St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-08-12
Frazer River Gold Mines.


just now are of deep interest
Frazer River, to the banks Of which
the miners of California are now flock
ing, in hopes TO find there new Edo
RADIO, rises in the Rocky Mountains,
between the tifty.fifth and iifty-sixth
degrees of north latitude, and near the
source of the canoe River, the norther-
most tributary of the Columbia. 1t
runs to the northwest for about eighty
miles and then turns to the south, IN
which general direction it continues,
receiving the waters OF several tribu-
taries, till near the forty-ninth degree
of north latitude, where it breaks
through the Cascade range OF noun
tains in succession Of falls and rap
ids. Hence it runs westward for sew.
enty or eighty miles, till, just north OF
Puget's sound, it enters the Gulf OF
Georgia, which separates Vancouver
Island from the main land. The whole
course of the river is about four hum
dred miles.
The line between the Territory Of
Washington and the British Posses
sions has never yet been run. The
work was commenced about a year
ago by Joint Commission, but as
yet little progress has been made.
The Authorities of the Hudson Bay
Company claim the mouth of the river
as within their limits though possibly
the final survey may bring it, and
even some part of the lower course OF
the river, within our territory.
In book published in 1874 by Mr..
Dunn, an old servant of the Hudson
Bay Company long resident in those
regions, the country along the lower
section of the river west of the Cas-
cade mountains is described as billy
and covered with forests of white pine,
cedar, and other evergreens, the soil
generally we'll fitted for pasturage,
and in many places for tillage, East
of the Cascade mountains, where alone
the gold is found, the soil is yellow
and barren sand, with little vegetation
and the country rises in abrupt noun
tains, cut up by ravines and torrents,
and interspersed with lakes and marsh
cs. The climate is described as very
variable. The pleasantest season is
from April to June In the latter
month there are almost incessant rains,
drifted furiously along by strong
southerly winds. In July and August
the heat is intense, and the ground,
previously saturated with moisture,
produces myriads of annoying insects.
In September there are fogs so thick
as to turn MONDAY into midnight. In
November the Winter sets in, frcez-
ing up the lakes and rivers, though
not reaching SO severe degree of
cold as might be expected from the
latitude.
TIL this country hitherto visited on
ly by Indians and few natives and
few hunters and for traders in tho en-
ploy of the Hudson Bay Company,
there is just now a tremendous rush
of immigration, on the strength of
highly exciting anticipations of its
productiveness in gold. The only dig
gings yet known are on the bars in
the river, commencing some eighty
miles from its mouth, near Fort Hope,
an old trading station of the Hudson
Bay Company. To that point the riv.
er is navigable for steamboats,. 1t is
said, indeed, that vessels drawing
twenty feet can ascend thirty miles,
though according to Mr.. Dunn, twelve
tie Sas STAT 81 ,6 81 government of the Hudson
Bay Company's settlement on Van,
couver Island, nearly opposite the
mouth of the river, and where all the
miners are obliged to stop in order to
obtain licenses to dig, has, since the
discovery of these diggings, sprung
into sudden Importance. A river
steamer which formerly run on the
river Sacramento, has been placed on
the Frazer, and now runs regularly be-
tween Victoria and Fort Hope. Great
speculation is going on in city lots in
Victoria. Several of the colored men
who, Disguised by the acts of the Cali
fornia Legislature, lately removed
thither from San Francisco, are likely
to make fortunes, it is said, by the
rise in the value Of the lots which they
purchased there. A newspaper estab-
lishment had gone out entire from San
Francisco, and The North American,
the first newspaper, was advertised
to make it's first appearance at Victo-
ria on the 10th of June In fact, the
time is already anticipated when Vic
toria will rival San Francisco.
All these grand anticipations seem
to rest at present on rather small
basis of facts. The gold on the bars
of Frazer river appears to have been
discovered some months since by an
old miner named Adams, who took the
hint from the Indians. The digging
hitherto have been limited to the bars
for some eighty miles above Fort Hope,
and even these seem to be in great
measure interrupted for the present
by the high stage of the water. Great
stories are told about the amounts OBJ
tanned, but there seems to be def
cheney of precise statements, nor has
any considerable amount of Frazer
river gold made its appearance in San
Francisco. The miners, however,
have theory upon which they seem
to act with great assurance. The gold
found Oh these bars is extremely fine,
and the miners argue that when large
bars hear the mouth of so large a riv.
err are rich with fine gold, there must
be IA very extensive gold producing
region above whence this fine gold
has been supplied, and that in these
upper sources the gold will be found
both in larger pieces and in greater
quantities.
On the strength of this theory, there
is perfect rush to these new dig
gings. Besides numerous sailing YES.
sells, there are seven ocean steamers
running from San Francisco to Puget
sound. At the last accounts some
nine thousand persons were supposed
to have left California, and the dispo.
sition to follow them was increasing
rather than diminishing. Many Of
Al