Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-04-23
Skagit Correspondence.
April 9th, 1880.

after our tug from Foit Hope on
the Frazer. Actual travelling has
not exceeded twenty days, this being
think the quickest time made on
this route. We dragged, assisted
by Indians, two sleds, or sleishs as
they are called for three of us, load
ed with six hundred pounds. The
trail for twenty three miles from
Hope is good; thence, down the
Skagit for about thirty miles on the
bottom lands, and side hills, is over
logs and through brush, crooked
and very uneven and those OF the
party ut all inclined TO whistle broke
forth with the appropriate air
Jordan am hard road to trabel."
There was some hard tugging I can
assure you, but having put the hand
to the pillow, we had no thought
of looking back. At the end of our
crooked, bushy trail, we made n
raft, and with our luggage proceed
down the Skagit f. distance of
seven miles, wren We encountered
jam three e, tour miles wide
when we wele forced to abandon the
raft, and bring the sleighs into re-
QUESTION again and struggled over a
trail which may be fair in summer,
but which proved. foul to us at this
season with our heavy loads to drag,
of about seven miles more, when
we again ilnprovised RATS and
came down the Skagit to the mouth
of Rnby Creek, some twelve or four
teen miles, making the whole dis
lance not less than eighty miles.
The Skagit is fine river; the water
is quite warm in winter and seldom
freezes. It is almost free from ice
and snow at present, and has hand
some bottom lands on its banks,
and valuable cedar and fir timber
on its shores. Gold, or colors can
be found in almost all the dirt on
its bars, and believe that they will
be worked. and the precious metal
obtained in the near furture; but its
waters are very dangerous for boat
ing, especially for rafting, as its cur
rents are quite rapid. The Skaeit
route is the best, consuming only
about quarter of the tim, to nc.
complish the trip and is no more
dangerous than the longer one we
took. The Hope trail can, and will
probably be made good portable
route, but it is not the best way at
present.
Gold is here and think in paying
quantities, but how extensive is not
known, not many claims have been
opened, and the bed rock not reached,
except in very few places. l saw
one days clean up in Rocker, on
the Ruby where two men took out
twelve dollars after not more than
eight hours work. Another man
cleaned up about seventeen dollars
with Rocker on the Skagit below
the mouth of the Ruby. in four days,
not working all the time. This was
coarse gold. We have not yet Sc
cured u claim, and may not succeed
in doing so, but Notwithstanding the
intense warnings for the much
loved homes, after having endured
so much toll, and suffered so many
hardships we propose to fight it out
on this line until we have seen what
can be seen and are able to report
more definitely. 1t is said that the
ground is all taken up, and no one
knows whether half the claims will
pay to work. There Is already too
much of rush here, as it Is yet
early to do any mining on account
Of the depth of snow; prospecting
is almost out of the question. July
IL August will be quite soon enough
20 come. I have been informed that
six hundred claims are taken, en-
oracing forty miles or SO, of Creek
bed. New discoveries will undoubt-
ed,y be made during the summer
md fall aud I believe this will provef
/ rich, extensive, and lasting min
ng camp, and if the Sound country
expects to be benefited by the trade
It the mires Il good road or trail
should be made as sooI as possible.
Parties should interest themselves 1
n having a Mail route established to