there are great insane but though crowded they are insufficient so there is given over to the worst cases now and then some poor insane creature comes to his senses in those awful and in wondering joy escapes from the land and back to his home but most cases are they just suffer along poor devils their former life quite or recalling it like a dream � again the grip of the north which will not let one go � for most cases are for a quarter of a century the battle with frost and famine went on the very severity of the struggle with nature seemed to make the gold hunters kindly toward one another the latch string was always out and the open hand was the order of the day distrust was unknown and it was no for a man to take the last shirt off his back for a comrade most significant of all perhaps in this connection was the custom of the old days that v gold hunters of the north when august the first came around the who had failed to pay dirt were permitted to go upon the ground of their more fortunate comrades and take out enough for the next year s stake in rich bar washing was done on the river and in bar was struck just below the mouth of the it was at this time that the first moderate strike was made on forty mile creek so called because it was judged to be that distance below fort reliance of jack fame a named started for the outside with dogs and indians to carry the news but such hardship on the summit of that he was carried dying into the store of captain john at but he had brought the news through � coarse gold within three months more than two hundred had passed in over for forty mile find followed find � sixty mile miller and the but they were all moderate discoveries and the still dreamed and searched for the stream too much gold where gold was so plentiful that gravel had to be into the boxes in order to wash it gold hunters of the north and all the time the was preparing to play its own huge joke it was a great joke an exceeding bitter one and it has led the old to believe that the land is left in darkness the better part of the year because god goes away and leaves it to itself after all the risk and toil and faithful endeavor it was destined that few of the heroes should be in at the finish when too much gold turned its yellow treasure to the stars first there was robert � and this is true history had faith in the indian river district for three years by himself depending mainly on his rifle living on straight meat a large portion of the time he many of the indian river just missed finding the rich and dominion and managed to make poor out of creek and creek then he crossed the divide between indian river and the and on one of the of the latter found eight cents to the pan this was considered excellent in those simple days the creek gold bottom he the divide and got three men and to return with him the four gold hunters of the north took out and be it and again that this was the first ever in and washed out and be it also that robert was the of all lies and tales to the contrary running out of again the divide and went down the indian river and up the to sixty mile here joe ran the trading post and here joe had originally told his tale and a dozen men ail it contained deserted the post for the scene of his find also persuaded a party of bound for river to forego their trip and go down and him he loaded his boat with supplies drifted down the to the mouth of the and and up the to gold bottom but at the mouth of the he met george and thereby hangs the tale was a he was familiarly known as george � a term which had arisen out of his for the indians at the time encountered him he was catching salmon with his indian wife and relatives gold hunters of the north on the site of what was to become the golden city of the over with good will open handed told of his discovery but was satisfied where he was he was possessed by no desire for the life salmon were good enough for him but urged him to come on and until when he yielded he wanted to take the whole tribe along refused to stand for this said that he must give the preference over to his old sixty mile friends and it is said some things about that were not nice the next morning went on alone up the to gold bottom by this time aroused took a short cut for the same place accompanied by his two indian brothers in law jim and he went up rabbit creek now crossed into gold bottom and near s discovery on the way up he had a few on rabbit creek and he showed colors he had obtained made him promise if he found anything on the way back that he would send gold hunters of the north up one of the indians with the news also agreed to pay for this for he seemed to feel that they were on the verge of something big and he wanted to make sure returned down rabbit creek while he was taking a sleep on the bank about half a mile below the mouth of what was to be known as jim tried his luck and from surface prospects got from ten cents to a dollar to the pan 