San Andreas independent., 1858-09-18
LETTER FROM FRAZER RIVER.
FoRT YaIE. August 22d. '5S.

164 46A flOA EnkA1kA IN kAkN.
FoRT YALE, August 22d, '58.
Dear Sir II am not able to tell you
much about the richness of the mines,
for the river is still too high; but from
all that | can see and learn, think there
must be rich diggings on the head waters
of this river. | have been some one
hundred miles above this place, and from
the prospects l found, / think there is
no doubt but that the river will pay well
when it falls, if not too cold to work. |
started from Fort Hope the 18th of July,
with about eighty pounds packed on my
back, and footed it over the Cascade
Mountains to Thompson river in twelve
days. About seventy-fve miles OF the
road is the worst travelling ever saw
We crossed three mountains, each of them
being covered with snow for about one
mile on the top, and the remaining part
mud from ancle to knee deep. After we
got across the mountains however, it was
u tolerably level country. We struck
Thompson river about twenty miles above
the mouth, and prospected down to its
junction with Frazer river, finding some
very good prospects. We had seven men
in our party; the Indians were saucy, but
they did not molest us. We learn that
they stole considerable from company
about days travel behind us. We did
not see white man on Thompson river,
but the Indians are mining considerable.
Arriving at the forks of the river, we
found a few men mining, but they said
they were not doing much, for the water
was very high. We prospected four days
at the forks, and would have gone to work
but could not get rocker; SO we started
for Fort Yale, seventy-fve miles below
the forks, and prospected along down.
/ have been back down to Victoria and
brought lot of provisions up this far.
Four men-Jack Sweeny among them
are with me, who bought a canoe and
we are going to try to get up through the
canons with grub and tools. We did in
tend to start in about four days, but war
has commenced between the whites and
Indians. About one hundred and fifty
men have left here within the last four
or five days, all well armed, for fight
with the Indians. News came in last
evening that a company of forty men was
taken by surprise and all killed but one
man. Contradictory news came down
this morning, to the effect that only two
of the company were killed. Five dead
bodies were found in the river yesterday,
with marks as if they had been killed =
One body was picked up just now within
fifty yards of where am writing, with
his head cut off and three arrow wounds
in his sides Should the river fall suffi-
ciently low to enable canoes to get up
through the canons, people will go up in
sufficient numbers to clean them out in a
short time.
This is the most disagrceable climate l
ever saw-it has been raining about half
the time since my arrival here, and ex-
pect that in few weeks it will be snow
ing. But | do not regret coming, for
think that if am able to get up the river,
| can make some money. AS for gulch
or surface diggings, | have not seen any,
or much indication of any, only that the
farther up you go the heavier the gold,
and / think from all that can hear, Cal
ifornia diggings are to be found from IS
to 125 miles above the forks. There are
some good claims at between this
and Fort Hope, 10 miles below, some of
the claims paying as high as OF. day
to the hand with rocker, but they are
scarce good many claims are paying
from 81 to sl2 per day to the hand on
Hills Bar, which is about one mile
below this place. There must be at least
500 people at work, some doing very well,
but most of them waiting for the river to
fall. About as many people are leaving
the river now for California, as are COM
ing to it.
Another dead man has been picked up
in the river just now and has been recog-
nized as a man drowned in the canon
about ten days ago, by the name of Sum-
merdykc, sail maker, from San Fran
cisco.
Remember me to my friends. Do not
forget to write. Direct your letters to
Fort Yale, Frazer river.
Yours, "OLD JoE."