canon Sun. 27 â went about 3 miles today ice getting pretty thin lots of moose meat to eat and are happy. Mon. May 28, 1894 â Did not move far on Lake LaBarge today very littel open water but sleded boat on ice nearly 20 miles. Tues 29 â Loaded boat and went to foot of lake until noon, then 33 miles to the Hootlingua River water pretty fast. Wed. 30 â Went 70 mls today water fast in places lovely scenery and some game on the banks. Thurs. May 31, 1894 â came through the five âfingers Rappids today and some white water 5 mls below Wink Rapids. | Fri. June 1 â Pelly River Poste the river is full of islands all day â and very high lots of geese. Sat. 2 â made good time today river very high went 80 mls currant very rappia, Sun. June 3, 1894 » made the mouth of 60 Mte Creek called Ogeelvea camped tonight on Endian Creek provisions low at trading post. Mon. 4 â start up indian creek abanded boat at noon and pack 5 days provisions on our backs. Tues. 5 â pack hard all day and camp on stream looking for a bar that will pay wages then we will strike > it tomorrow one pecular thing is it never gets dark here. Wed. 6 â Go farther up Indian Creek cannot find any thing that will satisfy us so conclude to return to camp. Thurs. 7 â got to where we left boat at 7 p.m. almost tired out and we did not pitch tent but went to bed and it rained hard, Fri. 8 â start for Homile Creek once more expect to make it tomorrow night. June 9 â arrive at Homile right side up creek to High to go up yet several of the other boats lost their all. 2 men got drowned. Sun, 10 â stayed here all day bought a pair of shoes for 8.00 very common ones at that. Bacon 40 cts, 1 B oat meal & corn 15 syrupe 2.00 Mon, 11 â still here weather fine and warm river going down very fast. Tues June 12, 1894 â got our supplies and start up river this afternoon salt 15 cts 1 B, Syrop 3.00 gal everything expensive. Wed, 13 â came through rappids today had to pack our grub but hawled our boat with a line through it, Thurs. 14 â made 10 miles today by hard work in fact their is nothing but hard work all the time in fact the hardest I ever done. Fri, 15 â made Alaska today and got all ower supplies wet. Flower and all we lost by water soda B Powder everything damaged. 11 Sat. 16 â dried ower things and wen 2 or 3 mls to Discovery Bar. Sun. 17 â started this afternoon went a short ways got some of ower stuff wet again. Mon. 18 â went to O.Brion Creek today. Tues. 19 â Camped when we got tired wet as usual Wed, 20 â came past forks today June 21 â got to Franklin Gulch tonight nearly tired out with no water for mining purposes. Fri 22 â went up the gulch today rained hard today and night. Sat, 23 â started work today,fQ%;}(z oz. pr. day., Ground slucing on Troubelsom point. terr Sun, 24 â worked hard today rained today. Mon 25 â worked today same place. Tues 26 â worked today and got 2 oz to night for 4 days work. Wed, June 27, 1894 â packed up the gulch to Stewards claime Thurs, 28 â went to work today. Fri., 29 â worked Sat. 30 â worked Sun. July 1 â laid off today account Sunday went to store and got some supplies I saw the 5,00 nugget it is a beaut, Mon. 2 â work to night as we change to night shift week about. Tues 3 â worked, just as light all night as day, Wead, 4 â 3/4 of a night. Thurs. 5 â worked all night. 12 Sun. 8 â went to mouth of gulch today paid to day. Mon 9 â worked today ground pretty hard, frozen. Tues. 10 â laid off on account of frost in ground. Wed. 11 â worked Thurs. 12 â no work today no water to sluce the dirt with. Fri, 13 â went to hunt moose at the lake 12 miles from mouth of creek. Sat. 14 â We staid up at the lakes all night looking for moose but he did not come the mosquittoes would nearly murder one. Sunday, July 15, 1894 â came back to gulch today Mon. 16 â raining a littel today probably we will have a slooce head to morrow. Tues 17 â worked today Wed. 18 â laid off to day in afternoon. j Thurs. 19 â worked Fri 20 â worked Sat., 21â worked picked up of bed rock one 17,.50 piece and one 5.00 piece in fore noon $25. piece in afternoon. Sun. 22 â worked this fore noon paid today. Mon 23 â worked Tues 24 â no water in gulch Wed. .25 â went fishing in Buckskin today caught 14 trout. Thurs. 26 â no water,. Fri. 27 â no water. Sat. 28 â worked Sun. 29 â worked Mon. 30 â worked Tues 31 â worked rained all last night. Wed. August 1, 1894 â rained all this forencon. Thurs. 2 â bought in on claym called bendor. Fri. 3 â ground sluce. Set. 4 â same Sun. 5 â same Mon. 6 â same Tues 7 â same Wed. 8 â digging ditch on upper part _of clain (* ED.NOTE â DAILY ENTRIES END) Friday, May 25th my partoner John Crist and myself run the canyon in an 18 ft. boat. June 19 â started to shovel in. Cleaned up June 25th (total 158 oz. $199.50) June 27 =â Winer, Nevin & Fred work 20 hr, each . July 2 =â Winer, Nevin, Fred 10 hrs. paid Nevin. July 3 = Winer, 10 hrs, Fred 5 hrs. Paid Both. > July 11 â Charli, Fred â 2%§ hrs. Fred paid, Jno 5 hrs., No I.D. Young No, 2 Oald 10 hrs. July 13 =â Charli, Jno 5 hrs, NO I D Yonng & No 2 Oald 1 hr, All Paid July 19 â Charli, NO I D Yonng, Nicklos 10 hrs, Jno 11 hrs & paid 2 oz $6.45. July 20 â Charli = 10 hrs paid 3 oz. No. I.D, Yonng =â 10 hrs. paid 2 oz, $13% Aug. 10 â Lewis worked 10 hrs. paid 5 oz. $6.00, Charlie 10 hrs paid 5 oz, Nick 10 hrs pd. 5% oz. Aug. 17 â Lewis, Charli worked 10 hrs paid 3 oz. $6,.00, Nick â 10 hrs paid 3 oz. Aug 22 â Lewis worked 10 hrs paid 1â3/4 oz., Charlie 10 hrs. Aug 24 â Charli 10 hrs paid 3 oz. Nick 10 hrs paid 2 oz. Aug. 31 = Charli worked 10 hrs paid 24 oz. nick 74 hrs,. paid 2 oz. $10.00 September 9 â Charli â 10 hrs. April water broke in franklin on the 29 April, 1895. River broke on 9 of May Ground Sluce same day./ Water broke in Franklin 4th day of May 1896. S.S.~Mitchell1 4 legs meat 6.00 2 pr. mitts 3. 00 6 shovels 2 picks Geo. McHue 1 pr. mitts 1,.50, Campbell 1 pr. Gum Boots Line & Pierce 4 shovels 2 picks John Lind meat 2, 00 meat 2.50 Wilkison 1,.50 John Pearson 3 oz. 1/4, 2 oz 3/4 200 lbs.. flour, 50 lbs. bacon, 2 gal syrup, 10 lbs bacing powder 13 8 old lags 1 gm sack 1 shovel 1 picks 1 pick handel $72.00 1 grub box 2 gold pans saw and handles 2 axes 400 1lbs Flower 10 lbs B. Powder 20 lbs Oat Meal 10 M Apricots 1 gal. honey 1 gal. Syrup 50 1lbs. Bacon 5 â sacks _Salt 1 Bucket Colby White â Missoula Mont H.L, Nottingham â Missoula Scot Dundley â Missoula EDITORS NOTE â AT BACK OF JOURNAL ; lst order to Take over Chilco Pass?? 250 lbs Flower 100 lbs Bacon 10 ." B, Powder 50: " Beens 20 »" Coffee 2 Frying Pans 1 Bucket 1 G. Pot 6 Tin Plates j 1/2 doz. knifes forks, spoons 4 doz. tin cups 10 1lbs salt 10 lbs sugar 2 Picks 2 Shovels 2 Gold Pans 2 Axes 1 Whip Saw 10 1lbs nails # #% #% #% #% # # # # # # # 14 'fhe« T R A 1 1 Of â 9 &2 Fortymile P f Tz 25 7 224 72 s FRANKLim _ _ oFt. Rulujg 5,%â:%1 P /S/ ticken , Dawsou z. . #_ 55 sixtyhice j ty a iR 7 fames o-w,a ,00, ;§~§â "f%;â toe 4 * re > OglIVle M 4 -Ft Selktrk. s ob t 1 w22 o y B * mametm, » R e e L +. Nig. " m '- [RINK RAPIDS % _ & Lerime . 4 5 tas &,» Zeive rinoers p o . % ;.,âpâ y 9 * E > cl ;3â. RAPIDS "â11â_g SALMON > Fies * YHIRTYMllg R. $ 4/ 3 ,"W LLABERGE 7 %. âm« ~> *¥ â WN"EMORSE RAPIDS SOUAW RAPI DS e ' i llNDEMANN | cumwor qus s f 1 if 'm//@ / ï¬lâ pling mDymo â: âA t GruULLF OF A LA S K A By ââ â";)fm mvâ 0 5o 100 EDITORS _ NOTE â The following is John Gâs story. He wrote it in the early 30âs during the slow times of the Depression. Most of it was typed by Lou Lavelle, who corrected spelling, grammar and punctuation. The last 3 or 4 pages were corrected and caused to be typed by J.S.L. at a later date. In making these corrections, certain editing was made. This editor has attempted to reverse the process and return a number of deleted words and phrases. While not 100% unabridged, it is closer to the original. 15 John Grieve Lind HIS STORY It is a long time Forty Years, to look ahead, but quite short if you look backward. At that time I considered, that there was too much crowding of people into such a small space as Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia, but when I look at the map now it does appear large enough to hold the whole population of Canada without much crowding. Alaska even then was little heard of. The Yukon Territory was not organized until 1897 or 98. The trip up the B.C. coast and the Pan Handle of Alaska, is magnificent and entrancing. This was in April and the weather was mild and soft and wild fowl numerous. We landed at Juneau and from there the real romance started. We got hold of a war canoe with an Indian as Captain, for an eighty mile trip to Haynes Mission at the head of Lynn channel. The weather was quite rough with dirty rain and we went aground someâ time in the night on a long mud bar, on a failing tide. By the way, there is a forty foot tide at this point and we had to stay nearly eleven hours for the return tide. We each had one yearâs provisions aboard, but no way to get at any of it, nor any fire to cook it with and we were thirtyâsix hours without food. We were wet and cold and with the fog, we did not feel so good. We arrived at Haynesâ Mission and Dyea Inlet with the tidg out and we had to carry our ton of provisions to high land, through mud and salt water, for about a quarter of a mile and with it still raining, we got our tent up, cooked some food and slept. the clock once around. From the Haynesâ Mission to the Summit of Chilkoot Pass, which is only about twenty miles, where the ascent is so steep that you reach the roof of the world far above the timberline. Here there is 20 to 100 feet of snow and a tremenâ dous glacier of pire green ice on your left, for nearly the whole distance, with its continued rumblâ ing like thunder,.From Haynes to the summit everything had to be packed; each pack made up of 100 lbs. We had to hire and organize a small army of Indians, at one dollar a pound to pack our plunder to the summit of the Pass, which is called "StoneâHouse! At a distance it looks like an enormous old castle, a mile or so long and probably one half a mile wide and about one hundred feet high and on top there are dqzens of high pinnacles, that at a distance look like enormous chimneys. This is supposed to be the stormiest Pass in the world. There is never over two or three hours at at time, that it does not snow or blow and when it storms, no one can stand it, but immediately throw down their beds and crawl into their fur robes and wait for the storm to pass sometimes for as long as a week or two. at at time. The only water one could get was from snow, which must be melted by lighting candles under your frying pan. Many and many a man perished here, as this was the shortest way over the range known to white man. Just after we got through, Bill Stewart an old caribou miner, got caught in a blizzard. He had presence of mind to throw down his pack, get his robe and a small tarpaulin to cover over himâ self. He was there for nine days, with only raw oatmeal to eat and 16 some tallow candles. Both feet were badly frozen. Another party that spring, Sid Wilson and John Reid were caught there. They had their dog team with them, also: a tent. They were there ten days. They cut the harness off their dogs, as they had no time to unharness them, turned them loose and never saw them again. They had just time to pitch their tent before darkness set in. They had to live on raw corn meal and a few dried dog salmon. Whiskey Thompson had to kill his dogs and eat the meat raw. George McHue had a terrible time crossing this divide. I could name you a great many more, mostly my friends, the ones that perished I will not mention. P P DI{P (f c omel« an£ CHILKOOT PASS NORTH OF DYEA HAIKNES mission "~Y It took three days to get our Indians with their loads up to the top and from there, we sledded our stuff down hill to the head of Lake Linderman. Then on to Lake Bennet, where there was lots of fine timber. Here, we âbuilt out boat, and intended to wait for the break up as spring was near. This was about the middle of May and there was some open water in places, with ducks and geese by the thousands coming in every day. We lived on them for a time and cooked the ducks and geese in every conceivable way, but one soon tires of them. We threaded our way down the edge of the lakes, through Caribou Crossing and killed caribour, fresh meat and very acceptâ able. Down we went through Takeau Lake and over the ice on mud and Marsh Lake, then paw the mouth of the Tarkenâ eau River to Lake Laberge. By this time the snow was pretty well gone, but the weather turned cold towards night. Lake Laberge is forty miles long. The ice was hard and smooth, so we loaded our boat and plunder on two sleighs, hoisted a sail and jumped in and with a long handled shovel, held by each of us at either end of the boat, we kept the outfit pretty well before the wind and made the foot of Lake Laberge in about five hours. Then we went into camp, set the net in the mouth of Thirty Mile River and had a feast of Artic trout and a good nights sleep. I also shot some grouse which were very fine feeding after beans and flapjacks. From here the river was open, the ice had left for the Bering Sea two or three days before; which by the way is a distance of about 2000 miles. We went down Thirty Mile river to _the mouth of Hutalinkwa, here we camped for the night. Then through Five Finger Rapids we got some of our supplies wet and had a very narrow escape from getting swamped and camped on an island to dry our blankets and provisions. Then on through Wrink rapids, a bad piece of water. Arrived at the mouth of Pelly River â water very high. Arthur Harper had a small fur trading Post here. We had lost all our sugar at White Horse rapids and he had no sugar, but had honey, which we bought. We managed to get along without something . sweet for a week, but we were hungry for something sweet. We went down to the foot of the Ramparts and camped, expecting to have a treat, when behold, all our honey, which we put so much store by, fell into the raging river and sank right before our eyes â very disappointing. 17 sold to Russian traders, as Russia held at that time, a strip of land along the coast to the summit of the first range of mountains. At the mouth of Indian Creek, I shot a black bear. Went up the creek one daysâ journey, leaving the boat four or five miles up from mouth . of creek. Packed our provisions, tools, tent, bedding and cooking SplitâUp Island Q Klondike City Lousetown) o George Carmackâs Fort Selkirk _ Cabin & a " [~.4, * 3â%? C m LAKE BENNETT TO DAwson _ g@* "a oy N f R > 3 5¥ N. *Cmm 1 The Ramparts here are very fine. At sometime there must have been a tremendous volcano,for the Ramparts extend up the Pelly River for about twelve miles and down the north bank of the Yukon for about the same disâ tance, and about fifty feet high and nearly level from a half a mile to two miles wide. On the site at Pelly Post, the Hudson Bay Company established a post about 150 years ago. Getting in their supplies down the Pelly and shipping out their furs the same way, which took all of two years before they reached Fort Nelson on Hudson Bay, for shipment to England. This arrangement did not suit the Chilkoot or Coast Indians, who always came over the Summit to Taglish Houses on Caribou Crossing to trade with the Stick Indians or Yukon Indians. They organized a war party of twelve large canoes fully manned and armed. They captured the Post after a fight, sacked it, burned the stockade and sent the Hudson Bay Co. traders back up the Pelly River, where they established their new post. The furs sold to the Coast Indians were all outfit and prospected for several days. Only found colors of gold. It was too fine and scattered, but some day it will be worked at a profit. Leaving Indian River, we continued down the Yukon River, to the mouth of the Klondike River, where George Carmick, Skookum Jim and Charlie his brother, Indians, were fishing for salmon. Carmick was married to their sister and in 1896, with the Indians as partner, discovered Bonanza Creek and the Klondike, while on their way to Hmdersonâs Camp. on Gold Bottom. They went up the wrong creek and while eating lunch, Jim knelt down to get a drink of water and saw the bed of the creek literally covered with gold nuggets. This caused a stampede, probably the largest ever. I will have more to say about this later. We went on to Forty Mile River which was at that time, the goal of all gold hunters. Arrived late in the day, but this did not matter, for it is perfect day light all the time, for about three months of the year. 18 Forty Mile, was just a collection of log cabins, a Trading Post, which was run by Jack McQuesten and Al Mayou. Two finer men never lived. They owned a steamboat on the river and went to St. Michaels Island in Bering Sea, eighty miles from the mouth of the Yukon River and about 1800 miles down the river from Forty Mile Post. Shortly after our arrival an army of Indians and their dogs, appeared to see the new white men. Next day while we were loading our boats to go to Franklin Gulch, 100 miles up Forty Mile River, there was a great commotion. Little Alec McDonald arrived down the river, with a horse on a raft. . The Indians and dogs gathered to welcome them. Never had they seen a horse before and they kept at a safe distance, but when the horse got ashore, he started up the bank, galloping and neighing and made straight for the Indians, kickâ ing up his heels. The dogs, together with the natives fled in terror to the brush and woods and some of them were days before they returned, for never had they had such a narrow escape from death. These same Indians would without fear, hunt wolves, bears, caribou or a bull moose which when wounded is rather viscious. in the Circle Country and on the Tanana River, where very rich diggings were discovered in â94. Birtch Creek, Mastidone, Glacier Creek, Fairbanks and a great many more creeks are still at this date, turning out millions of dollars of the yellow metal every year. This is about 400 miles down the river from Forty Mile. After getting our supplies, we left for Franklin Gulch, about 100 miles up Forty Mile River. Went up as far as the Canyon and camped. We were awakened by a disturbance about three oâclock in the morning by a white man and two squaws, who were lost in the fog coming from Miller Creek. His name was Frank Bateau. They had no food for twentyâfour hours, so we cooked something for them to eat and he told us all the news about Miller Creek and how two or three men took out quite large fortunes in a short time. Miller, said to have taken out $100,000. this spring. We told him what news of the outside world and also the gossip about the post. At the Canyon, there was a band of Indians fishing with crude dip nets for Artic trout. Their nets were made of willow, laced together with a long handle, which A L A S K A Sb 5) aememar® . 7. id THE EARLY GOLDâFIELDS At this time Miller Creek, Nugget Gulch, Poker Gulch, Glacier Creek and Franklin Gulch, as well as the bars on Forty Mile River, were the only known source of Gold dust. There were quite a number of men prospecting they dropped down behind a large rock and brought up full of fish, every dip. They were drying and smoking the fish for future use. The river was very fast and full of huge boulders and we had to track 19 20 our boat through this for about a mile, climbing over rock and wading and pulling very hard and discouraged with misquitoes that were murderâ ously torturing us. It took us ten days of the most laborious work, wet all the time, poling and trackâ ing and mosquitoes with a cold rain, which added further to our miseries. We rested up for a day or two at Troublesome Point, where an old man called Carter, lived with Troublesome Campbell. They both had squaws and Campbell was well named, because he was always in trouble with the other miners. There was about twenty camps on the Gulch, all mining for gold. The first we visited was Sorehead Ramsey then Kaiser Bill and his partner the Sheepherder, then Bender an old horse thief from the little Rose Bud in Montana, then George Manack, then John Nelson and Oscar Jackson. Neilson was an old sailor from the American Navy. Then we went to work for Bill Stewart from near CGoderich and Matheson. Both fine men. Stewart was an old miner from Caribou. Skiff Mitchell also had a fine piece of ground. Floyd Wilson and old man Fettes were also mining on Franklin. The Indians called old man Fettes, the porcupine. We worked about two weeks and then bought out Benderâs Claim. Word came trickling through of the wonders of Miller Creek, so Bender left for there. We did fairly well to dig out a grubstake that year, but made preparations for next yearâs work. Built a dam and cut timber for sluicing and flumes after the freeze up, which was on the 13th of September. We were busy until about the middle of November, when we went to the Trading Post for our yearsâ supplies. We made the post in about three days by fast travelling, got everything that the post provided in the way of tools and provisions for one year. We stayed at the Post for about two weeks, where we heard all the news from the whole country, as well as contributing our share of news from Franklin. This was the only place to meet every miner in the country. There was two saloons, who did a roaring trade in wet goods. The circulating medium was gold dust, â worth $17.00 an ounce and every one had gold scales and a sack of gold dust. There were not many white men here. About one hundred and no women. Men @gho had mined all over the world. Caribou, B.C. Calâ ifornia, Montana, Colorado, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and nearly all had nick names. No one ever asked where they were from nor their right names. Some of the names maybe interesting. Tin Kettle George, Handshaker Bob, French Joe, Chilean .George, Red McConnell, Siwash George, Montana Red, Windy Jim, RedâHanded Mike, Kaiser William, Slobbery Tom, Nigger Jim, Swift Water Bill, Still Water Willie, Big Dan, Scottie a big highlander who played the pipes and Sailor John. Really all able fearless men, willing to take a chance on anything. The only law was Miners Law. A meeting was called and a President was appointed, who kept order and the majority vote taken was final. There was more trouble with the squaw men than any other, happily they mostly lived in a community by themselves. A little trouble was aroused between an Englishman and a Frenchman over the possession of a squaw. There was to be a duel between them, with Winchester rifles, stationed five hundred feet apart and after each shot, each was to advance one pace, until one or both were killed. That was the decision of the meeting. A great big Scotch Canadian was the President of the meeting and ten men with rifles were appointed to See fair play,together with the President, who was Neal McArthur by name. When everything was arranged, the Englishman saw McZLrthur had about fifty feet of rope on his arm. Asking what it was for, he was told, to hang by the neck, the winner. There was no fight, but they were each given a few days to get their supplies together and leave camp for good. It may have been rough justice but it was very effective, as all disputes were settled by the majority of the miners present, from which there was no appeal. Everyone was given a hearing. There was another case. Everyone was on rationing of butter, bacon and sugar and each week were given their allotment, but the butter and bacon were disappearing. Someone was taking it and they suspected one man, who lived alone off by himâ self in the heavy timber. It took some time for the watch to catch him but they caught him cold with the bacon Some wanted to hang him but the majorâ ity said to give him ten days provâ isions, a hand sleigh and a rifle with ammuntion and send him out of the Country, which in mid winter, was almost like a death sentence. However, he went up river and got in with a band of Indians, about 250 miles up river, nearly dead from starvation but he lived and hunted with them until Spring but he never came back. Old Dutch John was prospectâ ing down on the Seventy Mile River and he had with him an Indian, who very much coveted his shot gun and on all occasions borrowed it to get game with. He became so obsessed with the idea of getting this gun, that he killed poor old Dutch John for its possession. Tidings of the killing sifted through from the Indians themselves, so a party of miners organized and seized the Chief of the Tribe and compelled him to surrender the murderer. He was hangâ ed by the neck and there was no more killing of white men by Indians. At this time, there were only about 150 white men scattered over Alaska, Yukon Territory and along the Yukon River. A Territory as large as Ontario and Quebec combined. After getting our food supplies, mining tools and a few clothes, we started back to Franklin. With reasonable good weather, we expected to transport our yearsâ provisions 21 in about three weeks, with only one dog each. Of all the grueling hardâ ships, probably there is nothing that will so sap the energy as freighting with the temperature constantly at from 45 to 65° below Zero. Where you had to make camp every afternoon and starting at five oâclock in the morning, workâ ing your supplies over the snow. Everything frozen solid and even melting ice to get water to drink and for tea. Flapjacks and syrup with tea was about all that could be cooked; sometimes bacon, but it was usually so hard frozen, that it could not even be chopped with an axe. Making camp, which had to be done before the short winter day closed, getting a tent up, dry wood, robes spread on Spruce boughs, something to eat, to bed too tired to sleep, up at four oâclock in the morning, the time did appear endless, the cold intense. At last Franklin Gulch and we both thought, that never did our poor log cabin appear so inviting and cosy to us. Through the winter we had the usual job of getting wood and drifting out the rich spots left under the banks during the past summer. The procedure is to get a lot of dry spruce logs and set them on fire and thaw out the ground to bed rock and then take out the pay dirt to the bank above spring high water mark. Dry timber was very plentiâ ful and close at hand. These fires we would light every evening and take out the pay dirt next day. Daylight on the shortest days, only lasted from about ten oâclock in the morning until about three oâclock in the afternoon. Finally spring comes about the tenth to the twentieth of May and everything starts to move but occasionally the temperature goes down to 40° below Zero for a short time at night, but just about the 24th of May, it is daylight for the whole twentyâfour hours. With ground sluicing, the ditches have to be dug in the fall, dams built to switch the water in the 22 spring and control it, so that the water will carry a lot of the surface gravel and boulders away down the creek. Sometimes one is able to get rid of all the drift to bed rock or pay dirt, as the case might be. While the pay dirt is thawing out, we haul logs, whipsaw lumber for sluice boxes and make riffles to go in the sluices to catch the gold. The pay dirt has to be picked and shoveled and all the large pieces narrow and twisty and when off the pay streak you get very little gold for your work, but one always expects to get far more than one really does get. I suppose that is so in everything on attempts. At least, it has been my experience. This program of mining lasted each year, that I was on Franklin Gulch, with varied success, until the Fall of 1896, when the news of the discovery of the Klondike reached Te MINERS$ sHovEL TOOLS AND IMPLEMENTS OF PLACER MINERS of rock and gravel thrown to one side as waste. The sluice boxes are 12" wide and about 10" deep and have to be kept full with a continuous flow of water. The boxes have to have a drop of six to seven inches in the 12 foot lengths so that the gravel and rock will be thoroughly washed and as the gold is so much heavier than the dirt it drops to the bottom and stays in the riffles. Simple as it appears, but not always so easy in the execution. The romance if any, from placer mining, is minimized by the extremely laborious work in connection with it. : The short summer season, two shifts of ten hours are worked, one night and one day, with about six men on each. One never knows, with any assurance what the reward will be. Sometimes the pay streak is us. The stories were too alluring, Skiff and I thought so at least, we went and whipsawed about 10,000 feet of sluice and flume lumber for operating on Chicken Creek,which by the way, is being operated to this day, with quite successful results. I was the first to sink a shaft to bedârock on Chicken Creek, in the winter of 95 â 96 and found a fairly good prospect and several nuggets of fair size. We were alâ ways looking for coarse gold, as one did not have to use quick silver to catch heavy coarse gold. We named the Creek, Chicken, from the fact, that the gravel was mostly about the size of chicken feed. I still mourn, for the fact, of havâ ing the leave 10,000 to 11,000 feet of perfectly good whipsawed lumber, when we laft Chicken Creek, never to return. It was nearly Christmas, 1896 when we left Franklin for Forty Mile Post, and very cold weather at the time. It took us four days to reach that point. « The Post was nearly deserted, as everyone was up at the new Eldorado "Klondike". No one talked of anything else. Bonanza â Eldorado, Gold Bottom, Too Much Gold, and Hunker were the most talked of. Finally Skiff Mitchell and myself could not stand it any longer and proposed to see for ourselves. I neglected to state before, that there was a large influx of miners in â96, headed for Tanana, the Circle and Birtch Creek Country. The reports received from there were very encouraging, as some very large fortunes had been taken out in â95 and new diggings discovered every . few months, but just as the rush was on in the Spring of â96, Klondike was discovered, so the newcomers all headed for there, with the result that every creek and gulch was staked for many miles around. A person could stake a separate claim on every creek. Most of the newcovers were broke and very few knew anything about mining and were obliged to sell part of their holdings to buy food with. Skiff and myself started with our dog team for Dawson. The camp was called after Dawson, the great Canadian Explorer and Naturalist and was located just west of the mouth of the Klondike River, where it empties into the Yukon. The first day out from Forty Mile, while looking for dry timber, so we could make camp for the night, we overâ took a woman on the trail headed for Dawson. Apparently she had been on the trail for several days and was almost exhausted. She had only one dog, with too heavy a load and it was worn out also from the cold. We too were rather tired and the temperature was about 60° below. We thought she was dying, so we loadâ ed her on our sleigh and started for old Fort Reliance. We knew there was some old log cabins there and was told there was a stove in one of them. We 23 turned her dog loose, put her sleigh on the bank and started. We knew it would take us about ten hours more to reach this place and we were tired before we started. However, we did reach the cabins about 9 A.M., where we found four or five people there with a good fire and some food cookâ ing on the stove. That was the longâ est night I ever put in. The woman recovered as soon as she had a good meal and a rest. We arrived in Dawson and found a great many of our gold mining friends were already in the field and all agreed, that this was possibly the richest gold find ever discovered. Nearly everyone had stampeded from Forty Mile to Dawson . * Before I start about the Klondike, it may not be out of place to tell about Forty Mile. The Northwest Mounted Police came in the Fall of 1894, by the way of St. Michaels and Bering Sea. The contingent was under the command of Major Constantine. They had with them sawmill machinery which they erected at Fort Cudahy, on the North side of Forty Mile. They built a fine set of officersâ quarters and quarters for the men, surrounded by a Stockade. A finer body of men would have been hard to find anyâ where. They were all picked men and were all Constables. Inspecter Strickâ, land was Second in Command and Dr. Mills their Medical Officer. The Boundary between Alaska and Yukon Territory is the l4lst parallel, which crosses the Fory Mile River about thirty miles up the river from its mouth and crosses the Yukon about sixty miles down the Yukon River from Forty Mile Post. The apex of Mount St. Elias, over 20,000 feet high and covered from near the base to the summit with a glacier, is on the l4lst parallel and this parallel is followed through straight north to Demarkation Bay at the mouth of the MacKenzie River, on the Artic Ocean and forms the Boundâ ary between Alaska and the Yukon. Territory. Mr. Ogilive spent two years on the Yukon, determining the exact 24 point where it crossed the Yukon River, in the late Eighties, for Canada. After that, he ran the line from there to Mount St. Elias, putâ, ting up mounds of rock at intervals. The United States Engineers found after a year on the Yukon, that his dbservations were correct. They then ran a line from this crossing to the Artic Ocean and both Governments accepted the lines thus surveyed and marked. While the gold discovery was made in August 1896, by Skookum Jim, George Carmick and Tagish Charlie, Carmick took all the credit for it, as the other two were Indians. Skookum Jimâs sister was Carmickâs common law wife. They staked one claim each and were also allowed one claim for discovery, which went to Carmick. A claim consisted of 500 feet in length up and down the valley and from one side of the valley to the other. Every claim was staked from discovery up or down, as the case may be. Discovery did not have a number, but was always know as discovery. The first claim down stream was called No. 1 below, next No. 2 and so one, as far as they were staked. This way was followed by calling No. 1 above discovery, No. 2 above and had to be recorded by their right number. If one staked too much ground, the fraction was always numbered as fraction, we will say No. 2A. Never was there so much excitement. Many of my friends told of the extremely lavish distribution of gold on Bonanza, Eldorado, Hunker, Gold Bottom, Bear Creek and others of less importance. Some of the stories were rather exaggerated, but under the circumstances could be forgiven. I iEQ J 4 PA âi& motan viiaee NYX âzgg Uhe XK1onrDpIKEe GorDb FiELDS NE â x Y § 6» h + 4 SA wts'.ronwsâgu ) âDuwâson i & Amug A Discovery claims 4-â,' C w n.._"."l",.â Te . R w# Ce, P Q., 9 », & Dopws monee ï¬% MBrie n n) KLONDII( T Feus, s i) f E p " & tS sensl, f// Klondike Citys toy!/" . *l6.. c yE R s Airige" _ L [Lousetom) CQTâ & L § ; u| «. <~@g nou nouse A y L"_ # P a ~ é g8, âs ; 6 > [ > ~, QSEQA "s © â"~t ki* 2, « M ~ EJ ce ito» TuulZ & iR * 7 ©/. +o& < .e ~* freth, d v 3 PJJ 4 S Roap nouses >« py & . t. . 8A 4 z_ fixe "â¬ corpsz bt ol P aL> Cad & +A U Et t $ ââcn§ ev _ 7 Roab nouse E ; |F & > § ~, *J mmw® $ B $x"___ $ * E «& Cl j Ey O AC qa/ % ) 6 * /â '§ :i C /g A3 ,.. i( n > 22 y 4 Mledia 4 + CR. "A & * & mowre curisro Aff" . K s cureny MONE! «%}â,&' s /. _ Aywm (FE ~ââ cueechano Hitt : 3} aromce carmack 2299 ai" / 4 &A _7 i A Ziitrie skooxum.*~s3g piscoverys? #f/7".."_ S . a . cei® J U ZZ" Hhig suconunt® Lle mmrand rorks !* _ 73 .. hobenrr (+ eoue; Al â â# ob unt f rand Forks zzZnENDersonâs| 3 . o Top 4M w i // 5 o# * C -'{g & ./ czzeâpiscovery | § > . Muceu 60 ../â,/ / =~_ sFork»y . «& yE E p)â â¬- / 3 â777)7â1.,/2 â/.13 j B ie 3 F QOQ. . KE / # & ':% "C +A S â% § A h " J ~ |s Ek/ â% f e Sip § e Z7 ~ 4m~asmomo~soom:/{/ B â $y¥ 4 m 2) Z7 k. a upren m'swvelnv {âT a n A â¬ _ IND1a IAn R Skiff and myself finally found out where our old friends were located and started up Bonanza. We stopped the first night at Bob Lowryâs camp. They had a fine piece of ground, also Lewis Lewis and Jack Horn and many others. Many of the newcomers wanted to sell out their holdings and get out of the country. They held good ground, but they had no money to buy provisions with and together with the cold weather, they became disgusted with the Country. After some deliberation on our part, we bought interests in about a dozen claims. One partiâ cular claim we got a half interest for $12,000. cash, 26 above on Bonanza. Early in the Spring we bought out the other half for $200,000., but were not to pay anything more until the middle of August. We got our lumber, proviâ sions, nails and tools, built sluice boxes, flumes, dams and one cabin. Everything had to be purchased at famine prices. Shovels were worth $20.00. each, picks the same, nails $5.00 a pound, nails were very short. Bacon, beans, flour, rice, sugar, hams, butter and everyâ thing we bought, we paid a $1.00 per pound and was glad to get them at any price. We paid $20.00 per day of 10 hours, for our miners. Skiff and I also bought No. 1 Eldorado where he also had to go through just the same performance to get this claim opened for spring work. In addition to these prices we had to freight everything about twenty miles up the creek by dog teams, which cost about another ten cents per pound. Lumber had to be bought for $120.00 per M and had to be brought up to the diggings. At last the ever eventful Spring of 1897 opened up and we put about 200 men to work, 100 on each shift at $20.00 each per shift. That is, our payroll cost us $4,000 per day, but the returns at times, from our operations were enormous and at other times hardly anything, but mostly we were quite fortunate. I 25 have seen us clean up in twentyâfour hours operation, over $50,000 in gold dust and nuggets, but this was not nearly all profit, as probably we had spent on 26 above on Bonanza, in getting ready, over $150,000, besides what we paid for this clainm, before we took out a dollar. Skiff also was doing quite well on Eldorado and every dollar we made, we kept investing in other properties, until we were quite large operators. By Fall, I was worn to a shadow, workâ ing about twenty hours a day, also doing my own cooking and household duties. It was this news of sendâ ing out about ten million in gold from the Klondike Mines to the mint THE RICH GROUND : 1896â97 F Lc ic H i MILES kJ $ 3 6 ol Cu 6 2 t (B â0â.,01 N â9â Frg George Carmackâs ¥ L:D) 10 picolen. p (C) U 5+X (E) "Swittwater" Bill Gates Claim . (F) Tom Lippy Ciaim / & Alex McDonald Claim 7 G) ââ_ï¬âg\,- Ed | 30 «o Clarence Berry and Antone Stander Claims [Ido,ad Ieek. _ ââiPR (H) f Charles Anderson Ciaim < CLAIMS INVOLVING JOHN G. LIND (A) 3 above Bonanza (B) 18 ts on Bonanza (C ) 26 n U (U (D) 30 (D (U (U (E) 1 Eldorado (F) 10 U (G) 18 8 (H) 32A 8 (fraction) 26 in San Francisco in July and August of 97, that caused such a rush in 98 to this Country. It is with some pride to be able to say, that I too contributed some share in the openâ ing up and development of this very rich mining camp. By September 15th when the freeze up came that year, we were pretty well organized, as we had several claims to develop for winter drifting. Skiff was on 18 Eldorado and I went to 30 above on Bonanza, where we worked getting out pay dirt to sluice in the spring. The operation is to sink shafts to bedârock and thaw the pay dirt by wood fires, drifting in all directions from the shaft hoisting it by windlass to the surface. This was not quite so laborious for me. I had more time to build cabins for the men and had some leisure time to read, which had been sadly neglectâ ed for over a year, as I did not look into a book of any kind. Now we had more comfortable cabins, better food, coal oil âlamps instead of candles for light and I did enjoy the winter of 97 and 98. Occasionally some of the boys around would drop in and we would play a little poker, but I hardly every left home, as I never in my life until this winter had a chance to read just what I wanted to. Sometimes fiction and romance, but mostly history, Gibbons, Carlyle, Green, McCauleyâs Essays, Huxley and someâ time I just revelled in Kingsley, Duma, Victor Hugo and etc. I had been starved for such a long time and deprived of anything to read that was worth while, that I rather resented anything that interfered with my reading. What gave me probably more pleasure than anything else, was not being forced to entertain other mine owners or being entertained by them. The "Bella" arrives at Dawson June 3ra, 1897 (One of the first ships pushing barges into the new townsite laid out by Ogilvie in Jan.1897) * Most of the successful owners spent most of their time in Dawson and when they did come to the mines usually for more gold to continue their pursuit after excitement. There were all sorts of entertainment during the winter of â97 andâ98. Dance Halls, gambling joints, two theatres, drinking saloons galore. Everyone had gold dust and plent of it. Many of the mines were producing huge fortunes, laborers were getting $20.00 per day and everything was very dear. Probably at that time Dawson was the wildest camp on the Continent. One paid $1.00 for a dance, $1.00 for a glass of liquor, $65.00 per quart for a very indifferâ ent Champagne, a very indifferent meal could be purchased for $8.00 to $12.00, $10.00 for a bed, $1.00 to $2.00 for an outside paper a month old, eggs of doubtful age were sold at $12.00 a dozen, candles $1.00 each. All night the busy gambling joints, dance halls and saloons kept open and as I mentioned before a goodly number of the mine owners spent all or nearly all their time in Dawson and could talk about nothing else but what conquests they had made or how much they lost or won at roulette or faro and how much they spent on entertainment of their guests. Among the amusing things one saw was a little hump backed Swede, who at one time worked for us on Franklin and who by a strange chance of fortune was compelled to go to work on a claim he had forced on him. He came to Forty Miles from the diggings where he worked as a laborer and had saved about $1,000. from his summerâs work. This was in the Fall of â96. A man from Colorado and his Partner had staked a claim on Eldorado up in what was called a Moose pasture. They proceeded to get Charlie Anderson, "that was his name", drunk and they gave him a bill of sale for their claim. Never thinking it had any value. They had the sale witnessâ ed by two other men for $600.00, all the money he had left, "happily 27 #9 ELDORADO (George Demars sold half for $800.00, within three years worth $1,000,000.00) DIAGRAM OF GOLD CLAIM ONn ELDORADO CREEK &#40,000 was Taken prom the Shafl- alone x w & a2 & u yet o .r..m z2 «l : i¢ . ied MAVE & F4 a ed 4 y +951 g e {g. SA â¬ a d e 4 Z2# 3 bct CLAIM NÂ°G ELDORADO CREEK The Cla im is 80 feer from Rim Rock taRim RocK Fronlâage on C reeK is 500 Feer â7: 1b Feet of Gravel and Sand Mixed Pard grom .50 tofass Per Pan 2| 4Fecrof Gravel Finc and {] Coars Pard from 2 co 45 es Per Pan Ground above Bed Rock always frozcn 1h Feer Fine Graverdi.25 _ Per Pan Average is Feer Fiane Btack 3ind * 'Ynld zebâoc ,â:,53.',â5â,,, Bed Rock Said robe ) Share Deptrh not Known he had already bought about $400. worth of grub". He made a terrible row over the loss of his money, but nothing could be done about it, as the other parties had discretely left for Circle City. He went up to Eldorado, put down a shaft to beaâ rock right on some of the richest pay dirt on the creek. He took out over a million dollars worth of gold dust and probably there was nearly 28 #26 ABOVE ON BONANZA â probably summer of â97 Note cabin with elevated food tent Photoâs by E.A.Sather of Dawson City,Alaska that much more pilfered from him by his employees from this one clainm. As soons as he found he was wealthy he bought a large cabin in Dawson, put a bath tub in it and took frequent baths in champagne at $65. per quart. Probably before this, he had not had a bath for years. There was no Eastern Potentate everâ had a larger harem than he had or was more lavish in their entertainâ ment. Finally he did get married to a dance hall artist, who as usual, got his remaining money and left him. Poor Charlie went to work in a saw mill. There was probably 75% of all the wealth taken out of the Klondike that was dissipated in a similar way. Too much sudden wealth went to a great many mensâ heads and ruined them forever. Very few were ever able. to come back. I could name dozens and dozens of fine men in adversity, with fine principals, utterly ruined by a little brief wealth and usually they put on all the airs of a Prince of the Blood, while it lasted. It is also true that some of them: that lost out were earnest had workâ ing and industrious men that investâ ed their money unwisely. At that time Dawson was a refuge for all the sure thing men and women, tin horn gamblers, sharks and dance hall keepâ ers and gambling devices of every description. One man, by the name of Wilson, surnamed the Pope, lost $57,000. at one sitting, but most of the losses were for lesser amounts but there was probably over 2,000 men and women, who derived their living "and they appeared to live well" from the proceeds of gambling and trickery. The Northwest Mounted Police kept splendid order, both in Dawson, and all the creeks and surrounding Country. Whenever crooks were caught in the wrong, they were punishâ, ed severely. There was very little stealing and the police kept good order and were very much respected. 29 The Spring of â98, found a great many officials who came in over the ice, with Major James Walsh, who was the first Commissioner, together with a Judge, a Controller, Gold Commissâ ioner and their staffs. The second Governor was William Ogilvie, who in the Eighties, determined the location of the Boundary between Alaska and the Yukon Territory. He also surveyâ, ed all the creeks on which there had been any gold discoveries and settled many disputes, as to boundaries on the different mines. He was a very kindly disposed man, but was not popular for he usually granted the requests of the first to apply to him and there he would stick, no matter what the evidence would be. James Ross was the third Governor and possâ ibly the best. He was born in London Ontario and while quite young, went to the North West Terrritories at Moose Jaw. He was an exceptionally good Executive and usually got all the information available, before 'deciding anything of importance. Jim «_ Ross was the first M.P. from the Yukon. He had nothing but trouble while there. His wife, one daughter and his niece went down on the S.S. Islander off the mouth of the Tarku Inlet. It struck an iceberg and sank within a short time, carrying about 75 to 80 passengers to a watery grave, as well as most of the crew. Then he had a stroke, while coming up the river to White Horse. After two years he was appointed to the Senate. He died about three years ago. A splendid man . Dawson in the Spring of â98 was throngâ ed with crooks of every variety and fakers from all over the world, botp male and female. What they did not know about stealing and sure thing games to relieve the unsuspecting miners of their money, is not worthâ recording. One case, Blake had cleanâ ed up $100,000. and was on his way out. In twentyâfour hours he didnât have a cent. He had not seen his mother for thirty years and wanted to settle enough on her to keep her in comfort for the rest of her life. 30 rmmgo uy o rmeyo uy o 1yA _ _ .%@M@(:xa%&@ MWsMM yo 1279 w2 â to J&v&u 2232673 \u00C2§§§w® %s% w\ N \u00E2&RQâ:%&RU M% N@u .;Mâ\V.â.nn...uo..\\u00E2 We ie n o on â-.. *â yeopas taraf vvus.wewu&%w%u rrooporosfore v0 vocorive} rouge op prprimel op royferriyy levue sporgnn ve rrofogereyy reosy onriyy fevawe yrorzams ï¬â@&w QggQg\k\gQâ.âVS&\â\âS\QR\u00E2&%W 200# W\ 0 2042 â&âs Z2 Q ï¬kâ W\nereomay arpmegy youe / rusyorotfe rsoosnie possned so9 sn âgouey âvermage Arorpporry 1P âetqpnmnsone /#244°* QX o mt s %w&%@ \% v%&%& y °p* m@ pree stsowi. \u00C2» §ï¬âww\u00C2§ sy +2 \u00C2§ 27 replwrray brwwe yyorgen ro poveny] seomy sry yorgm pagry fvm o vesspmarg s3y op porfpran ABurrgoopr poen beargpragy o obogmeneyt oyy foorayy veopey 2y op mooab epe zzy» ayoniyg20® S1G®, Prvof feep o tmonas spl 2zy +wof avod oo ï¬ (zparoarp \n2COML2L? 920 o prtOrp» && &xx@% ) @% repmw» "ârmurim ddornQ o# fo vebspzrnqp p ogor ryrgnbarg, bemerigâs g>» 9g2 aon oo rafsprerof s§ â\&s âï¬\k W\%\âs& NÂ»va% m.ud \N l@a 7 C?WN%N 2CLI2P â ® %M& §Nv§\u00C2§ s k ; gï¬k\@ 9 \n sn mmlials.. âA7NO HY3A NO HO4 Gi7VA âL< ânavesJspvuiâNon E& =â» *** 3NSS| 40 39V¥71d &z .&.._S,v %,QVF.. â $¥ âaivoldiL439 S.A3NIW mumn_.ww@w NOINIWOGU vYavVNvp » § .whwï¬ .OZ f <s _ Am.% .m@@&w.ï¬sm:mm_ 140 11VG 31 John G. on #26 above Bonanza probably Spring of 1898 Fortunately for him, he had some good ground left. Another man, Dahl had been in the Country ten years, had accumulated $75,000. He started on a trip to Norway, but he did not get away from Dawson. Knockout drops from which he never quite reâ covered. Quite many of these tales we heard, but could prove nothing. It all dwindled down to, that they got drunk and gambled their money away and this band of reptiles could get dozens of witnesses to swear to anything. Not all the gambling was crooked. Another story, Alex Pantages, afterwards the owner of 32 g681T ;o Sutrads £Tqerqoad 92 eZuUueuO¢ UO 3aA0ge # uteT)p so many theatrical ventures, was a sort of a swamper in the Monte Carlo Dance Hall, saloon and gambling joint. He became a Millionaire and owner of twenty theatres, all called after himself and all in different cities in Canada and United States. I want to remember "Harry Woolrich". a professional gambler, who came from Owen Sound and was quite successful, if playing with someone elses money but when he played with his own, he always lost. One night he cleaned up $70,000. at poker. By the rules of the game, when one staked another, half the winnings went to the man that staked him and the player got the other half, and most of the gamblers were honest in this. He bought a ticket on the boat "White Horse" for Vancouver. He was to visit his family in Owen Sound. For some cause, the boat was delayed and he went to the Monte Carlo for a drink before he left. He put $10.00 on the high card and there he dropped every dollar he had, before he left. The reason, I have dwelt so long about gamblers, is that everyone, man and woman is a speculator or gambler. Do we not speculate on our very existâ ence and everything we do has an element of chance. I think it must be an inherited weakness, if weakness it is, for do we not also believe that nothing ventured, nothing won. Do we not have more faith in the lucky breaks we expect, than in the existence of a life everlasting. However, in the spring of â98, everyâ thing we are interested in, is well organized and quite prosperous. The pay dirt we drifted was up to expectâ ations and 26 above on Bonanza was laid out to work on a larger scale with better equipment and we hoped to reap a larger harvest of gold. I had a large number of men working and we were doâ ing very well. The Fall before, one of my old friends and one time partner, who had not been out of the Country for thirteen 33 years, wanted to go out to see the world. He took $20,000 with him. He was from the State of Maine and was without a doubt, the strongest and most powerful man I ever knew, with a most pleasing personality. Too much money all at once spoiled him. He entered every sort of dissapation known and unknown and had to borrow money to get back to Yukon. While on a bender he had an obsession for police shields. He would take them off a policeman whenâ ever he could. He acquired no less than twelve while in San Francisco. I think he paid for some of them, for he boasted that he took three from one piliceman. He spent someâ time in jail but managed to get out without much publicity as an old Yukoner, at that time was a novelty to the outside world. He arrived back in Dawson in July, a total wreck of a man. When he went out in the Fall he weighed about 250 lbs and when he arrived back, he weighed 165, with about every ailâ ment that mortal man could have and live. It was only his determination that kept him alive at all. They took him to the hospital in Dawson. Skiff and myself, together with Harry Spencer and Grizzly McFee were sent for. We held a counsel of war and it fell to my lot to take him out to San Francisco for treatment. Poor Frank Dinsmore. We got a river boat to St. Michaels in Bering Sea, nearly 1900 miles then an ocean steamer to Frisco. The trip from Dawson to San Francisco took twentyâ, four days. He stayed for two weeks, then he wanted to get back to his beloved mountains which he loved so well, so we compromised on Denver. I stayed there about a week and he appeared to be getting better, but one week after I left him I had a wire from Denver that he was dead. The trip down the Yukon, until we reached the flat Country below the mouth of the Porcupine River, was very grand and imposing. â The salmon run was on and the Indians on 34 daqumu o12e0TJTjJ3d moT â ajf0oUuU xe, qusouudlaa08 $oT e squesoadam ojpeot;ptju3ap L1 tefoy soTTJ §.p uyop UuT 91f20TJTIJ30 1SI7T]J â1o300dsu; pazt1oyupncts £mp £us £q paxmbax uogm poonpoid 0q js1nuu 6480411130 SJJ juvuno2dy âg 6891 94 QMW : w 07 k&.ï¬&&&&% Nmmm h &c.âck% J21¢ %H <7# ....... r: jz *> A u i ¥ sogrunu &kw ,\Q non 110 @Q .mm@ &&.&&anamom &.&N_ ~ ,W ....... âa weenc of} %3«%@ us N&&&@%& oyf Q.N.QQ .ï¬w\n : 4 on amarmyeim n Artu imAAA TRAAA qï¬w\e 7 \....N /(n.â%@ 12443 mmnï¬aï¬@ 0J S$1 muï¬a $3 : J 681 IN % _ s 4+ r gâé 1218 eac&ee% &&&.m * _ "a;ooyy12g aynd&oe on 35 im # 26 above on Bonanza probably Spring of 1898 Cla 36 nearly every long point were dryâ ing and smoking salmon for their winter food. The salmon that were running were all King fish and I have seen some of them that weighed over 110 lbs, near the mouth of the river. About every forty or fifty miles our boat would tie up to the bank to load up with cord wood for the boilers had to anchor out about eight to.â twelve miles and everything has to be lightered ashore and stored for furtherance by river boats. The labour here is all done by Eskimos. A stout hardy race who all show their Tartar origin. There are no Indians within 500 miles Going down the Yukon to St. Michael note â shadow of steamerâs smoke stack as that was the only fuel we had and spruce wood is not a very lasting fuel. We finally arrived at the mouth of the river which is eight miles wide before it empties into the Bering Sea. We had to wait there for twentyâfour hours for weather before we started for St. Michaels Island, which is eighty miles out in Bering Sea. The water is very shallow all the way over and very dangerous in a blow. As the river boats only draw about seven feet of water, they can get up to the dock on the Island, where two of the large Companies have enormous warehouses. The Alaska Commercial Company and the North America Trading & Transâ portation Company. There were in the Bay, ten large ocean boats but they of Bering Sea. The small number that inhabit this Country are all Eskimos. Good workers when properly supervised but they are given to stealing small articles. We were delayed here until the boats unloaded their merchandise for a week. Of all the dismal country that I have ever seen is around Bering Sea with no mountains, no timer and not even scrub brush. Rains almost incessâ antly, no sunshine. No wonder the natives are scrofulous, with a consâ tant fish or seal diet. The trip across Bering Sea to the Unimak Pass in the Aleutian Archâ, ipelago was without interest. On entering the Bay at Dutch Harbour St. Mu'hae s sept BErinc i _sEgaA Dutch .. pes 3 4, . Harbor G â &?â 9â9 â Daws.w to San Francisco ./uiles Sooo M.Les 0 100 200 _~~ Lee~ 0/ io yp Py I ï¬mtymzle .« FORTYMILE R.y \n'm G U L F A LA S KA O F and Unalaska, two very pretty places and almost perfectly land locked. At Dutch Harbour, the United States have a coaling station for their sea patrol and Revenue Cutters. They visit every village and camp in Bering Sea, twice in the season to see if all is well and that there is no suffering from shortage of food or disorders of any kind that can be relieved. I do think this is a very humane act. They also punish all offenders who give or trade hard spirits to the Eskimos for their furs and whale bone. Their furs consist mostly of white fox and blue fox. Both of which have become quite popular. Polar bear also have some value. This bear is fierce and hard to kill. The food of the Eskimo consists in the winter of frozen fish and seal meat which they eat raw. In the 37 * . sucâs . ............................... gâuro;) «2ans âyuo puaju 2»%:@ 2¥3 40 TT y âsang pros [TT T# uop pmro *sD NeQ k\n 4 i: ; . 4 1 N | | e ; $b l L. o e [ es ~ââfetsgeagreengf cmssy T oabice { . f .So:::&@...»wm%mmm ..... h en t y o ooo e Q@Q@.v L.N& Q.\N 1_qbng ag curo2 .. =$ 1 j s#eveâ _.â...-... 1 1 i «+ :..:.2......:'.... _|.. .. syysuseg. |.||-...... snssenensecusheveusseue Seue : » | css [ es a m i i i , i ; ; i ninercensaths as ie t S o m m S e s . ol foeshesczs h edesees mevesisiee feslee, sear reves ce o o | | > i | Pm | f it , f it _ j | f i i ; w I | t __,i âIm 20 .,nlll, nE esn ETCEee Tan e ar ies ._â fectenine hi ce «l . sul Bee #°% fasess;5eer madger: oo o L _2 202 _ i| u9;) â âurvilog s mtleq _ uryog _ âsmuey âareu10g .._sccc 1 || umep | _ wm0d 1 urcooât _ 2x __ *saoung | q âsaaung â n ie sealme lï¬ P | x in Bd ce is 1+ L seal : P } âsreg onpg puw Suysz z0 38 aod âSujuyey âBapjorq 404| on[rA * i I ; eppaaiorels j â "ergNaNlyp© âBAIYA _ .E_znz... ._ âoxutap; uy j ânxuf3}( aho04rgq ; *NOITIAG a0 NOLLdIMIOSYT bo â eanava u«s es $ t, 4 FADUVHO _ ca7op uis wows awiuyd aanlg _u "LHOIH M , *anfrea say30 Arsodaqg oy3 jo uoppewsoju; oy? 10 st wnpussowap s!YL â*TLON o f o paarrene . | Teep *g zt âon E._oml.u...:.:_sm ax!¢ âg âq p... be 38 spring'they do catch a lot of hair seal for oil and pelts and they try out the blubber and sew the pelt up after filling with the oil. They just mark where they leave it and often do not return for it till the fall. They often catch a small white whale. and black whale or Black Thresher. They also catch and dry salmon. Their clothes are mostly made from the pelts of hair seal as well as their boots. Their boats are also made from the seal skin stretâ ched while green, over willow boughs where they are allowed to dry and are light and waterproof. The Eskimo are very skillful boat men. Occasionally they do kill a walrus and have a great feast. Before cutting off the head of this huge mammal they invite all and sundry to the ceremonial. The master of "which is the fighting chief", assisted by the other notable of their tribe, while the women, youngsters, dogs are the audience, as well as the old men. I could write pages about this primitive people, their ways and manners. They do look and live as we believe the old Tarters tribes lived in their native Mongolia under the fierce old robber, who almost conquered the known world, Kubla Klan, probably the most blood thirsty tyrant as well as the best commander the world has ever seen. Oour passage through the Unimack Pass through the Aleutian Archipelago was most delightful like coming Editors Note: THIS ENDS JOHN Gâs STORY 39 from winter to spring in one day. There are no trees on the Islands but the tall soft green grass with the sun shining on it did just grip me with the loveliness of this region in summer. Probably the contrast from the wet cold bleak fogs of the Bering Sea to the warm sunshine of the North Pacific, the sea warmed by the Japanese current. I have never seen such myriads of wild fowl the sea literally alive with white and black whales and porpoises; the sandy shores of the islands alive with seals out sunning themselves. The good ship "St. Paul" ploughing her stately way through the waters between the many islands all tended to make this trip one never to be forgotten. There was quite a large passenger list a number of whom I was acquainted with before leaving the Yukon. The first day out from Unimack Pass we were in the track of the China boats, takâ ing the Northern Route from Vancouver to the Orient. While the first night . in the North Pacific the moon was full and not a cloud in the sky. The sea had a very gentle motion hardly perceptable and the numerous wild life in and on the ocean. I was sitting up in the bow alone, there was music and dancing on the deck. Laughter and song floated up to me where I was about half asleep, wondering what the outside world had nA lA 2. . 2 In July of 1898, he returned home to Pond Mills but his Klondike days will carry on till the fall of 1902. Eight months after July 1898 he returns to Dawson. It is believed, that , at that time, he returned with two of his sisters, Ada and Wilhemina, the latter will marry within the year to Skiff Mitchell, a partner of John Gâs. The other sister Ada, was a school teacher in Dawson and will eventually marry another partner, John Crist. Fâfâbo Horbkâ "West Wom,tedâ Gfofice, @Hice of the @om]atzoâez, @Hawa 12th August 18 08 8 'ï¬e[. Gno. Sireusecsessenseresueeupcectieed My dear »Johnny, T reâceivec.i yours ~f the l1th toâday,dated from Londone I wired your, with instructions at the Telegraph Office to get the message through at all hazards to you. The substance of the telegram was that I an lee ing .toâmorrow mornirg,but if the matter .. was important,would lay over tiâll you came down; that I would be back here on the ist September,and asked you to answer. So that 1n.case you do not receive the felegram you will understand that I will be in Ottawa again on the 1st September if that will suit YOu. If not,you can wire me in three or four days to Stanbridge,P.Q@Q. I am having a busy time nere,but am keeping out of the newspapers as far as possible.,. I telegraphed Bill McPhee a couple of days ago at San Francisco about some matters,but have not heard from him since. 'With kind regards, Yours very truly, «Smp s f John Lind, Esq., âWilton Grove P.0., Ont e mm tmnmu, n SRpc PB C c â4, o â Yortb West Ulownted 6Z,ao!ï¬ce:a, @"ice oâ the @omlattoffez, 34 %_ @Hawa, 19th August 181§8 Dear Johnny, I got your telegram,asking if I had received certain parcel,some 80 howrs after it was sent. I immediately hired a team and4 drove to the Station and took the train for Montreal last night,hoping to see you in person there. By a stupid mistake of the hackman heâ drove me to the %rong notel,although plainly told the Victoria Hotel. The consequence was that after some loss of time I found the proper place,but you had just left on the train. ~ The parcel arrived all safe. It is a very beautiful piece of work,and the sentiment'prompting the donors is and will be highly appreciated both by Mrs Constantine and myself. I will write to the Pioneer Lodge in Dawson,thanking them directly,and would be glad if you would thank any that you may meet for us. I hope to see you here in September jhen we can i hnave a talXk over old times. Do you intend returning to the Yukon this Fall ? I will be glad to hear from you,and anything addresse to me c/b N.W.Mounted Police,Ottawa,will find me. With kind ; :ï¬ regards. £ § Believe me, __,_|_John Lind, Esq., Yours very truly, wilton Grove, | $ onto a # 42 * Jan 6th/99 Dear Johnnie: I have just got your letter of the 2lst of Dec. I had not heard anything of the jury you sent in by McFee. He came over the summit when I was going out by the mouth but I saw Keller & he had met him at the lakes but did not know wether he had a j ump or not., I came out last fall as Fuller had a sure thing sale for New York which Keller & Stevenson was going to jut.through as soon as we got to New York so I had all the paper made out to me and went there., I met Keller there but I guess he found things a little different than he expected anyâ way he did not see his way to do any thing before Xmas so I went over to London but so many of the companyâs going crooked like Iron Mongers did has kind of cooled them off on Klondike. Still things may brighten up now the holidays are over., âI have all the papers for 26 & 18 to sell the two for $400,000. Skiff was to open up a cut along the bottom of 26 this winter, so that a buyer could expect it after putting up 30,0008$,. Fuller was very confident of selling when I left on those terms. On 26 I left two men (Lund and another man) on the fraction I had two men hired to cut wood by the cord (Glany âââ start & a man called Preist who worked on Honker on a Lg on #22) Skiff & Floyd were going to look after things. George who was no good was to be jut were he would be most out of the way. were he would do the least harm. I thought had sold the fraction to Voss but he could not raise the money to pay for it, What is the government going to do for us this year are they going to send us a new crop of Wades and Walshes. Do you know were Constanâ tine is let me know when you write if you do. I bet there is lots of poor devils in Dawson who wish they were in Hell sooner. I am afraid I cannot go back with you in February as my brother & his family are coming from India next month & I have not seen him for 15 years. I should like to hear from you before you start and what yr plans are for the future & what you think about selling & anything on the subject. that you of Crist may think of whether you would sooner have the whole matter in yr own hands anything that you & John thought good would suit me ( & there is only us three in the original company or started in on) & you can see Con Dahl about it, If things go right this winter 26 ought to be in good shape to work next summer & if the jump is there we could take out as much & we could see for & have some left besides. I was pretty sick when I landed with cold on my lungs & fever but I am nearly all right again but I donât think I am nearly as tough as I used to be in Franklin Gulch times I was badly under the weather when I left Dawson. When you see the Dahls give them my regards & tell Mrs. Dahl that the folks were sorry she did not go down & see them, I found my father looking just the same as he did 15 years ago altho he is nearâ ly 80 now but my mother died before I got home. Give my regards to John Crist, I saw several of the boys in New York & Voss travelled most of the way to South Hampton with me I also picked up my brother in Chicago & took him along I must now shut up hoping to hear from you before you leave. Yrs Very Sincerelly W.F,C. Wilkinsen of m clon) CxZar (c%kd«tb¢ziq__ 43 ,447â7 ;¢,. ma/ %â WMM k w aog s / Af APman v Aigl 2. C ora A inrsect : sofar 2A s . / 0 4 lylyp _ \ . § \v&a« W&%w@ éeqv&&» go â&&z\u00E2 i A0 4 W&ks zp âQ\w»vw Lewree ppry»Â» ve âugw it un a fewsee pry»Â» vzprceap op prrcoprn pore ppmzpn secerpmesevond syoun prop Jpoveasnre vownsee o3y fo oo onssmzoze s3 rof 39 o9 ryonnosnze inopreesp ppoue . mevpmneoofs Prcssersce parvonazlt sof porem (syway âvormoyy dnaroprny 19f Inoparrnoone rong»Â» vof vepraangy Peougag, fo obopmeryl 2y orpe Ayroh prrow onemle ho seomporzoroh ooyy rof ooo op vepmoveqy browew porzomn wo Iporrarl seorp vuge pyorgnn pogry frrew fo secommmoryd s39; op goofgras âbuszooper _ e boogmagy o rogrnr) roy y repey vyy y promel epe peye oporijij w sd9, _ ~ ses v &w /4 /z â z2 4 âyp rerh sont shuo 1e) spmurg, h 6. \u00C2§§§§§%m 7]f" §Qmxmw~0 Kx 1e B N&e rzpees âroutlife. dor©â¬ N pot NR&\n "~~ 4O HULOLVP .xe§$¥§Q\wwi\u00C2§@ § h m abe s onaminihernt 3. w1 .. L m 42 * %Z 4 ./ ( / &F\WQk/@ § Z4 77 %:s o s i) "A1N0 XV3A NO 404 TVA w âaNavasdsnvaiânon mm%ckï¬A 7 PHHZ J ALF 3NSSI 40 a9vig osmâreNooâ. &8 . 5; âsivokHIL43q s.43NIN 33844 VUVNvVD / âTre8?srP oy : iï¬ n 384 \nHopalin Gerfificate. C Tous Vukon Provisional District Q&AJ,/ L M * 2 / & i ) wee oduction (/ g)oï¬â amounting to....RRMH4q J,/w.: 10. g is 189 7. o the gï¬%vetï¬menf 0//) QCrmade the ovemm of 2 @o%zo LGm(mtâ @]?oya/fy on /zâ)waâz/c{ â/ C/ziin number.A £...3 $ ; pVU ocm bod cltson (7/, ((/aoï¬â amo;m//nj /o.?/d"â?d%r wak Lo â § * C Lommissioner. 46 Dyea existed'for little more than a year. Until the summer of 1897, it had consisted of one building â John J. Healyâs trading post. Through the winter of â97 â 98, 22,000 went over the Chilcott Pass but when they built the railway through the White Pass in 1898, it rendered Dyea obsolete. The community of Grand Forks, at the junction of Bonanza and Eldorado Creeks, started in the fall of 1897 and from then on it was here that John G. cashed in most of his gold and did his business rather than going in to Dawson. KNOWN ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that I, CONRAD DAHL, of Dawson in the Yukon Territory, Attorney in Fact for Bernhard Anderson, of Kyskenorum, Stenungsseund, in the Kingdom of Sweden, under a certain instrument made by the said Bernard Anderson to me bearing date the eleventh day of February, A.D. 1898, do hereby under certain powers of substitution vested in me in the said instrument, for me and the said Bernhard Anderson ordain, constitute and appoint JOHN LIND, of Dawson aforesaid, my true and lawful attorney for me and for the said Bernard Anderson to sell and dispose of the shares of the said Bernard Anderson in Placer Mining Claims Nos. (18) Eighteen and (26) Twentyâsix Above Discovery on Bonanza Creek in the Troandik Mining Division of the Yukon District, and I empower my said attorney to my name . . .. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal and the hand and seal of my said Principal at Dawson in the Yukon Territory, Canada, this 2lst day of August, A.D. 1899. SIGNED SEAL AND DELIVERED ) in the presence of ) CONRAD DAHL N.A. FULLER 3 BERNHARD ANDERSON By Conrad Dahl his Attorney in fact ( On May 23, 1901 this document was registered with the gold Commission in Dawson) By September 23, 1899, Wilkinson is no longer a partner in Claim #26 above on Bonanza. 47 On October lst, 1899, John G. is given a letter of introduction in Dawson, to D.B. Tan Banks of Petaluma, California by his brother Will. In the letter Will states John G. is a very good friend and asks if John G. does visit, to make it as pleasant as possible for him. Petaluma is now a community of 25,000, approximately 30 miles north of San Francisco. A letter of E.F. Stephenson, dated January 30, 1900 from the Inrcorporated Synod of the Diocese of Huron, addressed to John Lynn, Dawson, Y.T., in which he writes: "My dear Lynn I arrived at this place last evening and this morning called at the Bank of British North Am. to ascertain if they knew of your whereabouts â I was greatly disappointed when told that you had left for Dawson about two weeks ago" â ADA MR . ... .2 WILHEMINA & (holding cabbage) 48 TELEGRAMS!âTAVISTOCK MOTEL, LONDON® TELEPHONE N# 2540 GERRARD. March 17, 1900 Dear Johnnie? Many thanks for your letter. Hope you had a good trip in. I do not think I shall be back much before July as I have bought me a little ranch in Ireland & I have got to fix things before I go out. Would you look after anything of mine that wants looking after. The town lot that we own & the other one that I bought I left the transfer papers with Tabor to get recorded I have not heard wether he got them or not, I wrote to Fuller some time ago but got no answer. I wrote to Mrs, Dahl some time ago but did not hear from her. Has Skiff gone in to Dawson yet if I had known his address I would have sent him my congratulations. He married one of your sisters did he not. I am afraid I shall have to remain single as no one ever seems like taking me on, How did no 10 Eldorado turn out. The winter is | there going to be any thing of a divy this Spring. CcovENT GARDEN, LONDON. W. C. What will you give me for all my intâ erest in the country town lots mines including Chicken Creek & everyâ thing. I would sell them to you & Skiff cheaper than I would to anyâ one else, Write & tell me all the news I have heard very little from the country. The only person who has writen to me this winter has been that little girl that lives in my new house at Dawson. She has written to me about once a month but of course she can not tell me much about the mines. Do you know what Mitchell is doing & wether he made anything selling wood this winter,., He & I were in together on it. Tyrell was over here for some time but I did not see him as I was over in Ireland most of the time, I have got a nice house over there with@géod fishing not far away. So next time you come out you & the future Mrs, J. G. Lind must come & stay a year . or two & fish & shoot snipe & rabbits, my address will be from this on W.F.C. Wilkinson St. Oswalds Ballingarry, Co. Limerick, Ireland. Thats the name of my ranch. There is about 130 acres of land a good house with 14 good sized rooms & good stables & then there is at the other end of the land a farm house & barn & cow stables. There is a fine garden with a ten foot stone wall round it full of fruit trees & strawberrys, but you will have to come & see for yourself. I heard from Voss the other day he is married & living in Omaha he wrote to me to get him some clothes but did not mention the fifteen thousand he wanted to borrow before. I hope you will get about half a million out of 26 this winter so that you can settle down & enjoy yourself, mining is all right for a broke man 49 but there is no fun in it & we are going through the world for the last time so we have to take all the fun we can while we are at it, Write to me as soon as you get this & give me all the news; if you do not get this till the end of next month write to me c/o C,.A. Flower Birtle, Manitoba, Canada Give my best regards to Mrs. Dahl & tell her I did not get the letter she told Mrs., Constantine she was going to write to me., Did you ever find out about that legascy that you thought Frank Dinsmore had left us. Give my best regards & congratulations to Skiff Mitchell & regards to Floyd, Con, Crist & Fuller & believe me yrs very sincerely W.F.C. Wilkinson 2 ? â oummemientdeit bat, tihho un Oe Bmina 52 it c 25u e 50 0061 wu1jojpqjeytd uo 1J97T po Sutads £Tqeqoad JIomo T â *D NHOL VZNVNOG XAOFV 51 . Sotel âdemq)c'ww frow E O.Vz.cwâtiw,q( To % vaewv.âv»woé Ko %J#l,l Jt »$ e l O n ie en + . ... ... y y 52 0061 ;o Sutrads £Ttqeqoad VZNVNOG TAOGV 92 53 f H 2 * «* aug us s, no... 2481 -...(Iertificate of '(Kï¬orh... PLACER MINING CLAIM. THIS IS TO CERTIFY that an Affidavit setting o0 a Detailed â statement of the work done on the Claim know A218v32â¬ G since the . ... 430 M _made by.. é@(/wd , f day been filed in my Office and in pursuance with the Placer Mining Regulaiicnsldoé{wwet is Certificate of work in respect of the above Claim to...... CA «.0 !...- ..â"lNlNG RECORDER. «es e e mnccadete es 54 . ZG2/¥e QX\N 2 AEETY es F4 §W avad sarto gu\svw% MNN 0 preoge &% k&s&&ï¬u § ragzess n»mï¬mwwm. 3018 Q.N v\u00C2»,w \n °=~ uyte uy e uv poppi 1 pu» mm e âfo veam» zo P rze m poot ryâ ââz 1 Comy 7 ¥ f RMM. ap s s(p)) * * . fH _ ># MB *ATNO HY3A NO HO4 dI1vA ââS$ âmnavasasnvalnon &~â.~_*"J 7 + 3nSsS| 40 39¥71¢ on âcrasses=sârngy £9 âaivoldil¥439 s.qaNim 39393 No "CSR | 55 11047 ROYALTY CERTIF ICATE /%ggauaxfgï¬fwmwmw. m£§22¢7?93âdgâ 1907 This is to Gertifp M,{é@/w z4 cce ................................................... %muvmdkh(ï¬wmwwmw o Q&wï¬akkcuwwoï¬ >WWWMmM%to c?/(/9â6{¢9â27 forwgtiow, $ l 2e Reyalay, 4,70f.. 20. This Certificate must be produced when required by any authoriséd Inspector. Excerpt from "KLONDIKE" by P. Berton In â99 the old timers were dying. Ladue was dead, and so was Harper. ,Bill McPhee, the giant barkeeper from 40 mile who now ran the Pioneer Saloon lost both his partners â Harry Spencer and Frank Densmore â each of them veterens of 15 years in the north. âS9TI; S.p uyop ut oje0TJTiJd99 pTOB 1se2e7 ....... § nd 15 . on 7 ; s io J.@.H ym 1 F J s 34 w | | hevci faprt*** Sunoh Joy? | ,«ï¬oi Asm;; ve aotmo sad anje y Ks :s o.wmohw\nvmaéi ï¬&}\nc* vh (4 C mm&.e: _,_U s1y7100 | 2 {| suyuioa ||*"> | syy140G | sywooor | 5/â syyII0g | swmoor |md: Sdgoxrno |>@ | SHIINNO | M | t i ; I _ [ | [ 52."" aP .?Cxw wery}" 4 | | JToribsbis: Yorts]|ss u4 L 4 m 4NIVA LIN w.nâ.âvx<30 NDQ(.(J 77 __ ssauaury 4MÂ¥A [ ssauourg Sunpomt 199. Sunpop 2098 LISO4340 40â OM i h feectas | I «= smulf e mmemng «gau1S f gfoa LHOISM _ guuysy 1 u:@E< ypoy ysuug jo yueg ym porisodag ~Ta4T s coE:m pjoo Jo tunpueiowsay ~ââ___ nelattnell 56 26 ABOVE BONANZA Probably summer of 1902 The Cabin, like the rest of the claim, is now all played out and then abandoned. 57 roLyorgee , ug | *~»7 z2â 2C s f _ rrn>>y3y 9{?4 °*>pL | . Tpy Kagé J Pre, aa d 38f y | ._S%\mx&m%% %ws%%@?ï¬ nor y3 y eolf »rap *4 â4 oet f \@;;58;3 . , 59 John Crist â 9? JOHN G. LIND Probably late 1902 From farm boys to wealthy miners ..!! 60 KNOW ALL MEK BY THESE PRESENTS: That I, John Lind, of the City of London, Province of Ontario, Canada, Miner, have made, constituted and appointed, and by theee presents do make, nominate, constitute and appoint Thomas A. McGowan,of the City of Dawson, Ynkon Territory, Canada, Agent, my true and lawful attorney, for me and in my name, place and stead, and for my sole use and benefit, to bargain, sel}, agree to sell, let on lease, manage and superinâ tend, any and all of my ï¬ining intersets in the Yukon Territory, at and for such price or upon such terms as he may deem fit, with power to my said attorney to do and execute all deeds, conveyances. or writings whnatsoever that'may be.necessary or expedient in and about the premises. _ Giving and granting unto my!said attorney full and absolute power and authority to do all and whatsoever may be necessary or requisite. I hereby ratifying and confirming and agresing to ratify,_conâl firm and allow all and whatsoever he, my said attorney, may do under and by virtue of these presents. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hneunto set my hand and seal at London aforesaid, this /> day or 94557;/4»<; AÂ«D., 190,2> SIGNED, SEALED ) | _ AND DELIVERED IN THE PRESENCE OF} ) 72. 5ZL¢m41%5 Vancouver, Apr 25, 1903 526 Powell Street Friend John: I thought I would drop you a few lines and let you know how things are out here our town is still improving but has beama little quiet this spring. Well John it seems that Mr. Thomas has been to see you about money matters he wanted to get some from me but I did not have any to spare now so I wrote him and told him he might get it from you and then as for indorsing papers for any one I have sworn off doing it for anyone as I have been learning quite a bit doing it and just the other day got stuck for about $2500. and that did settle it for ever. Thomas may be all right I do not know much about him just see him when down there. Would like to help if I could. I thought I would write you and let you know why I did not indorse paper for Thomas as you might think it strange of me not doing it for him 61 I do not know whither he seen you or your lawyer about getting the money. How are you getting along and are you married yet and how is Skiff and where is he and his little family hope his boy is all right as well as Mrs. Mitchell. Skiff wrote me just before he left the Yukon and I have not heard from his since. Would like to hear from him. Would like you to drop me a note and let me know how you are I am going to the Ranch in a few days for the summer. Would have been there now but it has been a cold backward spring, hope you get this all right. I think you would do about the same as my self about indorsing paper when you would get caught a few times. Would like to hear from you at your firs leasure. Yours & Co T.C. Bell Address: Agassing P.O0O. B.C. Zrom 662C Pao MR t 64 This is the claim, that in Mrs. Ogilvieâs story was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Brock. Claim No. 12 ELDORADO probably summer of â97 Note â freight sleigh in left foreground â dam and sluiceway Excerpt from "Klondike" by P. Berton William Johns, the exânewspaper reporter from Chicago, immediately sold half his claim, Twelve, for five hundred dollars and considered himself lucky to unload it. Three months later he sold the other half for twentyâfive hundred. The claim was one of the richest on the creek. 65 EDITORS NOTE: The following story is verbatim from the book "I Was There, a Book of Reminiscenses", written by Edith Tyrrell and copyrighted in Canada 1938. Mrs. Tyrrell made two trips to the Klondike, one in September of 1899, where she stayed in Dawson City for 9 days before coming out., Her second trip was in 1903 when she stayed in Dawson City from July to September. Her husband, Joe B. Tyrrell was a well known geologist and explorer and was in Government Service under Dr. George Dawson, Senior Geologist for whom Dawson City was named. One of Tyrrells trips was from Edmonton to Lake Athabaska, across the Barren Lands ("one of the largest unexplored areas of the world, the first time it had been travelled and mapped") to Chesterfield Inlet, down the coast of Hudson Bay eventually to Fort Churchill. Due to starvation the expedition was rescued by a search party and after three weeks rest in Fort Churchill, the party snowshoed out 900 miles to Winnipeg. back in Ottawa on January 11, 1894. This trip started in May of 1893 and arrived A second trip started in early May 1894 and was to end in early October 1894, The expedition was given up as lost in early December till a telegram of January 7, 1895 saying "ALL IS WELL". He arrived â home March 4, 1895. In 1899, he left the government ministry, went up the coast from Vancouver to Skaqgway. From there he tramped to Dawson behind a dogâteam, He was 40 years old. On his very first Sunday in Dawson, he went to church and stumbled on a christening. EDNA ELDORADO During my first visit to the Klondike I heard the story of the three young miners, John Lind, David Skeffington Mitchell and William Wilkinson, who found a treasure far exceeding in value all the goldâdust they had washed out of Claim Number Eleven on Eldorado Creek. They had been to Dawson, fifteen miles,with their dogâteam, and with their sled heavily laden were on their way back through the dark and creaking cold,. Thirty miles of travel had wearied both dogs and men and before tackling the last mile or two they paused for a breathing spell not far from a cabin which had long been deserted. Oout of the glittering, starry silence came a low moaning sound, and while the three stood wondering they perceived a dim light in the homeâmade, ginâbottle window of the cabin. With the comment that there was no gol-darï¬ed sense about _a light in that place. Johnny led the way towards it while the dogs were left to huddle down on the trail. He pulled open the door and entered. The moans were coming from a bunk where a young woman lay, but they were now pitiably weak, Coming close to the bunk with the candle in his hand, he took one look and then cried, "My God, boys! Thereâs a newâborn babyi Bill, run back to the sled and get that bottle of brandy." The other two stood by the bunk chafâ ing the cold hands of the mother, whose strength was all but gore and on whose face purple circles were already gathering about the eyes and mouth. The fire was made up, snow was melted for hot water, an attempt was made to give the mother a teasâ poonful of brandy, but she was past swallowing, and as they looked she gave a last quivering sigh and was 66 gone. "What in the name of God are we three to do?" asked Johnny, after reverentâ ly covering the body of the young girlâmother with an old blanket., He sat down on the stump of a tree which served as a chair in the cabin and looked at the other two in vutter dismay. Bill, who had received lately from friends in England a suit of soft woollen underwear, began to undress. Without a word he pulled the shirt over his head and handed it to Dave, who wrapped it about the child, saying softly, "Its a girl baby." The warmth stilled the infantâs wailing and there the three sat in a silence that could be felt. "Thereâs someone coming outside now?!" said Bill. "It sounds like a team of dogs; I can hear the runners on the snow. In the next minute the door burst open and a young man dashed into the room. "Here I am Jen, old girl!}" he called out. "I met the Mounted Police doctor on the way up Bonanza, Heâll take carmof you, my dear," Then he started back when he saw the three men, The baby began to cry feebly, Then rushing to the bunk, pulling away the blanket, the husband saw the still form there and with a moan sank on the floor. The doctor stepped into the cabin, looked at the young mother, listened for the heartâbeats and straightening himself shook his head, Then he took the baby from Daveâs arms and asked hurried questions. "Where do you boys live?" he asked. "About a mile farther up the creek, at Number Eleven," answered Johnny. "Any women about?" "Not right here. There are about sixteen on Eldorado and Bonanza creeks," said Bill. "Can you get any of them toânight?" "Donât think so," "You fellows will have to take care of the poor little wretch yourselves. Iâll write out some direction for you. (0 As he wrote he added, "You might put two or three drops of brandy in with the tinned milk and hot water, and give the child a few spoonfuls every three hours., The poor little thing hasnât much chance of life. Can you manage?" "Yes," stoutly answered Bill, "I fed one of the nippers at home once when his was il1l," "Well," continued the doctor, "Find something to wrap the baby in, and if ever you got speed out of those âdogs, do it now. Iâll come in to see you in the morning, and attend to matters here," The doctor motioned towards the bunk and the limp figure lying beside it, They found some of the motherâs clothes hanging on the wall and these very awkwardly, they wrapped around the baby., Bill went out and got some blankets he had just bought in Dawson, and after warming them by the stove put them in a packingâbox which he had picked up in the cabin. He laid the baby in the box and drew the blankets carefully over it, This he carried out and fastened on the leastâexposed part of the sled, Then with Johnny and Dave helping the dogs to pull, and Bill guarding the box they started on the run for their own cabin, Never had so strange a load gone along the Eldorado trail, or any other trail}, for that matter, as went that Christmas Eve â the dogâ team, the three men and the baby, while the northern stars shone brightâ ly on their pathway. At the cabin of the three strapping nurses, the fire was quickly lighted and the baby, still sleeping was careâ fully laid on one of the homeâmade cots. Soon water was boiling and following the doctorâs directions, Bill prepared the babyâs food. Meanwhile Dave and Johnny had cooked the supper, to which they all drew up their stools. Just as they were finishing, the baby gave a little cry, so Bill, having her food in an old tin cup on the stove, took her up while Johnny and Dave cleared away the supper dishes â three tin cups, three tin plates and the fryingâpan. "Iâll take the first shift," said Bill, who had constituted himself shiftâboss. Johnny fetched a new candle and stuck it in the candleâ, stick, an empty beer bottle. Then he and Dave went over to their beds and were soon asleep. Bill, having lulled the little creature, who now seemed contented and happy, was walking up and down with her in his arms, softly hummâ ing to himself one of the old Christâ mas carols, brought to his mind by the strangely beautiful incidents of the night. Almost he heard again the old cathedral chimes at home Silent Night, Holy Night. Next morning Dave harnessed the dogs in preparation for gathering in the women along the creek in order to find someone who would volunteer to care for the baby. By this time the boys had appointed themselves official quardians; this was their baby . "You boys be all ready when the women arrive, and a lot of the fellows will be coming along just to see the kid," said Dave proudly, as he drew on his cap and mittens. 67 When the women all excited by the news, began pouring into the cabin, a diffâ iculty arose. Every one of the sixâ teen wanted the baby. Bill, Dave and Johnny sat in judgement, listening to each womanâs claim. "What were you on the âoutsideâ?" asked Dave of each, while the other two listened gravely to the answers. "I was a cook in a hotel." "I was a dressmaker." "A schoolteacher," "I was a stenographer." So it went, the three wise judges weighing carefully the special qualiâ fications which each woman seemed to have, Ten applicants had appeared before them when an older woman shoved forward, saying, "I minded my own business and looked after my husband and wasnât wasting my time answering impudent questions from young idiots like you three, Hand that poor little innocent to me and you boys get busy and collect the dust to buy milk for her." She walked over to the bed and picked up the baby with wise, motherly hands, Many present knew of the little grave she had left in Nova Scotia and all conceded her natural right to have the child. By this time the cabin was packed to the door, One man after another, drawing out his poke of goldâdust, emptied part of it into the dish that Johnny was passing around, Dave brought out the scales and found that they had twentyâfive ounces of dust, current value, four hundred dollars. It was needed, with fresh cowâs milk at two dollars a pint, and very scarce at that., Soon things were settled and Mrs. Brock, who was workâ ing the next claim with her husband, was escorted to her cabin, where soon she had the child in more comfortâ able clothing. When the doctor arrived he reported 68 the childâs father very ill with pleurisy. If he recovered, he would be sent to his home, The tale was like many others in the Klondike. This boy and girl from the Middle West, after reading the glowing accounts of the great discovery, had decided to follow the gold rush, They marrried and started off on the adventure. Between them they had enough money to get to Skaqgway. From there on the faith and endurance of strong bodies and strom souls was necessary, which neither of them had. They had driftâ ed from one place and one job to another until at last Jennie was taken i1l1, and the young husband, able to work but little in the Artic climate, had no place but the deserted cabin on Eldorado Creek for a temporary shelter where their child might be born. And so the Christmas baby grew under Mrs. Brockâs motherly care and was the pet of Eldorado Creek, though Johnny, Dave and Bill oversaw particularly her care and what they called her education. In the Spring, just before the cleanâ, up on the claims, Bill remarked to Dave, "Say, the mater would have a fit if that child werenât baptized." "Why canât she be?" answered Dave. "The weather is warmer, and we could take her in to Dawson next Sunday." After a great deal of fuss and conâ sultation, in which almost every man and woman on the creek joined, they all decided to go to Dawson next Sunday. What would the baby be called? All sorts of fancy names were suggested â Marjorie, Myrtle, Gwendolyn, Dorothy, Muriel â but these were discarded as unfitting. As to the plain names, none could be agreed on, "She must have a Klondike name,"said Dave, "Real Klondike." "Whatâs the matter with Bonanza?" said someone. "You darned idiots," said Mrs, Brock. "Fasten such a name on my wee lamb? I wonât have it." "Anyway, its got to be Eldorado," declared someone, "for she was the first child born on the creek." Bill, after some moments of quiet thought, looked up, "How about Edna Eldorado?" he asked, Thatâs it, shouted the others. Early Sunday morning all Eldorado Creek was astir, Such a procession as there was, and how it grew as it passed The Forks, and went up Bonanza Creek to Dawson! The little Presbyterian log church couldnât hold all the people who wanted to see the dedication of the first Klondike baby . Johnny, Dave and Bill, carefully shaved and in their best "outside" clothes stood with the baby in front of the Communion Table., When the parson lifted the little child so that all could see the little fluffy, golden head and said solemnly, "Edna Eldorado, I baptise thee =â "there were few dry eyes in the church, for the story of the child was known to them all; how Bill, Dave and Johnny had been led by the Christ= mas star to "the place where the young child was," 69 EDITORS NOTE â This story has been published in newspaper form at least twice as a Christmas Time Story,: The first states â "Few Canadian women have lived through such varied and exciting scenes as this writer." Her autobiography is the most interesting womanâs story since "A Lantern in Her Hand", The second, published in the Huron Church News in 1978 By David Rees who says, "In Dawson City especially, the names of the three men are still remembered at Christmas as the three young English immigrant miners who found a treasure far exceeding all the gold dust they had washed out of Claim Number Eleven on Eldorado Creek. As the legend goes, they â â â â ". | â What follows is a copy of a letter found in John G. Files â probably written in the late 20âs or early 30âs. John G knew the Tyrrellâs quite well and was friendly with Mrs. Tyrrell but carried Mr. in high regard. bDbear Mr. Lind: I owe you an apology â when the editor of "Gold" spent a week end with us at our country place he asked if I had written anything on the Yukon. I said I had written several articles and he wanted to see one which I hand written a number of years ago and never had published. It was partly true and partly fiction. I knew of the birth of the baby and death of the young mother and I also knew you and Billy Wilkinson and Skiffington Mitchell had helped the poor thing very much so from this I wove the Xmas story Mr, Lamb has published., I had no idea he would bring any of your names as he has done in the note at the beginning. My husband was present at the christening of the child. Anyway I hope I made a good story out of it and that you are not displeased with figuring in it. My husband says when he saw you at the Yukon lunch the other day that you told him that Skiff Mitchell had just been awarded the gold medal from the "Ananais Club" and he says I have qualified in the silver one. Wonât you come and see us when you are in town sometime? My husband and I wish you and yours a very happy Xmas. Yours Very Sincerely Edith Tyrrell 14 Walmer Road Toronto Dec, 1l4th John Gâs rendition: Skiff and he were sledding with dog teams and came to a cabin, in which, a woman was having a baby. She had been in labour for several days. The husband had gorefor help but had not returned. They wrapped up the baby and after the mother had died, took it to a squaw who fed the child moose milk. They collected gold from among the miners, with which they purchased a house in Edmonton and set up a housekeeper to take care of the child. The housekeeper, sometime later, took the gold and the girl. No one has heard of or seen them since. B 7 0 EDITORS NOTE: "Early Days on the Yukon" by Wm. Ogilvie, Published Somewhere Between 1913 & 1919 William Ogilvie was a Canadian Government land surveyor, whoâs department was headed by George M. Dawson after whom Dawson City was named. Ogilvie established the l4lst Meridian (the international boundary between Alaska and the Yukon) in 1887. To do this, he had to pick up his bearings & elevations at Dyea and shoot them by level over the Chilcott Pass, down the waterways, past the future Dawson City & Forty Mile Post. Some thirty years and numerous survey teams with sophisticated equipment > later ,the International Joint Commission established the Meridian location ,less than 200 ft. from Ogilvieâs marker. In 1898, he was appointed commissioner, which practically proclaimed him first Covernor of the Yukon Termitory. It was left to him, under advisement from Ottawa some 4,000 miles away, to establish law and order, mining and claim staking regulations, Civil Courts, Schools and contract mail delivery into the Yukon interior; all within a year. One of his more memorable efforts was to be chief arbitrator in claim disputes when almost every claim had been registered wrongly. EXERPT FROM " EARLY DAYS ON THE YUKON®" That mines would be salted, that is, prepared with goldâdust to tempt inâ experienced purchasers, might be thought impossible in such a community of "generally" experienced men; but it was tried on two or three occations. In one instance the intended victims were wellâknown miners, natives of the Province of New Brunswick. The promâ oter of the scheme was a Swede, an alleged retired sea captain, note for a craftiness in his dealings that rather prejudiced his neighbours against him. During the survey of the clains on the Klondike creeks, this man tried to make use of me for his own advantâ age, and as he said for mine too, and it took a good deal of blunt talk to convince him that he was on the wrong scent: but to our tale of salting, through his attempts with me might well be called that. He and his partner were working two claims on . a branch of the Fortymile River, which were not paying too much. Our crafty exâcaptain thought they might "strike it rich" by a more indirect method than mining, and resolved to try it. One morning, soon after the resolve was made, he clothed himself in "sackcloth and ashes" so to speak and called on our friends from New Brunswick. He was invited to breakfast, but felt much too bad to eat anything. Kindly inquiry after cause of his indisposiâ tion was answered in a voice full of tears, by the information that his partner was seriously ill with a complaint that only a long course of hospital treatment could hopefully deal with, and there being no hospâ itals nearer than Victoria B.C. â there was no Vancouver then â to get him out in time to save his life meant everything, and a good deal more money than they had, unless they could sell their claim. Much sympathy was shown for the sick man and inquiries made by the intended victims to learn if something could not be done to him, or if the community could not assist in some way. But the broken voice assured them nothing but a hospital treatment by a specâ ialist would avail anything; that the sick man had been treated for the same disease once before and warned that a recurrence of it, unless speedily dealt with, might, probably would , be a matter of life and death. The plan of getting him out was gone over, the details settled, and then the question of means came up. A canvass of the camp to raise by subscription the amount required the sorrowing partâ, ner would not listen to; it would take too long, too precious time would be lost, and the man might die before starting, or on the way out. The only way that would ensure any chance of successful treatment was to sell their two claims for what they could get for them, and with that and the little they had they could probably get out and defray the hospital expenses. The claims were certainly worth much more than they were forced by misâ fortune to offer them for, which was five hundred dollars each. A visit to the sick man, and the claims were arranged for the following morning, and they would see what could be done. The wily one left much comforted by the prospect for his partnerâs speedy relief and tried to express his gratitude, but his broken voice and tearâ brimming eyes did that more eloquently than mere words could do. The following morning the visit was paid, the sick man found in bed, and a very sick man he was if moans and appearances could indicate it. The wily one was so overpowered by his partâ nerâs pain that he showed but little attention to the visitors; in a shaking voice he directed them to a shaft in which he had put a fire the night before, and requested them to clean it out, he had not had time to do so, and pan the dirt for themselves. They did so, and the result satisfied them; the claims were worth buying. Returning to the cabin they arranged to buy the claims for five hundred dollars each, handing over what dust they had brought with them, nearly all the proceeds of the seasonâs wrk so far, and gave an order on Jack McQuesten for the balance. A transfer of the property was drawn up and signed, by the sick man with great difficulty and much pain. The victims returned to their cabins, about a mile away, and being near noon one of them began preparing dinner while the other unwrapped the result of their panning in the newly bought 71 claims and put it under a magnifying glass for examination. It did not take him long to see what they had found, and he startled in the exclamaâ tion "Well Iâll be i" "What is the matter, Skiff?" was the almost equally vehement inquiry. "Hââ1, itâs amalgam, Jack!" "No?""Yes, come and see!"" He did; a critical look convinced them that they had been fooled. To put on his coat and cap was the work of an instant, and to snatch his 45âcalibre revolver and jump for the track to the new claims, another. Arrived at the cabin, it was found empty and the "Yukon sleighs" together with all the bedding and outâ fit they had, were gone. It was inâ deed, a case of sudden repair to the hospital. To follow them was the resolution of a moment, and as they had each a heavily laden sleigh, overâ taking them was only a matter of time. He came suddenly upon them nearly halfâway to Fortymile, and "hands up" was the order of the day. They were ordered to step away from their sleighs, hand over the dust paid them on account and the order on Jack McQuesten for the balance; this done they were thrown their transfer of the claims, and told to go on as fast as possible. The sick man had, apparently, fully recovered since morning and the pair continued to Fortymile; the claims not being worth further effort. Jack and Skiff both told me the story and seemed to enâ joy the recollection. It is interâ esting to reflect on what the result of an appeal to a Judicial Court would have been in this case, had there been one there at the time, and the wily one and partner had appealed to it. Would Jack and Skiff, as is very often the case when honest men come into conflict with "crooks," have been unfortunate? Some may not know what Skiffâ meant when he exclaimed "Its amalgam Jack," so I will explain. It is very difficult â sometimes practically impossible â to separate fine gold from the gravel, sand and black sand associated with it, without the aid 72 of mercury. After all the dirt possible has been separated from it mercury is mixed with the residuum and the lot stirred and mixed until the mercury has taken up all the gold, dissolving it into an amalgam of both metals. This is retorted; that is held over a fire till the heat subâ, limates the mercury and leaves a mass of light yellow, friableâlooking stuff, which is the gold with more or less of the mercury still in it. It appeared that the gold in the two claims sold was so fine that it could only be saved by mercury, and the ownâ, ers, with all their cunning, were shortsighted enough to break up their amalgam with which to salt the shaft. There is so much difference in appearance between amalgam, no matter how finely powdered it may by, and native dust gold, that non but those entirely ignorant in these matters, could mistake one for the other; especially under a good magnifier. George Carmack when I found him at Dyea Pass, was then closely assocâ iated with the Tagish (or Stick) Indians as they were called. It was understood between these and the Chilcoot and Chilcat (or coast) Indians that the country north of the summit of the pass belonged to the Sticks and all the coast to the south of it to the coast tribes. Skookum (or strong) Jim for he carried 156 pounds of bacon over the pass for me at a single trip. When coarse gold was discovered on the Forty Mile River in 1886 the rush was to it, but propecting done in 1887 showed that though the gold was coarse it was not as uniformly spread over the surface as on Stewart River, and very much more difficult to get, so a number who had not struck it rich on the Forty Mile were compelled to look for a grubâ, stake. In Sept. 1893, I wrote, where I was at work of the International Boundary Commission, that I thought it time of establishing authority. The following summer a N.W. Mounted Police officer, Capt. Contantine and Sergâ eant Brown formally took possession of Forty Mile. In 1895, the Alasda Commercial Company put on the "Alice" and a sister ship, the "Bella", not quite so large, was built and launched, but did not make the run that year. The "Alice" was a respectable boat as they go today, her length being one hundred and sixtyâfive feet, beam thirtyâtwo feet and depth eight feet. These latter boats were intended to push large barges. All these boats ran on the lower river, the "Bella" to the mouth of the White River. In August, 1896 the worldâstartling discovery of the Klondike was made "TRON DEG" being given this stream by Harper & McQuestan. As the mining regulations then were, only one discovery was allowed in " a district", a discovery was allowed in Bonanza Creek to Carmac and another on Gold Bottom, or as it was misnamed Hunker, to Hunker and no more would be allowed in the Klondike district. It was asked that the size of creek claims be extended to at least 300 feet in length measured in the d@irection of the valley, and run in width across the valley bottom or from base to base of the hills on either side. Early in January 1897, I went up to Dawson to lay out the townâsite. dr.q ouggnd creeks*of" the northââbut the oldâtimers ho havaâ Fethered in Vancouverâ âfor the > "Ateampeed cartry âmemories richer even than âthat: Eldondo Creék yklded to its argonauts, : __,.3,â. "ELDORADO.® ~. ,-_-_ ns 3 Friend met trlend, somo ot thnm after many years. of sep lon, and âlittle groups of three orâ four. formed in. the lobby, while Yukon days were recalled, andâthe: merlu of halfâfabulous old clalma wers | discussed, One word was heard agaln and again, and that word=âwas "Eldoâ rad For it was on Eldorado that fort nesfwore made, some toâ be lost in .iâoa.rng Dawson City, | in the "Bucket oâ Blood" Saloon, where desperado Slim Birch, onts whench- âman of "Soapy". Smith. qon q;' 1ost When Eldorado is mentlonedat the âstampede, the name, that. fol- lows hard âafter is that â0f :8. 8. "Skiff"* Mitchell, to. Wwhonm" tortune and his own restless .cnergy gave him the richest: clalm on. tho nreek. SKIFF. MITCHELL. : â "Bkiff Mitchell of Eldorado. is among the oldâtimers present tndw Somewhere beyond 70, well over six feet tall and heavily built, he sthiles from behind a white moustache as he deprecates the statement thatâHe was,. theâ. best-known mlnin m Danon. Th " 4 . Bkiff, lavod âand rupected all who knew .him; in : Klondikeâdays, âwent Anto the : North in ; â1886, & gaid*good the north iri 1004, âandâ. now." hll home !u Ca.ll!omla. 1 Tho Stunpedc xot âunder rm this afternoon with an:opening geeâ .sion in . the Oak ot the Hotel. Chairman ;âwasâB. â R. Dusenbury, international :, pruident âof /:the Stampede, and an impressive Anvoâ cationâby Capt.George C. F. Prinâ gle, chaplain of the âYmcouvw '!u- konersâ Association:; * y 4 The oldtimers; Wwill cdebtata th.h ewnlngwttha.grandbnlllnlho 73 SOURDOUGH REUNION Vancouver 1936 l small fortunes at faro; wm:»nbv a change of expreulon. Sourdoughs "With! Seame(i Faces Rehve yâ¬ Gold Daysâ-Pa_ttullo erens_ ;McGeer âto , OUT âof the shadows o£ nearly mrt} years,:the north, the old north âof Jack London âand:Rex Beach, emerged full strength on Saturday.night, as more than. 400 :sourdoughs gathered in the Crystal ballroom of Hotel âVancouver for the banquet which.came as a climax to thelr four-day rally. $374 THE MARK OF THE NORTH >â ;. ;. Those who congregated amid lights and laughter to recall âtheir golden days were no longer young. They bore, many of them, the mark the high north stamps upon its followers, in faces seamed from the bite of forty below on trails where Yukon history was made. No.man or woman among them but was rich in experience, and it was a feast of memories for the argonauts of â98 and earlier who met for the Intema- tlonal Sourdough Stampede. > A OBIGINAL "THE WOLF.® _. M Among them moved figures worthy ot a second glance. ploneers who gave to the Yukon the color that is preserved in fact and fiction. There grey at the temples but as striking as on the day when Beach chose him was Bob Adams, now of Omineca, broad of shoulder and deep of cheajiâ] 6 |LGrystal Baairoont. There were others of reputeâPat Egan of the MountedâCaptain A. J. Goddard of Seattle, <who built and nnvlgated one âof the first river steamers on the Yukon; Fred Atâ wood, artist .andsinger âand someâ time chief "of" the âArctic Brother- ; : pol came: when cnum-.n *Henry C. Macaulay, â ï¬rat ma.yor of : Dawson City, introducedâ âCanadaâs most disâ tinguished sourdough,:âHon. T. D. Pattullo, Prethier df British Columâ f bla. Ppesldentâ -198&3ââ1 sie : E. Msurd ux: :. nongy, âKlondiker, o! Othwa. Tagâ gart Bucholh. Long: Beach,.Caliâ fornia, .â was:" .chosen: âgecond :. viceâ president, âandâ Miss "Luln M Fairâ banks, of seattlo was ; ted, seoâ *âIt. was »ï¬u âanâ 1087 , Stampede will be> hel&ln;'roronto.;âi th âb . One. of the; features : of¢ quet were â the tiom cently flown. out: of :theâ" .Noï¬h by Roy, Wrigley of Vaumvor t . ~AB" a.ccordlng o in gold was : t;km n-om ine. mund in. fourteen hours by tvenw--mn working ln ahma ofâten.: : | for â"The Wolf" in his novel "The Tollers." _ 7 4 3 msï¬QG%ï¬iï¬za zï¬mï¬ M.aHL mzioom.w 20%.% m..nw%mxmw nw..m» AZTNOHUW SDMIW O1â¬) sdaok 3H AWd 3H4 s % 10 UNHSL M â343 3y | Emnï¬oï¬mo zow_.am «l * AT ;/ï¬ dmwtk Ssd n â¬ .d_: 2 sugnoamnos uosxaa (f) Smoe foduregae | . Sdiom hane P |msognerictm âsald. i _P7" [Atheawwslindd ang .,.s."ag."..â 2C, â.t..- ; i=SyNSA N O > hi« +ââ P Eic ddna. n ced ancal «Uoshud. NYHSAO: qarkiâ3 4oL 4o sNo sigm ; AlyIRS33¢" eW 3 t sWIoNoaUunos . orNoasio L Sitteinq ) ~N SHL 30 JN3G(SAA * NoLthow Ssou. 19. & mowergâvtârâad . âO1TMi ie «4SNQâ.. UEHANINEIDUW AUNBR =âSYNSLNOIUHÂ® ; offores evarge~rancnes emarciznnes io9 on 4 â3OU HAIM S3A0MAW!T suune, waâtyd . HDV.LS SNAANOId NOMMA | ormnos OL I¥ SOURDOUGH REUNION in Toronto August 25, 26 & 27, 1937 75 Norm John G. Skiff J ohn J ohnston Mitchell Crist (Plant Super.) THREE OLD SOURDOUGHS and brothers â in â law inspect the cement plant in St. Marys â~â 193f =â % K# K# % & 3 &# % O% 3 3 O# % 4 3 4# 3 3 3 K 4# % % & 3 3 o# JUNâ13â1997 14: 08 FETTES TRAVEL maP {â y l" !â. FI: In April, 1894, John Lind arrived in Tacoma, Washington, undecided as to his future. "He wanted to make his fortune," says Waiter, "so he flipped a coin to see if he would go to find oil in Venezuels or gold in Alaska." Lind made the difficul journey to Alasks, traveling over the Chilkoot Pass and down the Yukon River. His destination was the established mining district of Forty Mile which straddles the Yukon, Alasks border. Lind staked gold claams at Franklin Gulch, AJaske and worked them for the next two and a half years. In late 1896, he and a partner were lured upriver to the Kiondike area in Canads, by stories of the rich discovery on Bonanza Creek. They found that the area was already staked and claimed by exâForty Mile miners and some newcomers. "Many of the newcomers wanted to sell out their holdings and get out of the country " writes John Lind in his memoirs. "They had good ground but they had no money to buy provisions with and together with the cold weather, they became disgusted with the Country." Lind and his partner bought interests in a dozen claims By 1597 they had two hundred men working for them with a payroll of $4,000. per day. The returns from their operations were enormous. j When news of the gold strike reached the rest of the world in July, 1897, John Lindwas already a successful goid miner. He continued to mine until the fall of 1902. Unlike many of his contemporeries, Lind was able to hang on to his riches. "He didnât believe in frivolity," explains Waiter, "He didnât care for bright lights, chmxpw,dmc?ng, that sort of thing He once said that he was home in his cabin reading The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire by candielight, while others were in town gambling." The twentyâfour descendasts of John G. Lind traveling to Dawson this July will bear witness to this minerâs hard work and tenacity. \n 3 d o yB A, TOTAL P.03 Box 1088, St. Marys, Ontario NOM 2V0 194941 âpS ~93Y M Becr W AJ L@i::ub âaly "tâEJl Soot (âYP | $ â Gar . (As 8@& stt sas â +2 nuurer is a Luests br @'J/( ererl. . | dbï¬j(, eve wh{ ty {.4h2 â moas the tbeklseâ to ï¬\u00EF¬ mngaQ & f %oo TZQ@DVA& (4S ypu th esd : %rauclfwfâï¬ar Pm%rwd St.ff 4 bouite Gont pnouw. â He %PQOJL ttiile . ie "the Tmons â $# wifAh etfer P@Dp(a & d id real of it bustlagss <3. & uurs c rm@ï¬t â¬ %T&Hac& . Ake bwk%mwd 4 not {TXOLUH P@D/P(o <rgeeo hukles J is is on hi i inth : alint itc en A e iih XNERTDN E: ons M Biacial 1. n ie nc Wns Sn , conme Jns ~SORete :. â¬aâ¬kim 1088, St. Marys, Ontario NOM 2VO /g Pâ@DPLQ L1LX. HQL /ukom Ar&hu)@ â âHM T..(F. âGoeaee Fu?! â=. (est _ oll âfRes meney â ud upat âBbacgk aud iWos alts . 4o â dig sus un o ther Mfoerltuccâ . Ac ' wohan ~ ho â farere oug ) he setlled Ahis â (Fwoffer # %téfer ks o beuast . Liut kencem, Duffon 4 Cefbourmma Sts, Cornor, $S. Souca ~I . G. qur bored @usd â wornt: back. Prgb&buj ho aud â SkiPf Has so MotCe: moses ¢ furâ clauzms Gird man UUDFKL&C? ï¬%r hi that 476 had â <to %@ back | £ WÂ«{J WW&%@ WQ have % yohich DT tpilcscithec: JDWLC? Pa%» J NA \CB& lalks @bouj G@Uw mu, MA Gmt,. > wl T9 uatl y e 1h C . Gommwdw UA § Cene[C _ LLG:ies (m%%ï¬ B T. â wiae ue b clo @uuptfrer %b GK@JDDM p@ga@m@ on WJVD Nlm Oflï¬ $3 &" Guarac ue . lshe "lst one â @Jbotd huucs wrww ic Cauutodae _ y pas ce BRret Llove ââ flis iuss». afienc us ce + »em
Autobiography ; Manuscripts
Yukon
English
Klondike River Valley (Yukon)--Gold discoveries
Gold mines and mining--Yukon--Klondike River Valley
Yukon--Description and travel
Vancouver: University of British Columbia Library
Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from Rare Books and Special Collections: http://rbsc.library.ubc.ca
Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush collection. RBSC-ARC-1820-02-04
40 Mile River and the Klondike
Text