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TUTTLE, Author "Canadian North Land," Meteorolcoical Observbr of Canadian Government Expeditions to Hudson's 'bay and Strait, and the Par Northwest. illustrated with maps and engravings. CHICAGO: Rand, McNallv & Co., PuBusHERi, 1897. 126158 71 Copyriglit, ,897, by Rand, McNally & Co. h m \ i PREFACE. The rush after the rich deposits of virgin gold in the far northwest will be doubly rewarded. Those who go in seach of the precious metal, with proper equipment, will not return empty handed. Experiments already made warrant the statement that gold may be found there in great abundance, and that it may be separated from the baser material with which it is associated, at slight cost, although of course, only be enduring the hardships incident to a miner's life in a frozen country. To those willing, and physically able to make the necessary sacrifices, the Golden North offers a Golden Prize. But it offers more than this. Hard by the vast auri- ferous slopes which hang down from the summit of the watershed that divides the two great river systems of the north, are vast alluvial plains stretching up to the 65th parallel, where stock raising, dairying and the cultivation of cereals may be carried on without limit and with great profit. When the northwest routes to the gold fields have been opened for travel as they will be in a short timt, returning gold hunters will not only exhibit the for- tunes taken from the banks of creek and gulch of the higher elevations, but they will tell of the mighty val- leys and prairies of the basins of the Peace, Athabasca and Mackenzie rivers; and, their telling will result in the colonization and development of the greatest ag- 11 PREFACE. ricultural and stock raising El Dorado on the face of the earth. The north is a country of gold. It will become a land of golden harvests. For centuries Nature has been pushing back the cold, farther and farther towards the pole, and been preparing a new land for the over- crowded populations of these lower latitudes. The Klondike bells are now ringing out the glory of that land. The march of the weary, the disappointed, and the oppressed is to be into higher latitudes, where the bounties of Providence have been spread with a lavish hand. CHARLES R. TUTTLE. Chicago, Sept. 15, 1897. ■■-- I CONTENTS. M CHAPTER I. GOLD AND COLONIZATION. Northwesterly trend of progress— Gradual adrance of soil, forests, cereals, population, commerce and civilization towards the Arctic— Extent of the gold-bearing districts of the great North— History repeating itself— Prospects of the Golden North. CHAPTER II. VA8TNKSB OP THE NORTH LAND. It! mighty river systems and basins — Basin of the Yukon — The wonderful Peace River country — Fertile plains and prairies extending up to the 64th parellel— The great plains of the Saskatchewan basin — The Churchill country and the basins of James' and Ungava Bay. CHAPTER HI. TRADING POSTS OP THE NORTH. Trails across the continent in the sub-Arctic belt— Many that have been traveled for two centuries — Short cut to the gold fields of the Klondike from Edmonton via Lake Athabaska and the Upper Mackenzie — The quicker and cheaper route — List of North Land trading stations — Hints on map study. CHAPTER IV. THE YUKON DISTRICT-ALASKA. From Bering Sea to the junction of the Pelly and Lewis rivers— Cereal, vegetable and stock capabilities — The forests and climate — Value of the white spruce. (iii) IV CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. Auriferous areas lying west of the Mackenzie watershed- Territory is duplicated in extent and gold bearing riches on the slopes east of the summit — Three great routes to the Klondike — Reasons why the all-overland route will become most favored. CHAPTER VI. UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. (Continued.) Pioneers of the Klondike country — Administration of min- ing laws, tariff regulations and homestead entry rules extended to the district l)y the Canadian government- Explorations of Dr. Dawson and Surveyor Ogilvie — In- crease of mining camps. CHAPTER VII. THE ALEUTIAN DISTRICT-ALASKA. A mountainous and volcanic country — Broad meadows and sloping hillsides — Stock raising and cereal capabilities- Altitude limit of vegetation. • I CHAPTER VIII. ' SITKAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. Channels, natural canals, rivers and lakes — The water high- ways of the country — Great timber resources of Southern Alaska — Wild berries abundant — Pest of mosquitoes and files — Stock and agriculture. CHAPTER IX. UPPER YUKON— LEWIS RIVER. From Lake Bennett to the head of the Lewis — Down the Lewis to the Yukon — A country of lakes and rivers— The Klondike region proper — Its extent — Rich gold dis- coveries eastward from the Klondike— Dr. Dawson's opinion of the Klondike — Surveyor Ogilvie's explora- tions. ^ M i»!i4ipwi,UiJ|ip,'i mmt^^m MPPHFipafi ■P>M| WPPiiPPil CONTENTS. V CHAPTER X. UPPER YUKON AND TRIBUTARIES. The North Country from the International boundary to th« junction of the Lewis and Pelly — The Stewart River- Other streams— Sixty Mile River— The Klondike River and tributary creelts— Forty Mile River. CHAPTER XI. UPPER YUKON-AGRICULTURE AND TIMBER. Only a small proportion of the region available for cereal and vegetable crops — Considerable areas of timber suit- able for manufacturing purposes — An abundance of trees for firewood and for all mining necessities. • I CHAPTER XII. WEALTH OF THE KLONDIKE. Inexhaustible deposits of placer and quartz gold — The sil- ver-bearing rock — Vast coal fields — Reports of govern- ment ofilcials that read like tales of the Arabian Nighci — Sensational reports of Surveyor Oglivie. CHAPTER XIII. PROCESS OF PLACER MINING. Methods of the prospector — Use of the pan, the rocker and the sluice — Mining in the far north — Continuous day- light in summer and almost perpetual darkness in win- ter — Filling the hours of summer with hard work — "Burning" in winter — Vast Peace River gold discoveries. CHAPTER XIV. FURS, FISH AND GAME OF THE KLONDIKE. The silver gray, black and red fox — Abundance of game — The Caribou, moose and the grizzly, brown, black and silver-tip bears— Salmon and other fish. vi CONTENTS. CHAPTER XV. IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL QUE8TIONB. V«rlfled reports of rich gold discoveries and the arrival of the precious metal In this country likely ^o send a Tast population from the United States to the Klondike regions — Might possibly lead to a war between England and this country— The feeling in London — Chicago and London competitors— Routes for railroad communioa* tlon— Settlement of the boundary question. CHAPTER XVL THE GREAT FERTILE NORTH, A boundless territory of inexhaustible bread, meat and dairy capabilities — Coal and other resources — How thtt lower levels are sheltered from storms and cold. CHAPTER XVn. f CANADIAN NORTHWEST. Districts of Assinlboia, Saskatchewan, Alberts and Atha- baska — The vast fertile plains to the aorth of these — Oreatest a^^ricultural and stock raising region on Mrth. CHAPTER XVIII. RESOURCES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. Excellent climate— Abundance of coal — Gold in Inexhaust- ible quantities— Iron, copper, galena, mercury, plati- num, plumbago, mica, salt and many other valuable deposits — Progress of the mines. CHAPTER XIX. COUNTRY OF THE SKEENA. Trip from Port Simpson on the Pacific to the summit of Pine River Pass — Wonderful mountain and valley scen- ery — Resources of the mighty valleys. •if''' t ^' .y&£ %M, ^InlwP^ ' CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER XX. FROM THE ROCKIES TO CHURCHILL. A transcontinental route from Atlantic to Pacific through Hudson's Bay and Strait — Across the rich, fertile prair- ies, thA)ugh the Pine River Pass— Vast areas of rich lands. CHAPTER XXI. METROPOLIS OF THE KLONDIKE. Description of the immediate Klondilce country — Life at Dawson City— Boom in real estate— Trading and the high price of supplies— Saloons and gambling— The future of Dawson City. CHAPTER XXII. NORTHWEST ROUTES TC OLD FIELDS. Description of trail by the Lewir and Peace rivers — Short and cheap cut to the Klor \ ke— ^.^oute by the Pelly and Liard rivers. CHAPTER ^:XiiI. YUKON AND JUNEAU ROUTES. Description of St. Michaels — Temperature and ;/^"-"& "'^ P^" h/Ai, T^ nation's schoolmaster h,'' °' ^ "^^ ^oun- book of the north, and the 1',,^^' "P^n^d the text- masses are to lay aside their fWl"^' di^<^°ntented silver restoration, the tolif i ^'^''^'■^ delusions of operative commonwealth Th""'^'^^' «"d the c^ -- ?"a-^ £^S T" --« .r^" ^or each^ en"o'uVt 'alf. ^^ ^^ ceas:To^:;;L^S-/°,t''e^r Hgh s^^^^^^^^^ They will gnawed bare, and wHl fWtfnf "''' ''^^ already be^n only in preciou, metalfht"" ■?,•"' P^=t"'-«s, rich nw °f bread and meat ' ''"' '" '"'mitable possibmt"es And what a text-book! who 7^ zn^ix.f.r^ifr ^^-"' '"- those gradually extending her mantTf ^'!J ^°^ "ature is ArcL*l '°'H °f *« "orTh totard^^"^ ^^&«^«°n Arctic Sea. Xhey will rp ,.l , *i j ^ ""^ chores of the pole and a slow but oortl, ^""^ '^''^^w of a receding from north to sotuh nl ■ ' !:^^°'"tion of the lar^f boundary of the onti^nent'"a1, *f "°"'^^™ baliS left 7o^^'= '"''^ ^'* each eentov T ''""'^^^^ >"'" .- t^pS ^r x'fe£--Xdfo^ - ^^; >ng from the rug-Jd ,mnl^ ?^ ^^^""^ standing- stretrh^ '° five testimonf :'d rdS^^^or to Beri„| ^^ '^ °f the,r existence, soi, J^!^^^ brief Penod GOLD AND COLONIZATION. Jdes and ti area of s in this nap of a d as the he peo- w coun- he text- •ntented sions of the co- pudiate ds, and )ssesses forever ey will J been ch not 3ilities those Lire is tation )f the eding earth table niles o be Bay tch- are riod and cereal growth have come to them from the south and hJive grown up around them on the once barren rocks. From that wonderful text-book of the north, they are to realize that altitude far more than latitude gov- erns thermal conditions of the Arctic zone, and thai while the rocks, mountains, hills, and gulches abound in practically inexhaustible deposits of gold and other mineral treasures, the valleys and plains and broad prairies of the region await the directing touch of man to yield cereals and cattle sufficient to glut all the bread and meat markets of earth. From the pages of that book they are to be told of the innumerable herds of sea-faring mammals, including oil and fur-bearing seals, walruses, porpoises and whales, from the prod- ucts of which two hemispheres may be abundantly supplied with oil, hides, bone and ivory; and they will hear of the millions of tons of the best salmon caught in any waters, and of all the many other resources of the rugged land so well calculated to yield brain and mus- cle and wealth to all who will go up to inhabit its mighty basins and treasure-bearing summits. Before a dozen pages of that wonderful text-book of the north are gone over and understood, thousands and hundreds of thousands will flock to that land "flowing v.'ith milk and honey," hitherto hidden from immigration and yet hard by our doors. Gold is there in abundance, but resources of even greater intrinsic value are there, and these will eventually outweigh the importance of the gold. And all this is but another stride in the northwest- ward progress of man. The world's march of commerce, and science and skill In errands of blessing its work to fulfill Moves in the same course,— northwesterly still. The directive magnetic force that controls the needle is not a more attractive problem than is the unerring northwesterly trend of human progress. Westward and northward have been the matching orders until 10 THE GOLDEN NORTH. the people of the present generation must look south- ward and eastward for the homes of their ancestors. The greatest deeds have always been performed in high latitude, because the highest habitable latitudes produce the greatest men. And yet, strange as it may appear, the north is always underrated. Go to the Eastern hemisphere for examples of this. Half a century before Christ, Caesar concluded a series of great victories in the northwest, by subjugating the hardy inhabitants of Britain; but this was regarded by the Romans as placing the Imperial standard on the utmost confines of the north rather than as a con- quest of valuable territory. A few centuries and the island camping-ground of the Roman Conqueror be- came mistress of the world. Upon those northern shores a mighty commerce began to develop, and vast industrial enterprises grew up, until, in every part of the earth, England was hailed as the greatest nation under the sun. But there was no prophet to foretell England's greatness, nor was there anything in the general appearance of the country to attract attention. Its high latitude is one of the secrets of Britain's im- portance. History is ever repeating itself, and the political trane ^rmations of the old world may yet, to a great extent, be re-enacted in the new. Here on this con- tinent the trend of all material progress is northwest- erly. The flow of immigration is northwesterly, and the Creator, as if to make way for its latest advance, has pushed back, as it were, the cold of the sub-arctic regions nearer to the pole, and extended the vast fer- tile belt of the northern temperate zone from the great lakes to the head waters of the Mackenzie and the Yukon. VASTNESS OF THE NORTH LAND. II CHAPTER II. VASTNESS OP THE NORTH LAND. Its mighty river systems and basins— Basin of the Yukon — The wonderful Peace River country— Fertile plains and prairies extending up to the 64th parallel — The great plains of the Saskatchewan basin — The Churchill country and the basins of James' and Ungava Bay. In order to form a correct idea of the extent of the north country, it will be advisable to briefly glance at the whole continental plain which stretches north and south between the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean. This plain is bounded on the west by the Rocky Mountains throughout its whole extent, and on the east side by a less elevated plateau known aF the Appalachian Range. This great plain occupies the whole of the continent between the western and eastern mountain ranges, and in the far north it broad- ens, stretching from the western shoi s of Hudson's Bay and James' Bay to the head waters of the Macken- zie and the Yukon, where the mountain passes do not reach an elevation of more than from i,ooo to 2,500 feet. This vast plain is divided by its river system into three perfectly distinct drainage basins. One drains to the south into the Gulf of Mexico ; another into the At- lantic by the channel of the great river St. Lawrence ; and the third, north into the arctic and sub-arctic waters. Of these three great basins that of the St. Lawrence is decidedly the smallest, while the northern is larger than the other two together. The St. Lawrence basin, divided by the boundary between the United States and Canada, occupies part of both countries. The southern basin is wholly in the United States, while a ■^^^ II i.'PW l,Jl«-l'# ! ,iJ«lf ipFf Jl'-'.l"*vl|iipi'.-' 12 THE GOLDEN N0I(TH. J greater portion of the northern basin is in British Canadian territory. The north and south basins are separated by the 49th parallel of latitude, which in addition to marking the international boundary line between central Cana- da and the United States, runs along very close to what is known as the watershed. It will thus be seen that the great contin1&ntal plain of North America is divided naturally as well as politically near its center. Our attention must be confined to the northern basin, or basins, for the region is physically subdi- vided by several extensive river systems. Beginning at the western coast of Alaska, we have first the Yukon basin, which is over 2,000 miles long, extending up into the Canadian, northwest from the 141st degree to considerably beyond the 130th, until its upper waters interlock with those of the upper Mackenzie River, on the summit of the northern Rockies. This vast area of the Yukon, consisting of about 400,000 square miles, or nearly the whole of Alaska, is a rug- ged, mountainous, snowbound country, which will be more fully described later on. Crossing the mountains through any of the passes between the 55th and 65th parallels, we come to per- haps the largest and most fertile subdivision of the great northern basin, known as the Peace River coun- try. This vast area is drained by the Peace and Atha- basca rivers and their numerous tributaries, flowing into Lake Athabasca, which is only 400 feet above the level of the sea; and by the Peace River and its nu- merous tributaries stretching far up into the moun- tains, flowing also into Lake Athabasca; by the Great Slave River, flowing from Lake Athabasca into Great ^ave Lake at Fort Resolution ; and by the Mackenzie River, the Mountain River and the many branches which flow into it. This mighty valley, comprising the largest area of cereal and stock-producing lands in one body to be found anywhere in the world, has an elevation above sea level from 400 to 1,500 feet, and VASTNESS OF THE NORTH LAND. 13 enjoys a climate equal in all respects to that of Mary- land, although of course its winters are longer, and its summers are shorter as to number of days, but not as to aggregate number of hours of sunshine. This al- most illimitable territory, rich beyond description in agricultural, fruit, and meat-producing resources, lies between the 55th and 64th parallels of latitude and the 105th and 1 20th degrees of longitude, and comprises nearly 500,000 square miles. This great plain, prairie, or park country, is but slightly timbered, although there are forests of considerable growth all along the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains which are every- where penetrated by the creeks and tributary streams of the upper Mackenzie, the Peace and the Athabasca rivers. According to the reports of the natural his- tory surveys of the Canadian Dominion, there are as rich gold deposits on the eastern slopes of the Rockies in the quartz formation and river banks and bars of the upper western branches of the Mackenzie as on the western slope in the Klondike region. Passing from the Peace River country southeast- ward, we come to the higher plain, almost as extensive, of the north and south branches of the Saskatchewan and the Battle and Deer rivers, which are located be- tween them, and the Saskatchewan itself, from the con- fluence of the two principal branches to Lake Winni- peg. The Saskatchewan system of rivers, which drain the basin between Lake Winnipeg and the Rocky Mountains, aggregate an almost incredible length. The country has an elevation above sea level of from 900 to 4,000 feet and is quite heavily tirr*^?red not only in the neighborhood of Lake Winnipeg but along the foot-hills of the Rockies and on the borders of most of the streams, especially in the • more northerly and westemly districts. This area of cereal and stock-sus- taining -country lies between the 49th and 55th paral- lels of latitude and between the 90th and 115th, and farther to the north, 120th degrees of longitude, and comprises about 500,000 square miles. This region is 14 THE GOLDEN NORTH. already quite well known and is being rapidly settled and developed both as to its agricultural and stock- raising capabilities. It includes the province of Mani- toba and the territories of Kewatin, Saskatchewan, As- siniboia, and Alberta. The territory of Athabasca lies to the north of Alberta at the threshold of the great Peace River country, which is yet unsettled, and of course undeveloped in any way. Our knowledge of that extensive territory is derived from traveling through it, and from reports and meteorological data gathered and given out by Hudson's Bay trading-post officials. There is a smaller basin, practicailly within and be- tween the two great districts mentioned, lying to the north of the latter and to the west of the former. This is the basin of the Churchill, flowing from Reindeer Lake to Hudson's Bay. There are a large number of Hudson's Bay trading posts in this territory, and from the reports of those in charge of them, we learn that while a century ago there were no forests bordering any of the lakes and rivers thereabouts, there is now well developed tamara-c ranging from five to fifteen inches in diameter extending almost down to Fort Churchill on the western shores of Hudson's Bay. The outlet for the drainage of the great Saskatche- wan country from Lake Winnipeg to Hudson's Bay is by way of the Nelson, the Hayes, and the Severn riv- ers, the first and the last being about 550 miles in length and the second finding its way into the northern waters of Lake Winnipeg at Norway House through a series of smaller lakes to the northwest. This coun- try between Lake Winnipeg and the Hudson's Bay is all pretty heavily timbered, both the soil and the for- ests having been largely developed within the last century. There is another basin in the north drained by the rivers flowing into James' Bay, the Albany, the Moose and the Abittibi being the principal streams, some of VASTNESS OF THE NORTH LAND. 15 them reaching nearly as far south as Lake Superior. This section is heavily timbered. Eastward from the east-main coast of Hudson's Bay and extending half way across the great peninsula be- tween that inland sea and the Labrador coast is another vast basin drained by the Whale, Big and East Main rivers. This basin is all heavily timbered with tama- rac as far north as the 53d parallel of north latitude, and is said to contain rich mineral deposits consisting of gold and copper. There is stil' another basin far- ther to the eastward, drained by the Ungava and Whale rivers, which flow into Ungava Bay at Fort Chimo. Near the mouth of the Ungava River, in the Laurentian formation, there are mountains of pure mica, suflficiently extensive, perhaps, to supply the whole world with that commodity. The streams flow- ing into Ungava Bay are filled with salmon of the very finest quality, and for several years back two refrigera- tor steamers have been plying between these waters and the English metropolis in the salmon trade. It is a remarkable fact that with the traps used to catch these valuable fish, a moderate sized steamship can be loaded in a single tide. This basin is also heavily tim- bered. The upper portion of it has been so for many years back ; and the lower portion, extending down to Fort Chimo, has begun to produce timber within the last three-quarters of a century. In addition to the extensive areas mentioned, there are Southern Alaska and British Columbia. Both pos- sess vast resources in gold, coal, and on agricultural lines. From these observations the reader must have ac- quired a pretty good idea of the vast extent of the north country. We have already given the boundaries of an area nearly as large as the whole of the United States, and contained within it are 1,250,000 square miles of the most fertile and productive park prairie and plain region to be found anywhere on the face of the earth. The elevations of this rich plain range from .tit- __lgl____ ■iaiiiiiiliilii ii I k i6 THE GOLDEN NORTH. 400 to 4,ocx) feet above sea level, the lowest winter temperatures prevailing on the highest latitudes, and the highest temperature readings during the same sea- son are, of course, found in the greatest depressions. Most of this vast territory is favorably affected by the Chinook winds Avhich find their way through all the passes of the Rockies north of tht 53d parallel, and especially into the Peace River countiy, greatly im- proving the winter climate. The cold is very great in the southwestern portions of this plain where the elevations are from 2,500 to 4,000 feet, and the cattle on the ranches in that neighborhood have to be well sheltered during most of the winter. But in the far north, in the neighborhood of Lake Athabasca, and still farther north to Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie River, which is only 750 feet above the level of the sea, sunshine snow-storms are common and the snow melts almost as fast as it falls. In this region cattle may roam at large, winter and summer, without shelter of any kind. The hay cures on the stem and the pastur- age is better in December, January and February than during any other months of the year. But of the cli- mate and resources of this vast north country, v/e shall speak more in detail hereafter. Ill I I TRADING FOSTS OF THE NORTH, 17 CHAPTER III TRADING POSTS OF THE NORTH. Trails across the continent in the sub- Arctic belt — Many that have been traveled for a hundred and fifty years — Short cut to the gold fields of the Klondike from Ed- monton via Lake Athabaska and the Upper Mackenzie — The quicker and cheaper route — Lis of Northern trad- ing stations— Hints on map study. It is already well understood by the reader that the object of this volume is to provide an accurate account of the vast extent of territory and rich resources of the Golden North. The foregoing chapters shed some light upon the vast area and physical features of the country. It may now be observed that there is an im- portant sense in which this whole North Land has been settled, though not to any extent developed, dur- ing a period reaching back to the middle, and beyond it, of the eighteenth century. There is a chain of trad- ing posts belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company extending from the Atlan ic to the eastern borders of Alaska, and covering the whole belt of territory lying between the 55th parallel and the Arctic Circle; and in Alaska, covering the whole of that territory, there are similar trading posts under the control of Ameri- can companies. For more than one hundred and fifty years these trading stations have been supplied from three points, namely : Fort Garry, near the mouth of the Red River, York Factory, and Fort Churchill on the western shores of Hudson's Bay. Supplies for the trading posts in Alaska have for many years been distributed from St. Michaels by way of the Yukon and from Sitka for those in the Southern Alaskan district. From the points named the products of the northern region have i8 THE GOLDEN NORTH. I i i' I i been shipped to foreign markets. These products formerly consisted of valuable furs, reindeer tongues, oil from the marine mammals, ivory from the walrus, fish, and other commodities. At one time this trade was carried on very extensively, but of late years it has dwindled away, in some portions of the north, to almost nothing. A little over thirty years ago the Hudson's Bay Company sold its interests in the North country to the Canadian Government, reserving cer- tain portions of the lands, and it has since that time be- come quite as much interested in the colonization and development of the country — in order to realize from its landed interests — as it is in the fur trade. The Hudson's Bay Company still maintains about one hundred and seventy-five trading posts in the belt mentioned, and it is interesting to note that there are trails, well known to Indian and Esquimo runners, and hunters, p'A to the Hudson's Bay trading post officials, leading from one to another of these little marts of trade, throughout the entire region. For in- stance: One may leave Fort Churchill on the western shore of Hudson's Bay and travel by way of Reindeer Lake up the Churchill, across to Lake Athabasca, thence to Great Slave Lake, down the Mackenzie River to Fort Simpson, across the country through one oi the passes of the Rockies to the ' ead waters of the Yukon, and Cown that river to St. ivlichaels, over a route which has been known and traveled more than ,a century and a half. Again, one may leave Edmon- ton, on the north branch of the Saskatchewan River, at the most northern extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and follow a well known trail across the height of land, thence to Athabasca River, and across it to the south shores of Little Slave Lake, thence northwestward to Landing at the confluence of the Smoky and Peace rivers, thence by way of the Peace River, the Pine River pass, and down the Skeena to Port Simpson on the Pacific coast; or, from the con- fluence (l zhG Peace and Smoky rivers, northwest- w TRADING POSTS OF THE NORTH. 19 ward to the upper Mackenzie and across it through any of the convenient passes of 1:h. ^->wer Rocky Moun- tain ranges of the far north to he Klondike country, and in all of these journeys he will foliow trails which have been well known and constantly traveled for more than a century. By the way, it is the belief of many who have trav- eled extensively in the far northwest country, that the better and less expensive way of reaching the gold fields of the upper Yukon and Mackenzie rivers is to go by rail to Edmonton, and thence along one of the trails leading overland to any of the mountain passes which extend across the pkteau from the southwest branches of the Mackenzie to the southeast tributa- ries of the Yukon, of which the Klondike is one. Cer- tainly this route can be covered in as shori: a time as either that by Juneau or the Yukon, while on the other hand, the expense of transporting supplies will not be nearly as great as by any of the Pacific routca. The Hudson's Bay trading posts of the whole North country, including the trading stations of Alaska, con- stitute an important feature of that region, The trav- eler in any of the overland routes always journeys from one trading post to another and follows a well defined trail. He may not always be able to purchase sup- plies at these stations in large quantities, but the posts are generally pretty well stocked, and those in charge of them are noted for liberality in extending relief and shelter and assistance to persons going through the country. Our knowledge of the North is largely due to the existence of these trading stations, and to the information carried to them by Indian and Esquimo huntt rs and traders. It will be an interesting and instructive exercise for the reader to lay before him a reliable map of the North country and to locate thereon the following list of Hudson's Bay trading posts, which comprise all, ex- cept temporary winter stations, from the Atlantic to Rampart House, located just above the Arctic circle 'WmW- 20 THE GOLDEN NORTH. near the international boundary line between the Cana- dian northwest and Alaska: Fort Chippewayan. Fort McMurray. Fond du Lac. Red River. Fort Vermillion. Fort Smith. Fort Resolution. Fort Dunvegan. Fort St. John's. Hudson's Hope. Battle River. Lesser Slave Lake. Whitefish Lake. Grand Prairie. Fort Simpson. Rampart House. Lapierre's House. Wabigoon. Whitefish Bay. White Dog (Lake Win- nipeg). Trout Lake. Seine River. North- West Angle. Norway House. Nelson River. Behrens River. Grand Rapid. Poplar River. Oxford House. Island Lake. York Factory. Severn. Trout Lake (Keewatin). Churchill. Winnipeg. Lower Fort Garry. Doghead. Fort Alexander. Indian Settlement. Portage la Prairie. Isle a la Crosse. Portage la Loche. Green Lake(English River). Souris River. Cumberland House. Moose Lake. Pas. Pelican Narrows. Lac du Brochets. Rapid River. Grand Rapids. Calgary. Edmonton. Lac la Biche. Jasper Hoi'se. Lac Ste. Anne's. Victoria. Battle River. Peel's River. Fort Good Hope. Fort Liard. Fort Nelson. Fort Providence. Fort Rae. Fort Norman. Nut Lake. Manitoba House. Fairford. Waterhen River. Shoal River. Duck Bay. TRADING POSTS OF THE NORTH. ai Rat Portage. Fort Frances. Lac Seul. Ekgle Lake. Prince Albert. Carleton House. Battleford. South Branch. Fort Pitt. Turtle Lake. Fort a la Corne. Frog Lake. Fort Qu'Appelle. Fort Ellice. Riding Mountain. Fort Pelly. Russell. Touchwood Hills. Egg Lake. Cariboo. Barkerville. Quesnel. New Caledonia. Stuart's Lake. Skeena. Eraser's Lake. Babine. Conolly's Lake. Fort George. McLeod's Lake. Montreal. Michipicoten. Aquawah River. Pic. Nepigon House. Long Lake. Red Rock. Lake Missanabie. Sand Lake. Pine Portage. La Cloche. Whitefish Lake (Huron). Mississaque. Green Lake (Huron). Wahnapitaeping. Pagamasing. Mattawa. Temiscaminque. Hunter's Lodge. Grand Lake. Barriere. Trout Lake. Totogan. Pembina. Oak Point. Moose P'actory. Albany. Henley. English River. Marten's Falls. Osnaburgh. Rupert's House. Woswonaby. Mechiskim. Mustassing. Nichequon. Eastmain. Fort George. Great Whale River. Little Whale River. Fort Trial. Long Portage. Kinoqumisse. Matawagaminque. Natachewan. New Brunswick. Victoria. Massett. p I i I m r ill. 22 THE GOLDEN NORTH. Hazelton. Fort Langley. Fort Hope. Fort Yale. Kamloops. Thompson's River. Temagiminque. Nepissinque. Abittibi. Winawaya. Weymoutachinque. Coocache. Kickendach. Miginoman. Pointe Blin. Bersamis. Seven Islands. Moisie. Mungan. Musquarro. Rigolet. North-West River. Davis Inlet. Nachoak. Fort Chimo. George's River. One may obtain a vast deal of information as to the character and extent of the countr)^ from a carefully prepared map, but in the matter of distances there are some lessons in mathematical geography with which the reader should be familiar before beginning his map studies. One is always inclined to measure dista^ices upon a spherical map by the degrees of latitude and longitude marked thereon. This, however, will prove a very misleading procedure unless the map st' dent is sufficiently acquainted with the decrease in the length of the degrees of longitude on different paral- lels of latitude. For instance: the length of a degree of longitude on the equator is 69.16 statute miles, whereas, a degree of longitude in latitude 42 is 51.47 statute miles. Again, a degree of longitude on the 6oth parallel is but 34.67 statute miles, and a degree of longitude on the 82nd parallel of latitude is but 9.66 statute miles. The question of distances is deeply involved in a study of the great North, and for the benefit of the reader and student of this volume the following table of lengths, in common land or statute miles of 5,280 feet each, of a degree of longitude in the different lati- tudes north of the equator is here presented: [> i TRADING POSTS OF THE NORTH. Deg. of Lat. o. 2. 4. 6. 8. 10. 12. 14. 16. 18. 20. 22. 24. 26. 28. 30. 32. 34. 36. 38. 40. Stat. Miles. 69.16 . . . .69.12 68.99 68.78 68.49 ....68.12 67.66 67.12 66.50 65.80 65.02 64.15 63.21 62.20 61. II 59-94 58.70 57.35 56.01 54.56 53.05 Deg. of Lat. 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 7'2 74 76 78 80 82 23 Stat. Miles ...51.47 ...49.83 . . .48.12 ...46.36 ...44-54 . . .42.67 ...40.74 ...38.76 ...36.74 ...34.67 ...32.55 ...30.40 . ..28.21 ...25.98 ...23.72 ...21.43 . . .19.12 ... 16.78 ...14.42 . ..T3.05 ... 9-66 The above table will be useful to those who attempt to determine east and west distances on a map from the meridian lines of longitude. Of course the de- grees of latitude are always of the same length no mat- ter on what part of the earth's surface the parallels are drawn. 24 THE GOLDEN NORTH. CHAPTER IV. THE YUKON DISTRICT— ALASKA. From Bering Sea to the junction of the Pelly and Lewis rivers — Cereal, vegetable and stock capabilities — The forests and climate — Value of the white spruce. From the foregoing general observations on the North country, the reader is now prepared to take up the several physical divisions mentioned and to study them more carefully as to character, climate, eleva- tions and resources. First, as to Alaska and that portion of the Canadian Northwest north of the 6oth parallel and east of the great watershed dividing the Yukon and Mackenzie River systems. This interesting stretch of country comprises about 1,500,000 square miles and is physi- cally divided into three principal districts. These may be called the Yukon territory, the Aleutian district and the Sitkan district. The first, which is the more north- ern territory, is bounded on the south by the Alaskan Mountains, on the east by the Rocky Mountains and by the 6oth parallel, which is the northern boundary of British Columbia; on the north by the Arctic Ocean and on the west by Bering Sea and Strait, The Yukon River proper extends through this ter- ritory from Bering Sea to the confluence of the Pelly and Lewis rivers, which is about one hundred and fifty miles east of the international boundary line, and about 1,750 miles from its mouth. The Pelly and Lewis rivers, their many tributaries, and the hundreds of creeks and gulches which drain the mountain re- gion into these tributary streams, throughout this im- mense gold-bearing territory, reach out over 500 miles further to the east from their junction, and cover over 400 miles of territory north and south. THE YUKON DISTRICT— ALASKA. 25 The character of the country of the Yukon district proper varies from low, rolHng and somewhat rocky hills, usually quite easy of ascent, to broad and some- times marshy plains, extending for many miles on either side of the river, especially for about 100 or 200 miles from the coast. There are no roads leading from the mountains and uplands down to this great river, and but few well defined trails. In fact, the river itself and its tributary streams constitute the highways of the country. The rocks along the Yukon River and in the whole Yukon district below the junction of the Pelly and Lewis rivers, consist for the most part of conglomer- ate, sienite, quartzite and sandstone. From the con- fluence of the two last named rivers to the Rockies, quartzite prevails. This formation and the sands, gravel and dirt overlaying it, are generally more or less auriferous, or gold-bearing. Over a very large extent of this country, except upon the summits of the higher elevations, the soil is a rich alluvial, composed of very fine sand, mud and vegetable matter, brought down by the river and form- ing deposits of a considerable depth. During the winter seasons frost penetrates the soil to the depth of from two to six feet, and in the ma- jority of situations it does not more than half thaw out during the summer months. This, however, is due to the want of sufficient drainage, combined with the non-conductive covering of moss which prevents the hot sun of midsurtimer from warming the surface to any considerable depth. In locations where the soil is not covered with this moss, and where the drainage is good, as in the extensive areas near the mouth of the river, frost is generally thawed out of the ground completely during the warm season. It must not be supposed, however, that a layer of frozen ground below the surface, say two or three feet thick, is destructive to cereal or vegetable growth. As a matter of experience in Manitoba and the Canadian 8 I' i 26 THE GOLDEN NORTH. r Northwest, east of the Rockies, such has been found to facilitate the growth and ripening development of cereals. There are along the banks of the Yukon, in the neighborhood of Escholtz Bay, bluffs or banks of ap- parently solid ice fronting the water. These continu- ous banks of ice, strange to say, are covered with a heavy layer of soil and vegetable matter, where herbs and shrubs flourish with a luxuriance only equalled in latitudes more than two thousand miles to the south- east. The lesson to be learned from these facts is that heavy and luxuriant vegetation may exist, develop and ripen above a layer of frozen ground and in the immediate vicinity of permanent ice. Hence it is proper to conclude that a large extent of territory in Alaska, even in this Yukon district, long considered valueless, will yet furnish not oniy to the trader and fisherman, but also to the farmer, an abundant harvest. The climate of the interior of the Yukon district dif- fers from that of the sea coast, where the temperature is greatly improved by the vast body of water con- tained in Bering Sea, and by the many currents from the south bringing warm water from the Pacific, mak- ing the winter climate of an extensive region of the coast much milder than that of the interior. The sum- mers, however, owing to the quantity of rain and pre- vailing cloudy weather of the coast, are cooler and less inviting than those of the interior. Near the coast, the months of May and June are delightful, being sunny, warm and clear. As soon as the snow disappears, and even before it is gone from the summits of the foot- hills, an immense growth of herbage springs up very rapidly, and large areas, which a few days before pre- sented nothing but a white sheet of snow, are teeming with a rapidly developing vegetation, producing leaves, flowers and fruits in rapid succession. At St. Michaels, on the coast f Norton Sound, in latitude 63.28; at the Mission, on the Yukon River, If n THE YUKON DISTRICT— ALASKA. a; 150 miles from its mouth, in latitude 61.47; ^t Nulato, 450 miles further up the river, in latitude 64.40; and at Fort Yukon, 1,200 miles from the mouth of the river and in latitude 66.34, the mean temperatures for the four seasons of the year are as follows: Means for St.Michaels. Mission. Nulato.Ft.Yukon Spring 29.3 19.62 29.3 14.22 Summer 53.0 59.32 60.0 59.67 Autumn 26.3 36.05 36.0 17.37 Winter 8.6 0.95 — 14.0 — 23.80 Year " 29.3 26.48 27.8 16.92 It must not be supposed, however, that the agri- cultural capabilities of Alaska are to be measured by mean temperatures alone. Much depends upon the heat of the summer months, the duration of that sea- son and the length of the days of sunshine. At Fort Yukon the thermometer often rises, at noon, not in the direct rays of the sun, to 112 degrees above zero, and in some instances the mercury has been known to rise to 120. It is almost impossible to calculate the rapid growth of vegetation under these conditions. In mid-summer on the upper Yukon, the only relief from the intense heat, under which the vegetation at- tains an almost tropical luxuriance, is the brief space during which the sun hovers just under the northern horizon. The annual rainfall of this district is quite large, but not excessive, while the snowfall for November to the end of April will average from three to six feet and sometimes eight feet, although in the district of the upper Yukon, or territory drained by the Pelly and Lewis rivers and their tributaries, the snowfall ranges from two to three and a half feet. There is very little snow near the coast, but in this region high winds pre- vail, while in the interior there is less wind. The whole country except in the lower valleys is well tim- 28 THE GOLDEN NORTH. bered, and towards spring the gullies and brush-wood are well filled or covered up with snow, and transpor- tation with dogs and sleds is easy and pleasant. The warm sun at noon melts the surface oi the snow, which freezes at night and forms a hard crust, rendering snowshoes almost unnecessary. The rainfall is much greater near the coast than it is in the intti ior. In the months of May, June and part of July, it is bright de- lightful weather at St. Michaels, and all along the coast, but the remainder of the season, or for four days in the week, at least, it is rainy, until October, when the north winds set in, bringing fine weather. The valley of the lower Yukon is often foggy in the latter part of the summer, but as one ascends the river the climate improves, and the short summer at Fort Yu- kon is always dry, hot, but pleasant withal, being varied by occasional showers. The largest and most valuable tree found in the dis- trict is the white spruce, which abounds over the whole country, but is always largest in the vicinity of running streams. This tree attains a height of from fifty to one hundred feet, with a diameter at the butt of from three to four feet. The most common size, however, is thirty or forty feet high, with fourteen or eighteen inches at the but^. This wood is white, clear, close and straight-grained, easily worked, light and yet very tough. It is to be greatly preferred over the Oregon pine. For spars it has no superior. It is very dura- ble and many houses twenty years old, built of this timber, still contain a majority of sound logs. These trees decrease in size and grow more sparsely as one approaches Fort Yukon, but they are still large enough for many purposes. The northern limit of this tree is about 66.44 north latittide, and it occupies the same place in the physical dev 'srpment of th-e country in Alaska as does the tamar^c on the southern and west- ern basins of Hudson's and James' bays. In the in- terior of Alaska the white spruce is found often above the 70th parallel, and as in the north country to the THE YUKON DISTRICT— ALASKA. 29 east of the Rocky Mountains, the forests in the Yukon district are steadily pushing tlieir advance towards the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Forests consisting most- ly of the spruce are abundant at Fort Yukon in lati- tude 66.34, and the waters of the Tananah River bring down the largest logs of this tree in the spring freshets. The number of these logs annually floated down the northern Alaskan rivers is almost beyond calculation. Freshets prevail in the rivers for about three weeks, and although the period of their duration is short, suffi- cient is brought down to supply the demand of the Arctic coast and Bering Sea, as well as the numerous islands.* The tree of next importance in the forests of north- ern Alaska is the birch, which, however, rarely grows over eighteen inches in diameter and forty feet in height. The wood of this tree is hard and tough. The treeless coasts of the territory, as well as the low- lands of the Yukon, are covered in spring with a most luxuria ii: growth of grass and flowers, including the well known Kentucky bluegrass, which grows luxur- iantly as far north as Kotzebue Sound, and, to some extent, at Port Barrow. The wild meadow grass is also abundant and furnishes good, fattening pasturage for cattle. The blue-joint grass also abounds, and sometimes grows four or five feet in height. Its av- erage is three feet. Grain has never been sown to any extert in the Yukon territory until within the last few years, in which tests have be€n successfully made in barley and other cereals. Turnips and radishes flourish, and cat- tle thrive, but require shelter during the long winter months. The agricultural capabilities of the Yukon territory, though not great, are gradually enlarging and improv- ing, and will be utilized to the great advantage of the inhabitants in the near future. ♦ Capt. W. H. Doll. itfi* *:t MMUiUM ii t 30 THE GOLDEN NORTH. The points and posts of interest on the Yukon from St. Michaels to Fort Selkirk, at the junction of the Pelly and Lewis rivers, are: Andreaf:.vi, Cogmute, Koserefski, Hamilton's Lodge, Nulato, Weare, Fort Yukon, and Circle City. • yi s i i it m UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. 31 CHAPTER y. UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. Auriferous districts lying west of tlie Mackenzie— Terri- tory is duplicated in extent and gold bearing riches on the slopes east of the summit — Three great routes to the Klondike— Reasons why the all-overland route will be- come most favored. We now come to consider the most interesting sub- division of the who'e north region, the upper Yukon country — the El Dorado of our hopes — that vast ex- tent of country stretching away from the confluence of the Lewis and Pelly rivers to the summit of the watershed of the Mackenzie River, and west of it to Circle City. This is the Klondike. This is the auriferous land where gold lies hidden in sand, dirt, gravel and quartz, in quantities sufficiently great to enrich half the pt ?ple of this nation. It is a vast country tuo, all more or less gold-bear- ing, containing at least 240,000 square miles,, and yel- low metal probably to the extent of biUions of dollars in value. And let it be stated here and now that this wonder- ful region to the west of the watershed of the Macken- zie is beyond all question dupHcated, both in extent and gold-bearing value, on the eastern slopes of the same watershed in the country of the southwestern tributaries, creeks and gulches of the upper Macken- zie River. Only a small corner of the Klondike country has yet been explored. There are hundreds of river branches, creeks and gulches, in that section yet without a name, and unknown to the hardy miner- pioneer. It 'will no doubt consume the whole of 1898 to complete anything like a perfect exploration of this territory; and during the coming eighteen months the THE GOLDEN NORTH. reader may be prepared to heir of more wonderful dis- coveries of gold, in both placer and qupilz mines, in this region, than have yet been reported. Not only so, but the mining prospector and the gold hunter will either cross the watershed of the Mackenzie, and de- veiup the rich gold fields of the more eastern district, or enter it overland by way of the northwest trails from Edmonton. The data at hand, including the writer's own observations in that country, fully justify the statement that there is just as much gold east of the watershed as there is west of it. This a^ plies not only to the far north, but to the more southerly areas in northern British Columbia south of the 6oth parallel. This statement is supported by the natural history sur- vey reports of the Canadian Government as well as the information gained by explorers and surveyors sent out from time to time under the auspices of the Department of the Interior of the Dominion Govern-, ment. The gold-bearing district on the eastern slopes of the Mackenzie and Yukon watershed contains an area of 250,000 square miles, and like its neighboring district on the slopes west of the summit it is not only richly gold-bearing, but contains inexhaustible deposits of silver and coal. It is probably idle at this time to attempt to forecast the future of this wonderful region, but it may be said that the paying gold discoveries which have already been made cannot possibly yield up all their treasure in a few months and be forgotten, nor give way to something more interesting in any near future. On the contrary, one is warranted in the belief that the five or ten thousand gold hunters now in that territory will be increased to fifty or one hundred thousand in 1898, and possibly to two hundred thousand before the close of the present century. The vast cereal, vegetable, stock-raising and dairy possibilties of the alluvial plains which lie on the one hand ir: the mighty valleys eastward of the auriferous '^ ■»■'*, (p 34 T^IE GOLDEN NORTH. slopes on thi£> side the great watershed, and on the Alaskan lowlands to the west, will in a short time be sufficiently developed to abundantly supply all the gold, silver and coal diggers that may go into the mining disiricts. Hence it will not always be necessary to transport supplies, at the jst of two or three times their value, Trom southeastern markets, to support the treasure hunters of the north. The time is not far dis- tant when the adjacent fertile plains will produce all that will be necessary, and the miner will be required to transport from eastern markets only tools and im- plements necessary for the proper development of the diggings. The upper Yukon, of which we are speaking, lies wholly within British territory. In fact it may be di- vided, for cor 'enience, from the district of the Yukon proper by the ' national boundary line, which in this region lies . g the 141st degree of longitude, from the Arctic Ocean to the northern base of Mi. St. Elias. Between this international boundary line which crosses the Yukon where Seventy Mile Creek enters that stream, and at the junction of the Pelly and Lewis rivers, there are, in this order, from the northwest, Fort Cudahy, Forty Mile Post, Old Fort Reliance, Dawson City, and most of the mining camps now in active operation, including those on the Klondike and the creeks flowing into it. Fort Selkirk is located at the junction of the rivers last named, and there the Yukon ceases as such. This is in longitude 137.30 west in the British Northwest territory. The Pelly River, starting from this point, reaches far to the west- ward, taking its rise in the almost innumerable creek« and gulches in the Rocky Mountains. The ^..ewis River reaches far away to the southeast, taking its rise northeast of Chilcat Pass, in a large number of long narrow lakes imbedded in that mountainous region. The head waters of both of these rivers comprise an undefinable and only very partially explored region ■%.] UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. 35 of creeks and brooks. Hundreds of these are yet with- out names, having never been visited by white rrien, but that which is known of the district in a general way, as to its auriferous formation, fully justifies the statement, on a geological basis, that the whole coun- try thereabouts is about equal, one section with the other, as to its gold-bearing resources. Dr. Dawson, chief of the Natural History and Geological Survey of Canada; William Ogilvie, of the Geographical Survey of the same country, and many others have made offi- cial reports which justify this general statement as to the resources of the whole region. Dr. Dawson veri- fied the discoveries of coal and silver in that neighbor- hood, and also far to the south of it. Both the Pelly and Lewis are large rivers. The lat- ter is the best known, having been used for the past six years as the highway from Southern Alaska to the gold diggings of the Yukon in the neighborhood of the boundary line. Its length from Lake Lindeman, one of its chief sources, to its junction with the Pelly, is about 375 miles. As already stated, the river lies wholly in British territory. This applies to the great- er portion of the lakes which constitute its source. Some of these lakes, however, extend into Southern Alaska, to a point not far north of Dyea. The Pelly River takes its rise in and about Dease Lake, near the head waters of the Stikine River. It has a length of fully 500 miles before uniting with the Lewis to form the Yukon. The latter river at the junction, and for miles below, varies from three-quar- ters of a mile to a iuile in width. For many miles along the northern bank there is a solid wall of lava. For convenience we may refer to the whole gold-bear- ing region west of the Rocky Mountains and down the Yukon to the international boundary line, and even beyond it, as the Klondike country. There are three general routes by which this new El Dorado may be reached. One is a all-water route by way of St. Michaels and along the great Yukon River, 36 XHE GOLDEN NORTH. I ill; i> 9 t l!ii the longest and, at present, probably the most ex- pensive journey. This may be called the summer route, for tiie river is not navigable during the winter season. The second route, and that which is now being most generally traveled, is by Juneau and Dyea, through the several passes to the Lewis River beyond the mountains, the principal of these being the Chilcat and Chilkoot passes. These passes are being rapidly improved, so that it is possible to make the journey, though with considerable hardship, during the winter season. The third route has not yet been traveled to any extent by gold hunters, but it is predicted that it will, in a short time, become the most favored highway by which the gold-bearing regions of the great North will be reached. It is from Edmonton, in the Cana- dian Northwest, by way of the Athabasca, Great Slave Lake and the upper Mackenzie and across the water- shed to the head waters of the Pelly or the McMillan, the latter being a northeasterly branch of the Pelly. One reason, and an important one, why this is likely to become a favored route is because of the well- grounded belief that gold exists in quantities equally as great east of the watershed, on the upper creeks and tributaries of the Mackenzie, as on the western slopes, or in the Klondike region. Of course the trip is one of difficulties, taxing the endurance and nerve of the traveler, no matter which route is taken. Only persons can expect to make the journey successfully who can endure the work of pack- ing supplies over the precipitous and somewliat path- less mountains, towing boats against strong currents, and sleeping anywhere night overtakes them, and in the summer season, fighting the veritable pestilence of gnats and mosquitoes. However, the climate is unequaled for health in both summer and winter, pro- vided one enjoys anything like reasonable supplies of the necessaries of life in that region. But as to transportation facilities, tliere will no doubt be great improvements within the next few UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. 37 months. Wagon-roads and trails will be constructed through the coast range mountains. More commo- dious steamers will be placed on lakes and rivers, pass- able roads will be constructed over the northwest route, and the whole vast upper country on both sides of the Rockies wiU be made reasonably accessible to all who desire to enter it. Then thousands will flock there. The writer of this book, who has traveled ex- tensively over the region and acquired a considerable knowledge of its wonderful resources, predicts that in ten years there will be a population of over 250,000 in these territories. Km iir".-"""'«' 38 THE GOLDEN NORTH. CHAPTER VI. UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. (Continued.) Pioneers of the Klondike country-^-Administration of min- ing laws, tariff regulations and homestead entry ruie& extended to the district by the Canadian Government — Explorations of Dr. Dawson and Surveyor Ogilvie — In- crease of mining camps. Continuing our account of the upper Yukon or Klondike country, the work becomes partly historical and partly descriptive. We find that the first repre- sentatives of civilization to enter the region were the traders of the Hudson's Bay Company. In the year 1840 a Mr. Campbell was sent out by Sir George Simp- son to explore the upper Liard, one of the branches of the Mackenzie River, and to cross the watershed in search of any rivers flowing to the westward. After ascending the river to its head waters, he had no diffi- culty in crossing one of the many convenient passes of the Rocky Mountain range to the head waters of the Pelly River. Thence he descended the Pelly to the confluence of the Lewis. From this point he returned, his men having become discouraged by reports of the hostile character of the Wood Indians encamped near there. From these reports he represented that the lower portion of the river was inhabited by a large tribe of cannibals. In 1847 F^^^^t Yukon was estab- lished at the mouth of the Porcupine River on the northern banks of the Yukon by A. H. Murray, another representative of the Hudson's Bay Company. It was in 1848 that Campbell established Fort Selkirk at the junction of the Pelly and Lewis rivers. This fort was plundered and destroyed four years later by the coast Indians. At present only its ruins remain. It was at UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. 39 one time one of the most important trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company west of the Rocky Moun- tains. Coming down to more recent dates, it will be re- membered that in 1869, two years after Alaska was acquired by the United States Government, the Hud- son's Bay Company's officers and traders were ex- pelled from Fort Yukon by our Government, it having been determined by astronomical observations that the post was located within United States territory. At this time the Hudson's Bay Company's representa- tives left Fort Yukon, ascended the Porcupine River to a point which they believed to be within British jurisdiction, where they established Rampart House; but as ill-luck would have it, the international bound- ary line was further determined in 1890, and the new- trading station was found to be twenty miles within Uncle Sam's domain. Therefore, in 1891, the post was moved twenty miles farther up the river, where it was located on British territory. According to the best information at hand, the next people to enter the Klondike country were Harper and McQuestion. They established several trading posts, most of which they afterwards abandoned; later Mr. Harper located as a trader at Fort Selkirk, and Mr. McQuestion entered the employ of the Alaska Com- mercial Company at Circle City, which is a distribut- ing point for a vast region of territory. In 1882 quite a number of miners entered the Yu- kon country by the Taiya Pass, which was then the best and most traveled route. It is still largely used, and is said to be shorter than any of the other passes, though it is by no means the lowest. It will be re- membered that in 1883 Lieut. Schwatka went into the Yukon country through this pass, and descended the Lewis and Yukon rivers to Bering Sea. In 1887 the Canadian Government fitted out an expedition, hav^ ing for its object the exploration of the far northwest territory of Canada, which is drained by the Felly and ' ^wp^T^ :!"3^ 40 THE GOLDEN NORTH. L Lewis rivers. This expedition was entrusted to Dr. George M. Dawson, then, as now, the chief director of the Geological and Natural History Survey of the Canadian Dominion. His chief assistant in the work was Dominion Land Surveyor William Ogilvie, from whose pen the people of this country have had the most recent official information regarding the gold fields of the Klondike country. Mr. Ogilvie, who has long been known in Canada as a Dominion Land Sur- veyor, now ranks equal with Dr. Dawson himself as an explorer of the far north country, especially of that portion of it along the northern Rocky Mountain sum- mit and the slopes on either side of it. Dr. Dawson devoted the whole of that season to exploring, locating and defining the lakes and rivers of the upper Yukon region, and Mn Ogilvie remained in the country for two years gathering geological and topographical in- formation concerning the country lying adjacent to the 141st degree of longitude, which is the interna- tional boundary line, and the country east of it. This expedition found that the whole country as far as they traveled over it contained valuable gold mines, and they were surprised at meeting at least 300 min- ers who were at work digging and washing out the gold. Mr. Ogilvie, by a series of observations, de- termined the point at which the Yukon River is crossed by the international boundary line, and also that at which Forty Mile Creek is crossed by the same; and this survey proved that the place which had then been selected as a convenient point for the distribution of supplies for the various mining camps, namely. Fort Cudahy, which is situated where Forty Mile Creek enters the Yukon, was in British Canadian territory. Even at that date it was discovered that the greater proportion of the mines being worked was on the British side. Since that date the best paying mines have been discovered still further to th east, and it is evident, from the official and other reports at b^nd, that the further east the prospecting is conducted the UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. 41 greater the rewards to those engaged in that work. As before intimated, the reports of Dr. Dawson which cover a period of more than twenty years, support the behef that the most productive gold deposits will yet be found considerably to the east of the Klondike, and even beyond the summit of the mountains, on the^ east- ern slopes. The number of persons who had entered the Klon- dike country to engage in mining had reached over 1. 000 up to the year 1895, and the additions to that number between 1895 and 1896 were considerable. During the present year there has, of course, been a very large increase to the mining population. \Ve learn from Canadian official reports that for many years subsequent to the retirement of the Hud- son's Bay Company from Alaska, the Alaska Commer- cial Company enjoyed a monopoly of the trade of the Yukon, carrying into the country and delivering at various points along the river, without regard to the international boundary line or to customs laws, such commodities and supplies as were required for the prosecution of the fur trade, and later on, of placer mining. Of course these were the only two industries known to the country. It may be noted here that with the discovery of gold in larger quantities, there fallowed the organization of a company to compete with the Alaska Commercial Company, known as the North American Transporta- tion and Trading Company, having its headquarters in Chicago, and its chief trading center at Fort Cudahy, on the Yukon. This company has now been engaged in this trade for about five years, and owns and oper- ates lines of steamers plying beiween Pacific ports and St. Michaels at the mouth of the Yukon, and trading to Juneau artd Dyea in southeastern Alaska. By means of these steamers the Company tra^^ v ^rts mer- chandise to the first mentioned point, trani,-^liipping it into river steamers at the mouth of the Yukon to points inland, notably to Fort Cudahy at the western borders g-gg- uii 42 THE GOLDEN NORTH. of the Klondike country. This route has been the principal highway of the carrying trade of the upper Yukon, but more recently importations of some value consisting of miners' supplies and their tools have reached the Klondike district from Juneau by way of Dyea and the mountain passes to the chain of water- ways leading therefrom to the Lewis River, thence to Cudahy on the Yukon. Up to within a year past, although civil government had been fully established by the United States in all parts of Alaska, no governmental authority of any kind had been set up m any portion of the Canadian Northwest between the international boundary line and the Rocky Mountains north of the 6oth parallel. As a result importations of considerable value were taken into the country without the payment of duty, except that, in 1894, the North American Transporta- tion and Trading Company paid customs charges on the merchandise which it carried into the country, to the amount of $3,240. Recently, howev* the Cfa? a- dian Government has extended its auministration, both as to the collecting of customs and the enforcing of mining regulations and homestead laws in that ter- ritory. The officials sent out there to administer these branches of the Canadian Government are now backed up by a considerable force of the Canadian Northwest mounted police. As a result, customs duties are being collected on merchandise taken across the international boundary line, the Canadian mining laws are being en- forced, and the door has been opened for the settle- ment of Canadian lands under the free entry system, as fast as they can be surveyed into townships and sections for that purpose. The miners have made some complaints as to the alleged excessive customs charges by the Canadian officials, but in the main, those who have gone into the country, and those con- templating going, will appreciate the value of the fact that the Canadian Government has taken ample steps for the enforcement of law, maintenance of order and ip~^^-^ I ■ f ^ .!IH1|IUP|||^«^ *-J5"5'g&' I'l'iiiiJ ■■mi.jtw u,,j»L. UPPER YUKON OR KLONDIKE REGION. 43 the administration of justice in the upper Yukon ter- ritory. Without this step the placer mining of gold, which is now being carried forward on an extensive scale east of the international boundary, would be at- tended with great danger and much insecurity. It was clearly in the interests of humanity, and absolutely necessary for the security and safety of the lives and property of the citizens of the United States as well as of Canadian subjects. The exploration and surveys made by Dr. Dawson and Mr. Ogilvie in the upper Yukon region in 1887 and the years immediately following arc among the most important official documents describing the topography and resources of that country, and form the basis of nearly everything that has been printed concerning it since. Mr. Ogilvie returned to the north- west and continued 'his explorations and surveys, of which we have printed accounts as late as the latter part of January of the present year. Some of his let- ters to the Canadian Mmister of the Interior, di.tcd in the latter part of 1896 and t^ early portion of the present year, give almost sensational accounts of gold discoveries in the Klondike This fully substantiates tfie unofficial reports which have come from the miners themselves by way of letters to friends in different parts of this country. mm ■atidiffi -y-' >fr-PT^><\^^v3y^7T . 44 THE GOLDEN NORTH. CHAPTER VII. THE ALEUTIAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. A mountainous and volcanic country — Broad meadows and sloping hillsides capable of cereal and stock-raising development — A mountainous country— Altitude limit of vegetation. Before proceeding to farther details concerning the gold regions of the great north country, let us turn aside to glance at the interesting features of the other physical divisions of Alaska. This step leads us to the Aleutian district, which comprises the Aleutian Islands and part of the Peninsula of Alaska. Owing to the presence of trees, the Island of Kadiak and those ad- jacent belong rather to the Sitkan division. These ishnds contait) many high mountains, some of them volcanic, a fiv/ still showing activity by emit- ting smoke and steam. Between them and the sea are extensive rolling hills and meadows. Much of the soil is rich, consisting of vegetable mold and dark-colored f^ys, with here and there light loam forme^l of de- composed rocks and rich in tertiary fossils. In many parts of these meadows the drainage is insuftkient, but may be improved at liMe cost. In some places the soil is composed of decayed volcanic products, but much of this is rich and productive. From the evidence at hand one is warranted in the statement that vast areas of this soil will produce cereals and vegetables. The mercury ranges from zero to 75 above. The following statistics will show the range ol the thermometer, by means, fcr four years within the last decade, although there are readings at hand extending as far back as 1830; I THE ALEUTIAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. 45 A.M. I P.M. 9 P.M. Ex. Heat. Ex. Cold. 35 38 34 77 Zero. 36 40 ^ 64 7 39 42 3§ 77 7 38 41 36 76 5 The i.verage for the four years is 37 above at 7 A. M.; 40.5 above at i P. M.; 36 above at 9 P. M. The aver- age extreme heat for the four years is 77 above, and the extreme cold for the same period is zero. The average weather statistics for seven years out of the last ten is as follows: January, 11 all-clear days; III half-clecir days ; 95 all-cloudy days ; February, 9 all- clear days, 86 half-clear days, and 103 all-cloudy days; March, 3 all-clear days, 112 half-clear days, 102 all- cloudy days; April, 4 all-clear days, 104 hali-clear days, 102 ill-cloudy days; May, 2 all-clear days, 105 half- clear days, and 104 all-cloudy days; June, 6 all-clear days, 118 half-clear days, 99 all-cloudy days; July, no all-clear days, 118 half-clear days, and 99 all-cloudy days; August, 5 all-clear days, 106 half-clear days, 106 all-cloudy days; September, 2 all-clear days, 107 half- clear days, 100 all-cloudy days; October, 2 all-clear days, T15 half-clear davs, 100 all-cloudv days; Novem- ber, 3 all-clear days, 88 half-clear days, 119 aV cloudy days; December, 6 all-clear days, 116 half-clear days, 95 all-cloudy days. The total for the seven years records 53 all-clear days, 1,263 half-clear days, and 1,235 all-cloudy days. It will be seen that there is a great proportion of cloudy and half-cloudy weather in this district. The average number of rainy days for seven years in this d',strict ir. 150, but it will be seen that the precipitation is light, as during that whole period the rainfall meas- ured but 45 inches. This is abi At the average for the whole district in question. There is no timber of any kind on the islands except shrub, but the grasses in this climate — which is warmer than that of the Yukon district, and drier than that of i 46 THE GOLDEN NORTH. tii' the Sitkaii — attain almost an incredible luxuriance. For example, Unalaska, in the vicinity of Captain's Harbor, abounds in fertile meadows, with a climate better adapted for haying than many districts 2,000 miles southeast of it. Here and in this vicinity cattle may be raised by the hundreds of thousands, without trouble or any considerable expense. They become remarkably fat, and the beef is tender and delicate, rarely surpassed by any stock-fed beef. The milk is of excellent quality and dairy products m.ay be easily made profitable in this quarter. It may be noted that the best and most available arable lands lie near the coast, formed by the debris of the mountains and valleys mingling with the sea sands, which together form a remarkably rich soil, excellently adapted for cereal and vegetable culture. These things, considered together with the extra- ordinarily favorable climate, warrant the statement that these broad meadows and sloping, sunny hill- sides, will produce good crops under the thrifty hand of enterprise, while on the rolling meadows stock rais- ing and dairying may be carried on with great profit. The broad areas are all cleared for the plow, and cultivation may proceed as on the prairies of any of the northwestern states. Many of the grasses found on these meadows are cereal-like, and their nature leads one to infer that oats and barley will thrive and ripen in this quarter excellently. The great length of the days and the many hours of sunshine during the summer months, as compared widi the districts thou- sands of miles to the southeubt, go very far to warrant the belief that the climate is capable of produr 'ng al- most all kinds of cereals, though the early heavy frosts may somewhat interfere with ripening wheat harvests. # From the best information obt^.inable from Russian traders, and others, it may be said that potatoes may be cultivated on almost all the Aleutian Islands, and upon the rolling meadows and sloping hillsides of the mainland. At False Pass, or Isanotski Strait, potatoes THE ALEUTIAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. 47 ! have been raised and the seed preserved for planting from year to year. The products of the islands to the westward of this district are abort the same as those of Unalaska. Turnips grow very large in size, and are excellent in quality. In this district vegetation ceases about 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. It is im- possible, from the data at hand, to estimate the extent of the productive areas of the Aleutian territory, but they are sufficiently great to support a considerable population. 48 THE GOLDEN NORTH. CHAPTER VIII. SITKAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. I Channels, nav.ural canals, rivers and lakes — The water high- way b of the country — Great timber resources of South- ern Alaska— Wild berries abundant— Pest of mosqui- toes and flies — Stock and agriculture. As we have defined it, from physical features, the Sitkan district of Alaska includes the mainland and the islands from the southern boundary of the penin- sula, and also Kadiak and the adjacent islaiids. The surface of this part of the country is rugged and mountainous in the extreme. It is only in the northern portion that one meets with arable lands that are level and adapted to cultivation. Small patches are found in the southern portion, here and there, but not ex- tensive enough for any but very small farms. As a rule the mountains descend precipitously into the sea, with their steep sides covered with dense and almost impenetrable forests, and their summits, in many cases, crowned with eternal snow and ice. Channels and natural anals constitute the high- ways of th.i country, and these are so numerous and intricate, and penetrate the region so completely, that they afford means of communication with all sections. The elevations average about 1,500 feet above these channels. Here and there a wide, glittering, mammoth glacier stands out picturesquely in some ravine, con- trasting strangely with the dense foliage on either side of it. The soil is principally alluvial, with substrata of gravel and clay. That of Cook's Inlet and Kadiak is of the same character, but from a mixture of volcanic sand, and an underlying of limestone Jitratum, it is lighter and drier and better adapted for c'lltivation. SITKAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. 49 In the southern part of this district there is Httle beside timber, from an agricultural point of view. At Sitka a considerable variety of vegetables do fairly well. Turnips, beans, peas, carrots, beets, lettuce and rad- ishes flourish. Potatoes are small and do not reach a healthy maturity. This is owing to the excessive moisture. Cabbages grow luxuriantly, but do not head properly. Cereals are not successful to any extent in this locality. Cattle, however, may be successfully kept, and the dairy product is excellent. Kadiak and Cook's Inlet, northeast of Fort Alexander, have, com- paratively, colder winters and drier and warmer sum- mers than the islands and coasts to the south. Here haying can be successfully carried on. The native grasses are good for fodder, whether cut and cured, or on the stem. Barley and oats have been successfully raised in this neighborhood, and the evidence we have indicates that cereals may be raised with considerable profit. There is an abundance of wood in this neighbor- hood, but it is not to be found on the lowlands, which for the greater part are bare of both brush and trees. The summer climate in the neighborhood of Cook's Inlet and Kadiak, unlike that of Sitka, furnishes an excellent haying season. There are broad vrlleys from which an extensive supply of hay, consisting of native grasses, can be annually secured, and this industry may be developed to almost any extent. The cattle existing here are fat and healthy, and the milk is abundant. The butter is yellow and remarkably rich. Potatoes do well in this neighborhood — much better than at Sitka, but do not grow very large. Cattle were first brought to this district by the Russian-American Company, and have been maintained there ever since in a thriving condition. It may be said, therefore, that the stock-raising capabilities, and the possibilities of dairy products in Alaska are more than sufficient for the needs of any population that is likely ever to in- habit the country. At present, however, the great 50 THE GOLDEN NORTH. 1; ' agricultural staple of the southern Sitkan district is timber. Yellow cedar is the finest tree of these forests, and the most profitable wood of the Pacific coast. The next in order is the Sitka spruce, or white pine, which is well known in the lumber trade of the coast. Like the yellow cedar, it attains a large size, and is remark- able for its straight and beautifully tapering trunk. This wood is not as durable as yellow cedar, but is valuable for many purposes. Hemlock also abounds in many ^sections. So does the balsam fir, and a con- siderable variety of less noteworthy trees. In Kadiak the growth of timber is confined to the eastern valleys and slopes of the islands, but it is gradually extending all over its surface, except upon the highest summits. The largest sized trees seen there are three feet in diameter and 90 to 100 feet in height. The wooded districts comprise the whole of the Alexandrian Archi- pelago, and the mainland of the North Lituya Bay. From this point to Prince William's Sound the coun- try is fairly well timbered. And now, speaking of the physical features of Alaska, as a whole, it is not so large a country in area as some suppose. It contains, in the aggregate, a little less than 600,000 square miles, and is pre-eminently a land of mountains, streams, and lakes. It may be said that, while the Yukon territory does not present ex- tended agricultural resources, its stock-raising capabil- ities, provided cattle have good winter shelter, are con- siderable. Nevertheless the future settlers of that vast country may have an abundance of milk, butter, fresh beef and fresh vegetables, if they use the skill and do the work necessary to produce them. During the sum- mer months cattle may roam and fatten on the mead- ows and slopes and hillsides, and ample fodder, con- sisting of the perennial grasses, may be gathered for their winter supplies. In the Aleutian district, of course, the greatest ex- tent of arable land is found. In the northern part of the Sitkan territory the climate is most favorable for SITKAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. 51 agriculture and stock-raising. Indeed, the capabilities of this district and the islands mentioned are much better than have heretofore been reported. Oats and barley, wheat and rye, and a very wide range of vege- tables will succeed well on these islands. There is now no doubt of the great stock-raising capabilities of this section of the country. Sheep, goats and sv/ine may do well, but of this experiments have not yet fur- nished us any reliable information. A great variety of berries abound in unlimited quan- tities, both in the Yukon and Aleutian territories, and in the northern Sitkan district. It is believed that fruit trees may be successfully cultivated in the drier sec- tions of the territory mentioned. The soil product of the southe . Sitkan district con- sists entirely in timber. No better lumber district can well be imagined, and it is interlaced everywhere with means of VvSter transportation. The mountain sides are so steep that slides for delivering the timber to the watercourses can easily be made. Once afloat, it is readily formed into rafts and towed to mill or market, as may be desired. One of the most remarkable characteristics of Alaska is the network of rivers and lakes and channels that intersect its surface, and that ofifers a most available means of transportation. In fact, land travel is almost impossible in *^iny parts of the territory. Only the savages trav*. ^y land. The whites go by water almost exclusively, except where they are forced to use con- venient passes and portages in making the distances between the rivers and lakes. In the more northern regions — between the mountain -anges — are vast areas of meadows, sloping uplands and bogs, and these are dotted with thousands of lakes, large and small, and threaded in all directions by innumerable rivers and channels. Beginning at the south the Sitkine is the first stream of large size. This river has become well known on account of the gold diggings on its banks, all of which, si> 52 THE GOLDEN NORTH. 1 however, are in British territory. It is over 250 miles in length and is navigable only by small boats, except during the spring freshets. The north fork, about 40 miles long, rises on the east of Bald Mountain, near the headwaters of the Yukon. A small stream called the Taku flows into a glacier arm of St. Stephen's Strait. Chilkoot, a much larger river, enters the north- ern extremity of Lynn channel, its general direction being from the north. From its upper waters one passes through the Chilkoot Pass, and by means of lakes and rivers and portages, reaches Lewis River, one of the great tributaries of the Yukon. The Yukon can be reached from Norton sound by way of Unalakeik and Aritrokakat rivers, or by way of the Kaltag. The latter is the usual route from St. Michaels. The Yukon River also connects by way of the Koynkuk with Kotzebue Sound; and it is now well known that there are routes of travel between the north tributaries of the Yukon or the Noatak, and many of the rivers that empty into the Arctic Ocean. The Yukon is a mighty river, larger than the Mis- sissippi, and empties about one-third more water into Bering Sea every hour than does the Father of Waters into the Gulf of Mexico. The sea is very shal- low at the mouth of this river, varying in depth from two to three fathoms for 50 miles out. It is a mourn- ful, desolate country to the traveler, and as he ascends the mighty stream there are vast areas on either side of low, boggy country, covered everywhere with a mountainous cloak of willows and rank grasses. Wherever the banks raise to any considerable height they are being constantly undermined and washed away by the floods. So precipitate are the landslides caused in this way, that at times travelers are fortunate to escape with their lives. This is the general charac- ter of the country until Kusilvak is reached, and until the bluffs at Andriewsky and Chatinakh give evidence that all the land of Alaska is not under water. The Yukon impresses one as a vast inland sea with SITKAN DISTRICT— ALASKA. 53 expanswe, water-charged, boggy areas on either side as far up as 700 or 800 miles above its mouth. There are many points at which this river extends to a breadth of 20 miles from shore to shore, even as high up as 800 miles above St. Michaels. For over 2,000 miles, or up to a considerable distance above the junction of the Lewis and the Pelly, the river is navi- gable for flat-bottomed steamers, of say 500 tons each. White River, a portion of whose waters flow through Alaskan territory, empties into the Yukon on the British side. Forty Mile Creek, and Birch and Beaver creeks join the river between Fort Yukon and Daw- son City. During the summer months the whole pop- ulation, native and civilized, excepting, of course, the miners, fliock to the many rivers and lakes, attracted by the myriads of salmon, which they catch, dry and cure for the winter's stock of food. During this season the banks of the river are lined with the camps of the fishermen, who project their basket traps far out into the eddies of the streams. One of the natural features of Alaska amounts to a veritable pestilence. This consists of the clouds of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, and poisonous black flies. Swarms of these pests fairly darken the sky, and often render life miserable to the traveler, who is obliged to cover his face even in the hottest weather in order to shield himself from his tormentors. They infest the country from May to September. They breed in the vast network of slough and swamp. Perhaps the most discouraging feature of the whole country is presented in a tmthful report of this almost intolerable infliction. The way they swarm in rear and front, and on every side, and the torture they inflict on the explorers, is beyond all adequate description. The traveler who ex- poses his face will very soon lose his natural appear- ance. From their stings and bites the eyelids swell up and close, and the face becomes one mass of lumps and fiery pimples. The glaciers, and other ice phenomena of Alaska, 54 THE GOLDEN NORTH. will be considered in connection with the entire glacier regions of the great north country, and, with these ex- ceptions, we shall now bid adieu to Alaska so far as its physical features and agricultural and stock-raising capabilities are concerned, and turn our attention once more to the Golden North, lying east of the interna- tional boundary line. We shall return to Alaska later, however, to study its seal and other fisheries, its furs and its gold fields, and to speak of its educational growth, government, and general industries. ', ■^<1 UPPER YUKON— LEWIS RIVER. 55 CHAPTER IX. UPPER YUKON— LEWIS RIVER. From Lake Bennett to the head of the Lewis — Down the Lewis to the Yukon — A country of lakes and rivers — The Klondike region proper — Its extent — Rich gold dis- coveries eastward from the Klondike — Dr. Dawson's opinion of the Klondike— Surveyor Ogllvie's explora- tions. The reader is now invited to leave Alaska behind for the present, and all together, so far as its physical features and natural resources are concerned, and to accompany the writer into that golden northland lying between the international boundary line and the sources of the Mackenzie. We have already seen much of this country, but must now study it at greater length, not only from the standpoint of its natural features, but also with a view to the development of its gold and other mineral resources. It has already been intimated in this volume that the gold discoveries of the Klondike are likely to be eclipsed or many times duplicated by equal or richer strikes in the vast country to the east of that imme- diate district, and even beyond the watershed, among the many creeks and river-branches on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, and throughout the foothills at their base. This statement has been several times re- peated for the purpose of impressing the reader with its importance. It has gone out from some quarters that all the paying sections or claims of the Klondike, have already been taken up or staked out, and that there are more miners in the country than there are paying gold claims to be worked. This is sheer non- sense. Dr. G. M. Dawson, president of the Geological sec- m ■'' 56 THE GOLDEN NORTH tion of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and chief director of the natural history and geological survey of the Dominion of Canada, who has traveled more extensively throughout the upper Yukon and the upper Mackenzie regions than any other explorer, with the possible exception of William Ogilvie, gave his opinion of the extent of the gold, and mineral deposits generally, of the far northwest, a few days ago at Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Dawson, although a man of conservative views on almost all subjects, has become an enthusiast on the question of the resources of the Golden North. Speaking of the Klondike country, he said: "The Klondike has a glorious future, a period to grow bright with the luster of unlimited gold, white with the sheen of enormous quantities of silver and ghttering with the brilliancy of hundreds of valuable mineral deposits." This is the opinion of an expert ; but of course it is the language of an enthusiast. It is seldom that one hears such extravagant words from the tongue of a geologist of such eminence as Dr. Dawson, but it is impossible for one who is able to read lessons in nat- ural history from the rocks and the borders of rivers and lakes, to travel through the north land, comjjre- hending its wonderful resources as he must, without becoming enthusiastic, and writing and talking in ex- travagant terms. Here he beholds a country greater in its capabilities of sustaining a population in high latitudes than any other, in any part of the earth. And in addition to this, he is inspired by the presence of vast deposits of precious metals, and by the existence of inexhaustible coal areas. On the occasion referred to Dr. Dawson made the following interesting and instructive statement: "Ten years ago I was in the Klondike region as the head of the Royal Survey of the Dominion. At that time the gold-producing qualities of the locality were but little known, and we did not pay especial attention VI |iHli,»|i.J|.l^^J UPPER YUKON— LEWIS RIVER. 57 ik ■3 r to the locality now known as the Klondike. Our sm*- vey included the country drained by the Upper Yukon River, however. We spent one complete summer there. There was a little bar-mining in the rivers, but no great strikes had been made, although just after we left the richness of Forty Mile Creek was found out. "Speaking on '1 e general characteristics of the region, I should not hesitate to say it is extremely rich in gold. It is like other great mining districts in that the alluvial metal waflid down by the streams has been first discovered and collected. But the mountains from which these streams rise must also be rich in gold. There, some day, the great lodes and veins of aurifer- ous quartz will be found and worked, while stamp mills and plants of machinery will be scattered thickly about the mountains. But this quartz must yet be discov- ered. "The western part of British Columbia in the neigh- borhood of Alaska is a region of extraordinarily com- plex and varied geological conditions. Our survey, of course, merely noted the general features in evidence there. It would take years of labor to complete the task down to the details. But all kinds of minerals, judging from what we saw, are certain to be discovered there, and, while I am unwilling to predict special finds of any one metal, I have no doubt but that all the more common ones will be found in abundance. Al- ready, silver bearing lead ores have been found, and others are certain to follow. I have no doubt but that some day the Klondike will be a great silver-mining field. "As for the story published in the newspapers of the discovery of a great petroleum lake surrounded by hills of coal, it is a joke to a scientific man. I not only do not think there is any such, but thihk none will ever be found. But coal does exist in the Klondike region. I found it there myself. "The Yukon is not such a bad country as is imagined by a great many people, except in winter. The sum- yuota&u 58 THE GOLDEN NORTH. mer climate is good, though it does not last very long. The country is pretty and green, and pleasant to work in. Bait the winters are long and extremely cold. Al- together, the weather conditions are likely to prove far from being rigoious enough to prevent the mineral development of the region. "The task is a tremendous one. With the extremely large area to be covered and the difficulties in the way ot locomotion and transportation, 't is going to require considerable time and great labor to thor- oughly develop the region. But such great finds of auriferous gold as those recently made, give rise to the belief that the coming work of development will be extraordinarily i;.ofitable." In further proof of the rich gold deposits eastward from the Klondike, and in support of the contention that the farther the prospector penetrates the foothills of the western, and even the eastern slop'' of the Mac- kenzie watershed, the richer gold strikes he will meet with, the following information is submitted, gleaned from a letter sent out by one of the miners from Daw- son City, under date of Jure 22, 1897. A summary of this letter is to the effect that "A strike that is credited with show'ng fabulously rich dirt has been made on an imnamed creek 60 miles above Klon- dike. Forty-seven pounds of gold were taken from the hole, and ther'^ has been a rush of the luckless ones from Klondike ^ the new diggings. News of the dis- covery reached Juneau on August 7 in a letter written by James O'Brien to W. H. Hindle. O'Brien, in his brief letter, decJ^res that six of the streatns tributarN' to the Klondike have proved richer than the most -an- guine had predicted, and tha+ the output in the new field more than redeemed the golden promise of the Klondike. O'Brien s^ys that the news cf the find above Klondike had only reached Dawson City, but thaL he i;aw one steamer pull out for the new diggings Vv'ith :70 men on b-^ard." Ar-i so it will be, Sill richer gold fieldo will be met UPPER YUKON-LEWIS RIVER. 59 with as the mining progresses eastward, until placer and quartz will be profitably carried on every wheie, on both sides of the Rockies in that golden northland. An account of the expedition to the far northwest in 1887 and the years following, headed by Dr. Daw- son and Mr. Ogilvie, has already been given. How- ever, Mr. Ogilvie returned to the country in 1890 and is still there, continuing his valuable work of survey and exploration. A description of the region, gleaned from his reports, will prove of considerable value. Our attention is first directed to the Lewis River, its af- fluent streams and the resources of the adjacent coun- try. Starting at the head of Lake Bennett, one may traverse the whole Lewis River Basin. Above that point and between it and Lake Lindeman, t^iere is only about three-quarters of a mile of river which is not more than fifty or sixty yards wide and two or three feet deep, and is so swift and rough that navigation is rendered very difificult and almost impossible. Lake Lindeman is about five miles long, and a half mile wide, and is deep enough for all the demands of navi- gation in that country. Lake Bennett, at the head of which a saw-mill has been established, and where lum- ber for boat building is now being sold at $100 per thousand feet, is over twenty-six miles long, the upper portion being very narrow — not more than a half mile wide. Near the center a vast arm comes in from the west. This Schwatka mistook for a river and named it Wheaton River. This arm has its source or head in a glacier, which lies in the pass at the head of Chilkoot Inlet. It is surrounded by high mountains. A deep, wide valley extends northwards from the north end of Lake Bennett, extending to the canyon a short distance above it. The waters of the lake empty at the extreme northeast angle through a channel not more than one hundred yards wide, and later it expands into what Schwatka called Lake Nares. This channel has a swift current and is about seven feet deep. The ice breaks up in Lake Bennett early in June, frequently by the 6o THE GOLDEN NORTH. ¥ i; i !• first of the month. The connecting v/aters between Lake Bennett and Taj^ish Lake constitute what is now called Cariboo Crossing. Lake Nares is only 'wo and one-half miles long and its greatest width is only a mile. It is not deep, but is navigable for boats drawing a little over five feet of water. It is separated from Lake Bennett by a shallow sand-point of not more than 200 yards in length. Strange to say, no streams of any consequence flow into either of these lakes. Lake Nares flov/s through a narrow, curved channel into Bove Lake, a channel not more than 600 or 700 yards long, but the water in it is sufficiently deep for boats that can navigate either of the lakes. This Bove Lake is the Tagish Lake of Dr. Dawson. It is about a mile wide for the first two miles of its length, where it is joined by what the miners have properly called the Windy Arm. Here the lake expands to a width of about two miles for a distance of some three miles, when it suddenly narrows to about a half a mile, for a distance of a little over a mile, after which it widens again. Ten miles from the head of the lake it is joined by the Taku Arm from the south, which is of consid- erable length. Dr. Dawson included Bove Lake and both of these arms under the name of Tagish Lake. . From the junction with the Taku Arm to the north end of the hke, 'he distance is about six miles, the greater part be 'ng over two miles wide. Where the river leaves the lake it is about 150 yards wide and for a short distance not more than five or six feet deep. It soon increases to ten feet or more, and so continues down to Mwd Lake. Marsh Lake, the next in prder, is about nineteen miles long and two miles wide. The piece of river connecting Mud Lake with Marsh Lake is about five miles long and nearly 200 yards wide. Along itc banks are situated a considerable number of Indian houses showing some pretension and skill in construction. They are now in ruins. t. i '^"'^"-•fri^'^'y-^ ! 1 fcy. I UPPER YUKON— LEWIS RIVER. 6i The Lewis River, where it leaves Marsh Lake, is about 2CX) yards wide, and averages this width as far as the canyon. It is very deep. From the head of Lake Bennett to the canyon, the distance is ninety-five miles, all of which is navigable for bgats drawing five feet of water. Below the canyon proper there is a stretch of rapids about a mile in length, then about a half mile of smooth water. Following these are the White Horse Rapids, which are nearly half a mile long and unsafe for boats. The total fall in the canyon and succeeding rapids is thirty-two feet. For some distance below the White Horse Rapids the current is swift and the river wide, with many gravel bars. But little prospecting has yet been done on these bars, but they undoubtedly contain valuable gold deposits. The reach between these rapids and Lake Labarge, a distance of some twenty-seven miles, is smooth water but with a strong current. The average width through- out this distance is about 1 50 yards. About midway in this stretch the Tahkeena River joins the Lewis. It is about half the size of the latter. It runs through a clayey district. It has its source in a lake of consider- able size, and may be navigated up to that point. Lake Labarge is thirty-one miles long and is of various widths--from four miles to one. The width of the Lewis River where it leaves this lake is about the same as its entrance, namely, 200 yards. After leaving Lake Labarge, the river for a distance of about five miles preserves a uniform width and an easy current of about four miles an hour. It then turns around a low gravel point and flows in exactly the opposite to its general course, for a mile, when it again resumes its general direction. The current around this bend is very swift, reaching several miles an hour. Not far be- low, the Teslintoo enters the Lewis. This is a very large stream, wider, though not deeper, than the Lewis above the junction. There are a considerable number of Indians located at this junction. The Teslintoo is about 175 miles long, taking its rise in a lake 'Ah'Vh 62 THE GOLDEN NORTH. has not yet been explored, but which is said to be fully 150 miles )ong. Between the Teslintoo and the Big Salmon the dis- tance is thirty-three miles, throughout which the Lewis preserves a uniform width and current. The Big Sal- mon is about a hundred yards wide at its mouth, and about five feet deep. Its valley is wide and affords some magnificent scenery. The mountains on either side tower very high and are covered with perpetual snow. Some of them are 5,000 feet above the valley. The river is about 190 miles long to its lake sources. The course of the Lewis River from the Tahkeena to the Big Salmon is a little east of north. At the latter point it turns to nearly west, and so continues for some distance, when its course to the confluence with the Pelly becomes northeast. Thirty-six miles below the Big Salmon, the Little Salmon River enters the Lewis'. It is about sixty yards wide at its mouth, but not more than two or three feet deep. Eight miles below Little Salmon River a large rock, called the Eagle's Nest, rises from a gravel slope on the eastward bank of the x 'ver to a height of about 500 feet. Thirty- two miles below Eagle's Nest rocl^ Nordenskiold River enters from the w^est. It is an unimportant river. A curious feature of the Lewis River, some distance below the mouth of the last stream named, is the Five Finger Rapids, so called from the fact that five large masses of rock stand in mid-channel. About two miles below these rapids the Tatshum River enters from the east. It is an unimportant stream. The Indians are generally engaged hereabouts, during the season, in the salmon catch. It is 58 miles from the Five Finger Rapids to the mouth of the Pelly River. In all this distance no streams of importance enter the Lewis. At the junction with the Pelly, the Lewis is about half a mile wide. At this point there are many islands. A mile below the junction of the Pelly and Lewis, at the ruins of Fort Selkirk, the Yukon is 565 yards wide. About two thirds of this width is over ten feet deep, m t UPPER YUKON— LEWIS RIVER. 63 with a current of nearly five miles an hour. Pelly River at its mouth is about 200 yards wide. A complete de- scription of the Pelly River basin is given by Dr. Dawson in his report entitled "Yukon District and Northern British Columbia." The character of the country along the Yukon River, from the junction of the Lewis and Pelly to the inter- national boundary line at Seventy Mile Creek, has al- ready been partially described. For this distance the river flows in a generally northwesterly direction. On the southwest side, in part, but principally on the northeast side, is the Klondike country proper. The chief settlements on the river, proceeding from the boundary, are Fort Cudahy, Forty Mile Post, Dawson City, near the junction of the Klondike River v,^ith the Yukon, and Sixty Mile Post, at the junction of Sixty Mile Creek with the river. There are a vast number of creeks flowing into the Klondike, all of them gold- bearing. These rivers and creeks, including the Stew- art River, the Indian River, the Klondike and its branches, find their sources in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains north of the Pelly and McMillan rivers. This stretch of gold-bearing country lies be- tween the 136th and 140th degrees of longitude, and be- tween the parallels of 63.30 and 65 north latitude. In these latitudes the length of the degrees of longitude is about thirty-two miles, thus making the Klondike country proper about 130 miles from east to west, by a little over a hundred miles frc*^ north to south. Only a very small portion of this territory has yet been searched by the prospectors; and, of course, the vast gold-bearing regions, both north and south and princi- pally to the east of this section, have, as yet, been but partially explored by surveyors. 64 THE GOLDEN NORTH. )1 % CHAPTER X. UPPER YUKON AND TRIBUTARIES. The North Country from the International Boundary to the junction of the Lewis and Pelly— The Stewart River- Other streams— Sixty Mile River— The Klondike River and tributary creeks— Forty Mile River. It will prove useful to one studying the physical features of the auriferous areas of the Klondike region to make some further observations on the country lying between the international boundary line and the junction of the Lewis and Pelly rivers, before ascend- ing the basin of the latter stream. It is ninety-six miles from Selkirk to White River. On this stretch islands are numerous. Some of them are of considerable size, and the greater part are well timbered. Bars are numerous, nearly all being com- poced oi gravel. White River enters the main stream from the west. At its mouth it is about 200 yards wide. A great portion of it here, however, is filled with con- stantly shifting sand-bars, the main current being con- fined to a channel not more than 100 yards in width. The current is very strong. The valley of this river runs due west for over eight miles; thence it bears to the southwest. It is about two mile? wide and holds that width for most of its length. There is much clay soil along the White River banks. The stream takes its rise further up than the source of Forty Mile River, but near the same valley, and probably in the Mentasia Pass, between which and the head waters of the Tanana River there are mountain ranges. The length of this stream is not yet fully determined. Between White and Stewart rivers, a distance of ten miles, the Yukon is a mile wide and is a maze of islands 1 1 I'i mm ^ 1 UPPER YUKON AND TRIBUTARIES. 65 and 1 rs. The main channel is along the westerly shore. Stewart River enters from the east, from the center of a wide valley with low hills on both sides rising in steps or terraces. The river, a little distance above its mouth, is two hundred yards wide. The cur- rent is not strong. A miner named Alexander Mc- Donald, of New Brunswic!:, spent a whole summ.er on this river and its vicinity, prospecting with good re- sults. He states that about seventy miles up the Stew- art a large creek enters from the south, to which he gave the name of Rose Bud River, and that about forty miles further up a large stream flows from the north- east. This is no doubt Beaver River. From the head of this stream one may float down to the mouth, in a canoe or on a raft, in five days, which indicates that the stream is over 200 miles in length. It is from sixty to seventy yards wide and is about four or five feet deep. The current is not strong. Above this stream the Stew- art is considerably over one hundred yards wide, with an even current, and clear water. Sixty or seventy miles above the branch mentioned a large river joins it, though Mr. Ogilvie thinks this may be the main stream. At the head of it is a lake thirty miles long and about a mile and a half in width, which has been called Mayhew Lake. Thirty miles on the other branch there are falls estimated to be two hundred feet in height. Overcoming these falls by a portage, one may proceed to the head of this stream where are terraced gravel hills which are filled with virgin gold in paying quantities. Crossing these, the traveler will find a river flowing to the north. On this, he may em- bark and float down to some point, no one yet knows where, as the stream has not been explored. Returning to the head waters of the stream in the gold bearing hills just mentioned, the prospector may travel westward over a high range of mountains, com- posed of shales with many thin seams of gold bearing quartz. On the west side of this range there is a river flowing out of a large lake. Crossing this to the head 6 66 THE GOLDEN NORTH. r of Beaver River, one may descend to the main stream, and to the Yukon. It is supposed that the river flow- ing to the north over the gold hills mentioned, is one of the branches of the Peel River. It is evident that light draught steamers can navigate the whole of Stew- art River and its principal tributaries. From Stewart River to the site of Fort Reliance, on the YukoUj a little over seventy-three miles, the great river is broad and full of islands. Its average width is half a mile, but there are many expansions where it is over a mile in breadth. There are many islands in these wide stretches of the Yukon. About twenty miles below the Stewart, Sixty Mile Creek enters. The banks of this stream are well stocked with virgin gold, and from the gravel much of the treasure has already been taken by min- ers. Sixty Mile Creek is a hundred miles in length, very crooked, and has a swift current. Miller, Glacier, Gold, Little Gold, and Bed Rock creeks are all tribu- taries of Sixty Mile. Very rich discoveries of gold have been made on these streams, but much of it has already been mined. There is a claim on Miller Creek, from which over $100,000 worth of gold has been taken. Freight for this mining district is taken up Forty Mile Creek in summer, for a distance of over thirty miles, and is then portaged across to the head of Miller and Glacier creeks. In winter it is hauled in by dogs. The trip from Cudahy to the Post at the mouth of Sixty Mile River, is made by ascending Forty Mile Creek a little distance, making a short portage to Sixty Mile River, and running down with its swift current. Coming back on the Yukon, nearly the whole round trip is made down strear\ Indian Creek enters the Yuk.>n from the east about thirty miles below Sixty Mile River. It is rich in gold and has already been extensively mined. It was neglected for some time, owing to the difficulty of get- ting supplies to the mining camps. At the mouth of Sixty Mile River a town site has been laid out, called 'Mm 68 THE GOLDEN NORTH. Sixty Mile. It has been the headquarters of many miners, most of whom, however, have recently moved further to the east. There is a saw mill and trading post at the mouth of the river. Six and a half miles above Fort Reliance, the Klon- dike River enters the Yukon. It is a small stream — about forty yards wide at its mouth, and quite shal- low. The water, however, is clear and transparent, and of a beautiful blue color. The stream is filled with salmon, and from it the Indians reap a rich harvest of the king of fish every season. This river and its creek tributaries have been fully explored by pros- pectors, and upon their banks and bottoms some of the richest gold claims ever located have been de- veloped. It is all placer mining here. Many fortunes have been made in the Klondike within the past year, and as these lines are penned (August, 1897) gold is being taken from the gravel and dirt of the region, probably at the rate of $100,000 a day, or more. Twelve and a half miles below Fort Reliance the Chandindu River, as it was named by Schwatka, en- ters from the east. It is thirty to i ty yards wide at the mouth, very shallow, and for half a mile up is one continuous rapid. Its valley is wide and can be seen for a long distance looking north-eastward from the mouth. Between Fort Reliance and Forty Mile River the Yukon assumes its normal appearance, having fewer islands and being narrower, averaging four to six hundred yards wide, and the current being more regu- lar. This stretch is forty-six miles long, but was es- timated by the traders at forty, from which the Forty Mile River took its name. Forty Mile River joins the Yukon from the west. Forty Mile townsite is located at its mouth. The Alaska Commercial Company has a station here. There are also several blacksmith shops, restaurants, billiard halls, bakeries, an opera house and so on. Rather more than half a mile below Forty Mile townsite, the UPPER YUKON AND TRIBUTARIES. 69 town of Cudahy was founded on the north side of Forty Mile River, in the summer of 1892. It is named after a well known member of the North American Transportation and Trading Company. In population and extent of business the town bears comparison with its neighbor across the river. The opposition in trade has been the means of very materially reducing the cost of supplies and living. The North American Transponation and Trading Company has erected a saw-mill and some extensive warehouses. Fort Con- stantine was established here immediately upon the arrival of the Mounted Police detachment in the latter part of July, 1895. Forty Mile River has a general southwest course, as far up as the international boundary line, a distance of twenty-three miles. From this point it runs more from the south. The stream has been ascended for more than one hundred miles. It is only a short dis- tance from the head of this river across to the Tanana, a large tributary of the Yukon. Only twenty-three miles of Forty Mile River are in Canada. The greater part of it is in Alaska. It is nearly a hundred and fifty yards wide at its mouth, and the current is gen- erally strong, with many small rap ds. There is a canyon about eight miles up this stream. At the lower end of it is a swift current in which are some rocks that cannot be seen by the descending voyager, owing to a sudden bend in the river. Several miners have been drowned in this rapid by their canoes or boats being dashed to pieces on the rocks. Between Forty Mile River and the boundary line, no streams of any size join the Yukon. IP" mm' 70 THE GOLDEN NORTH. CHAPTER XL UPPER YUKON-AGRICULTURE AND TIMBER. Only a small proportion of the region available for cereal and vegetable crops— Considerable areas of timber suit- able for manufacturing purposes— An abundance of trees for firewood and for all mining necessities. The agricultural capabilities of the upper Yukon basin are not great. Hence the miners in that region will be compelled to draw most of their supplies of bread and meat, vegetables and dairy products from markets far to the south, until the fertile valleys to east and west have been cultivated and developed. The land is not of a very good quality hereabouts, and the climate is not favorable to the growth of cereals or vegetables. The temperature records show an average of 8 de- grees of frost for August. The meteorological rec- ord for September places the mercury considerably below freezing point Along the east side of Lake Bennett, opposite the Chilkoot, there are quite ex- tensive flats of dry, gravelly soil, where farming can be carried on to a limited extent. On the west side, around the mouth of Wheaton River, there is a very extensive flat of sand and gravel, covered with pine and spruce of a small growth. The vegetation is poor and sparse. At the lower end of the lake there is an« other extensive flat of sandy soil, thinly covered with small poplars and pines. There are great tracts of low, marshy land on the westerly shore of Tagish Lake, which will, no doubt, prove very productive. The same may be said of the western borders of Marsh Lake, which district is pretty well covered with native grasses. Along the head of UPPER YUKON— AGRICULTURE, ETC. 71 the river below Marsh Lake, there are extensive flats on both sides. There the soil is good, and the growth of forest trees and under brush is healthy and well de- veloped. In that region agriculture will thrive. As we approach the canyon the banks become higher, and the bottom lands less extensive. Here the soil is light and sandy on both sides. Between the canyon and Lake Labarge there is not much land of value. At the head of the lake there is an extensive flat, pretty well covered with timber that is much larger and bet- ter than any met with above this point. Poplars eight and ten inches thick, are common, and there is a con- siderable quantity of spruce from fifteen to sixteen inches in diameter. The soil, however, is not very good, and vegetation is sparse. Some distance down the lake the soil and vegetation show great improve- ment. On the lower end of the lake there is a large plain well suited to agricultural pursuits. Northward from the end of the lake, Ogilvie Valley stretches out to a vast extent. Here the soil is good and the timber of large size. About forty miles above the mouth of the Pelly there are extensive flats on both sides of the Lewis River. The soil is poor and sandy, with small open timber consisting of spruce and popular. For many miles up the Pelly and down the Yukon, from the junction, there is an extensive plateau, two or three hundred feet above the river. On this, the soil is good for pasturage only. It is very lightly timbered. Between Pelly and White rivers, there is an exten- sive flat of many thousand acres. It is quite heavily timbered, and as the surface is covered with a heavy layer of moss, the frost never leaves the ground. At Stewart River there is another large flat to which the same remarks will apply. Thence to Fort Reliance there are no flats of any size. Above the river, in most of this region, there are extensive wooded slopes, which, when cleared, will no doubt be quite well adapted to cereal and vegetable productions. At Fort Reliance there is a flat of about 2,000 acres, Hi! i • THE GOLDEN NORTH. and at the mouth of Forty IMile River there is another, but not as large. All the rivets of this part of the country are cleared of ice from the 25th of May to the 1st of June. The extent of tillable lands in the uppe- Yukon region bears a very small proportion to the areas which are practically worthless for agricul- tural purposes, but the timber is sufficient in quantity ^md quality for the necessities of a mining country. Frobahly not more than 250,000 acres or 1,000 farms of workable lands could be located in that part of the corntry. This is exclusive of the available lands at the junction of the Pelly and Lewis r'^ers, where the tract is sufficien^^ly large to lay ouc about 2,000 farms. The amount of timber in the district suitable foi building and manufacturing is considerable; for fire wood, and use in the mines, there is an abundance. There is a great deal of excellent timber on the islands in the 'fukon. On ;.nese the soil is warmer and richer, the sun's rays striking the surface for a much longer time, and more directly, than on the banks. At the confluence with the Pelly, on the east side of the river, there is a grove of spru'ze from which some very nice lumber could be made, and on the islands below this point, much of the same class of timber exists. Near White and Stewart rivers there is a good deal of nice ciean timber, but it is small. There is more good timber on Stewart River, in proportion to the ground wooded, thari on the main river. Between Stewart Ri er and the boundary there is not so much surface co ered with large trees as on many of the flats above it, the valley being generally narrower, and the sides steeper, than higher up the river. This, of "ourse, precludes the growth of timber. The whrle country stretching from the international boundj»ry line to the summit of the Rockies, includ- ing the basin? of the upper Yukon, the Pelly and Lewis rivers, and the regions between them and to the north of the Pelly, is timbered in about the same manner. In some localities the trees are workable for building '«;iw#. ^i^i^i^t^f^.:,-^. UPPER YUKON— AGRICULTURE, ETC. 73 purposes; but the greater part of the forests is avail- able only for fire wood, mining purposes, log houses, and the like. However, there is an abundance of it for these requirements. d iHaH its. 74 THE GOLDEN NORTH. ir I! M CHAPTER XII. WEALTH OF THE KLONDIKE. Inexhaustible deposits of placer and quartz gold— The sil- ver-bearing rock — Vast coal fields — Reports of govern- ment officials that read like tales of the Arabian Nights —Sensational reports of Explorer Ogilvie. Probably no stretch of country of equal area on the earth is so rich in the precious metals, and minerals generally, including coal, as that of the upper Yukon and the basins of the Pelly and Lewis rivers. Only a small part of this vast region has yet been explored, but it has been sufficiently gone over by natural his- tory and mining experts to demonstrate that the whole district is of the same auriferous and mineral bearing character. While some river-beds and banks are richer than others, there is scarcely a square mile of this great territory that cannot be profitably worked for some precious metal or other valuable mineral .deposit. Most of the region is rich in virgin gold. Silver predominates in some of the districts, and there is an abundance of good coal. Silver frequently abounds in the immediate neighborhood of rich placer-gold de- posits. This is true of Forty Mile River. About two miles from its mouth, where there are extensive ex- posures of white and gray limestone, many seams and pockets of galena have been discovered. One of these seams has been traced and found to be of vast extent. Specimens assayed show nearly forty ounces of silver to the ton. The silver mines here, as elsewhere in that country, are known to be very rich. ^Specimens recently assayed show as high as two hundred ounces to the ton. All of these specimens were found by ac- cident. A closer examination of the silver deposits will, no doubt, reveal more valuable seams. Dr. Daw- WEALTH OF THE KLONDIKE. 75 son declares that almost fabulous silver deposits exist in that country. Aside from the rich placer-gold deposits, which have yielded so much wealth during the past year, equally rich quartz gold strikes have been made; but as the region is still inaccessible for quartz mining machin- ery no development has yet been made on this line. Both gold and silver-bearing quartz has been discov- ered near Sixty Mile River. A specimen of gold-bear- ing quartz, found near White River, assayed the enormous value of $20,000 to the ton. This specimen was taken from a seam nearly 2,000 feet above the Yukon water-level. Tliere is also an extensive ledge of gold-bearing quartz on the west side of the Yukon, not far above Stewart River. There is also an extensive exposure of gold-bearing rock not far from Lake Ben- nett. Specimens of this have assayed $9.00 of gold and $1.00 of silver to the ton. Mr. Ogilvie says, however, that this rock-area is near Lake Tagish. So far as explorations have been made upon which a reasonable estimate can be based, there are 4,000 miles of stream in the upper Yukon district upon which placer-gold can be profitably worked. The un- explored regions will probably add 5,000 miles to this river and creek extent. Mr. Ogilvie, writing of his explorations in 1887, says: "About eighteen miles below the Teslintoo, I saw the first place that had been worked for gold. Here a hut had been erected, and there were indications that a party had wintered there. Between it and Big Sal- mon River six other locations were met with. One of them named Cassiar Bar, was worked in the season of 1886, by a party of four, ^vho took out $6,000 in thirty days. They were working there when I passed in 1887, but stated that all they could get that season was about $10 per day. "Two of this party subsequently went down to Forty Mile River, where I met one of them. He was a Swede, and had been gold-mining for upwards of I i I i 1 ^'i I I It 1 76 THE GOLDEN NORTH. twenty-five years in California and British ("olumbia. He gave me his opinion on the district in these words: *I never saw a country where there was so much gold, and so evenly distributed ; no place is very rich, but no place is very poor; every man can make a "grub stake" (that is enough to feed and clothe him for a year), which is more than I can say of the other places I have been in.' 'In conversation with Mr. Boswell, who, as already stated, has prospected the Teslintoo, or Newberry River, in the summer of 1887, I learned that the whole length of that river yielded fine gold, generally at the rate of $8 to $10 per day; but as the miners' great desideratum is coarse gold, thev do not remain long in a countr}^ in which only the fine gold is found — generally no longer than is necessary to make a 'grub stake/ unless gold is in unusually large quantities. Mr. Boswell therefore went to the lower part of the river, having heard the reports of rich finds. Stewart River was the first in the district on which mining to any extent was done. In 1886 there were quite a num- ber of miners on it engaged in washing gold, and they all appear to have done fairly well. "I have heard the amount of gold taken from Stew- art River in 1885 and 1886 estimated at various amounts. One estimate was $300,000. The highest amount I lieard as representing one man's earnings was about $6,000. This may be true, as m,any agree that $30 per day, per man, was common on many of the bars of the river, and instances of as high as $100 per day having been earned, were spoken of. The only mining done on vStewart River was on the bars in the river; the bench and bank bars were liI timbered and frozen, so that to work them would entail a re; ort to hydraulic mining, for which there was no machinery in the country. "During the fall of 1886, three or four miners com- bined and got the owners of tlie 'New Racket' steam- boat to allow the use of her engines to work pumps WEALTH OF tHE KLONDIKE. 11 ''S e d for sluicing with. The boat was hauled up on a bar, her engines detached from the wheels, and made to drive a set of pumps manufactured on the ground, which supplied water for a set of sluicing boxes. With this crude machinery, in less than a month, the miners cleared $i,ooo each and paid an equal amount to the owners of the boat as their share. "Many of the miners who had spent 1886 on Stew- art River, and 1887 on Forty Mile River, seemed to think the former the better all-round mining field, as there were no such failures there as on Forty Mile, and they declared their intention to make their way 1:o the Stewart, for the season of 1888. Forty Mile River is the only river in the district on which, up to the fall of 1888, coarse gold had been found, and it may be said that much of it can hardly claim that dis- tinctive title. The largest nugget found was worth about $39. It was lost on the body of a miner who was drowned at the canyon. "The miners term Forty Mile a 'bed-rock' creek — that is, one in the bed of which there is little or no drift, Or detrital matter, the bottom of the river being bed-rock. In many places this rock has been scraped with knives by the miners, in order to gather the small amount of detritus and its accompanying gold. Very little of the gold on this creek was found in Canadian territory, the coarsest gold being found well up the river. The river had been prospected in 1887 for upwards of one hundred miles, and gold found all the way up. The great point with a miner is to find where the gold comes from. To this end he has to reach a point on the river where there is none ; then he knows he has passed the source, and will search in side valle^ s and gulches. The theory seems to be that the gold IS stored up somewhere and dribbled out along the river. Pieces of gold-bearing quartz had frequently been picked up along the river in the shal- low drift, but none had been found in place, nor did it appear to me that much search had been made for it. i \n Pi i 78 THE GOLDEN NORTH. Near the mouth of the river, there is an extensive flat of detrital matter through which a couple of small creeks flow. This is all said to be gold-bearing, and it was thought, would pay well for sluicing. Accord- ingly, a couple of claimants had staked off claims at the mouth of the creeks and intended to try. sluicing in the season of 1888. "I think it may, with confidence, be asserted that rich finds will yet be made of both coarse gold and gold- bearing quartz. It is not likely in the nature of things that such a vast extent of country should have all its fine gold deposited as sediment, brought from a dis- tance in past ages. If this is not the case, the matrix, from which all gold on these streams has come, must still exist, in part at least, and will no doubt be discov- ered, and thus enrich this otherwise gloomy and deso- late region. There are many bank and bench bars along the rivers, which would pay well if sluiced, but there is yet no convenient or economical way of get- ting water on them, and there is no pumping machin- ery as yet in the country." It is now nine years since the above was written by this veteran explorer of the far northwest, and we, who study the region to-day, see how completely Mr. Ogil- vie's predictions have been realized. This explorer and surveyor re-entered the country in 1895, and con- tinued his work of locating the boundary line, and of defining the rivers and lakes of the Klondike district. He also surveyed several townsites, incuiding Cudahy, Forty Mile and Dawson, and one or two mission posts. In 1895-6 he made full investigations as to the coal deposits, and found them to be of great extent and good quality. On Coal Creek one seam was found to be twelve feet six inches thick. An extensive copper-bearing vein was found near the Klondike above Fort Reliance. Asbestos was also discovered in paying quantities. In 1895 the placer diggings had greatly increased. A survey of the Cone Hill quartz gold mine was made in 1895, WEALTH OF THE KLONDIKE. 79 and assays of the quartz taken from the mine proved exceedingly satisfactory. The quantity of gold-bear- ing rock in this mine will not be exhausted for genera- tions. Its extent and richness place the great Tread- well mine of Juneau, Alaska, far in the shade. Other paying quartz gold claims were located on Twelve Mile Creek in the same year. These deposits are even richer than at Cone Hill. In 1895 it became evident that quartz gold mining would, in the near future, be- come a leading feature of the mining camps of the Klondike country. By the middle of 1895 the Alaska Commercial Com- pany had four powerful steamers on the Yukon, and the North American Trading and Transportation Com- pany were preparing to increase its carrying capacity on the same water-way. Thus, on every side, the coun- try showed signs of progress. There was then, as there still is a great demand for horses, which were being taken into the country at a cost of about $250 a head. In 1896 coal was found in vast quantities all along Coal Creek, and from it up to Twelve Mile Creek, which flows into the Yukon thirty miles up the river. On the Cornell claim on Cliff Treek, the coal seam was ascertained to be nearly f-v- cei thick, it v.?s in 1896 that coarse gold was cmr'^^^'^.^A in vast deposits on the Klondike, or Thron-'Ouj v. as it was first called. Concerning these finds Mr. Ogilvie wrote the Ca- nadian Minister of the Interior, under date of Septem- ber 6, 1896, as follows: *-I am very much pleased to be able to inform you that a most important discovery of gold has been made on a creek called Bonanza Creek, an affluent of the river known here as the Klondike. It is marked on the map extant as Deer River and joins the Yukon a few miles above the site of Fort Reliance. "The discovery was made by G. W. Cormack, who worked with me in 1887 on the coast range. The in- dications are that it is very rich, indeed the richest yet found, and as far as work has ^een carried on, it •%. ~7ifr«!;^p'^y'f^F^^ 80 THE GOLDEN NORTH. 1- i ^ I realizes expectations. It is only two weeks since it was known, and already about 200 claims have been staked on it and the creek is not yet exhausted; it and its branches are considered good for 300 or 400 claims. Besides, there are two other creeks above it, which, it is confidently expected, will yield good pay, and if they do so, we have from 800 to 1,000 claims on this river which will require over 2,000 men for their prop- er working. Between Thron-Diuck River and Stew- art River, a large creek called Indian Creek flows into the Yukon, and rich prospects have been found on it. and liO doubt it is in the gold-bearing country between Thron-Diuck and Stewart rivers, which is considered by all the old miners the best and most extensive gold country yet found. Scores of them would prospect it but for the fact that they cannot get provisions up there, and it is too far to boat them from here in small boats. "This new find will necessitate an upward step on the Yukon and help the Stewart River region. ''News has just arrived from Bonanza Creek that three men worked out $75 in four hours the other day and a $12 nugget has been found, which assured the character of the ground, namely, coarse gold and plen- ty of it, as three times this c?.n be done with sluice boxes. You can fancy the excitement here. It is claimed that from $100 to $500 per day can be made oflf the ground that has been prospected so far. As we have about 100 claims on Glacier and Miller creeks, with three or four hundred in this vicinity, next year it is imperative that a man be sent m here to look after these claims and all land matters, and it is almost im- perative that the agent be a surveyor. Already on Bonanza Creek they are disputing about the size of claims." Speaking at further length of the rich Klondike region in the same year, 1896, Mr. Ogilvie said: "As I have already intimated rich placer mines of gold were discovered on the branches of this stream. i^r w?^^ WEALTH OF THE KLONDIKE. 8i The discovery, I believe, was due to the reports of In- dians. A white man, named Geo. W. Cormack, who worked with me in 1887, was the first to take advantage of the rumors and locate a claim on the first branch, which was named by the miners Bonanza Creek. Cormack located late in AugusS but had to cut some logs for the mill here to get a few pounds of provisions to enable him to begin work on his claim. The fishing at Thron-Diuck having totally failed him, he returned with a few weeks' provisions for himself, his wife and brother-in-law (Indians) and another Indian, in the last days of August, and immediately set about work- ing his claim. As he was very short of appliances, he could only put together a rather defective apparatus to wash the gravel with. The gravel itself, he had to carry in a box on his back from 30 to 100 fee; not- withstanding this, the three men working very irregu- larly, washed out $1,200 in eight days, and Cormack asserts with reason, that had he had proper facilities, it could have been done in two days, besides having several hundred dollars more gold, which was lost in the tailings through defective apparatus. "On the same creek two men rocked out $75 in about four hours, and it is asserted that two men in the same creek took out $4,000 in two days with only two lengths of sluice boxes. Mr. Leduc assures me he weighed that much gold for them. They were new comers and had not done much in the country, so the probabilities are they got it on Bonanza Creek. A branch of Bonanza, named Eldorado, has prospected magnificently, and another branch named Tilly Creek has prospected well; in all there are some four or five branches to Bonanza which have given good prospects. There are about 170 claims staked on the main creek, and the branches are good for about as many more, aggregating say about 350 claims, which will require over 1,000 men to work properly. "A few miles farther up Bear Creek enters Thron- Diuck, and it has been prospected and located on. ■ 'im^mjiMMI^' '^~m^ 'W^'^ '^^^WAi'f' W^>lJ«Ji 82 THE GOLDEN NORTH. I li Compared with Bonanza, it is small, and will not afford more than 20 or 30 claims. About twelve miles above the mouth, Gold-bottom Creek joins Thron- Diuck, and on it and a branch named Hunker Creek, very rich ground has been found. One man showed me $22.75 liG took out in a few hours on Hunker Creek with a gold pan, prospecting his claim on the surface, taking a handful here and there as fancy suggested. On Gold-bottom Creek and branches, there will probably be 200 or 300 claims. The Indians have reported anotner creek much farther up, which they call 'Too Much Gold Creek,' on which the gold is so plentiful that, as the miners say in joke, 'you have to mix gravel with it to sluice it.' Up to date, noth- ing dehnite has been heard from this creek. "From all this we may, I think, infer that we have here a district which will give 1,000 claims of 500 feet in length each. Now, 1,000 such claims will require at least 3,000 men to work them properly, and as wages for working in the mines are from $8 to $10 per day without board, we have every reason to assume that this part of our territory will, in a year or two, contain 10,000 souls at least. For the news has gone out to the coast, and an unprecedented influx is ex- pected next spring. And this is not all, for a large creek called Indian Creek joins the Yukon about mid- way between Thron-Diuck and Stewart rivers, and all along this creek good pay has been found. All that has stood in the way of working it heretofore, has been the scarcity of provisions, and the difficulty of getting them up there even when here. Indian Creek is quite a large stream and it is probable it will yield five to six hundred claims. Further south yet lies the head of several branches of Stewart River, on which some prospecting has been done this summer and good in- dications found, but the want of provisions prevented development. Now gold has been found in several of the streams joining Pelly River, and also all along the Hootalinqua. In the line of these finds farther I in; •'■"«*•■■ ' iL-v^rAibafe, - WEALTH OF THE KLONDIKE. 83 souitli is the Cassiar gold field in British Columbia; so the presumption is that we have in our territory, along the easterly watershed of the Yukon, a gold- bearing belt of indefinite width, and upwards of three hundred miles long, exclusive of the British Columbia part of it. On the westerly side of the Yukon, pros- pecting has been done on a creek a short distance above Selkirk, v/ith a fair amount of success, and on a large creek some thirty or forty miles below Selkirk, fair prospects have been found; but, as before re- marked, the difficulty of getting supplies here prevents any extensive prospecting. "Good quartz has been found in places just across the line on Davis Creek, but of what extent is un- known, as it is in the bed of the creek, and covered with grdivel. Good quartz is also reported on the hills around Bonanza Creek. It is pretty certain from infor- mation I have got from prospectors, that all or nearly all of the northerly branch of White River, is on our side of the line, and copper is found on it, but more abundantly on the southerly branch, of which a great portion is in our territory also, so it is probable we have that metal too. I have seen here several lumps of cop- per, brought by the natives from White River, but just from what part is uncertain. I have also seen a speci- men of silver ore said to have been picked up in a creek flowing into Lake Bennett, about fourteen miles down it on the east side. I think this is enough to show that we may look forward with confidence to a fairly bright future for this part of our territory. "When it was fairly established that Bonanza Creek was rich in gold, which took a few days, for fhron- Diuck had been prospected several times with no en- couraging result, there was a great rush from all over the country adjacent to Forty Mile. The town was almost deserted ; men who had been in a chronic state of dmnkenness for weeks were pitched into boats as ballast and taken up to stake themselves a claim, and clair^' n-ere staked by men for their friends who were w o. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) #<'. y 1.0 I.I '-IIIIM |||||M S IIIIM jiim ^ 1^ 11111= iif li£ 12.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► <^ /a ^ 'm ^m / w Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WESV MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. . .^ <0 (716) 872-4S03 ?