Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-01-30
skasit Mining Country by Mr.. Goodell

The mines, began Mr.. Goodell. are
located on the Upper Skagit and two
of it's branches -Ruby and Canyon
c eeks. The country is almost impass-
able to the surest-footed, and SO full of
precipices, gorges, sink-holes, swamps
and tangled thickets that miners, who
are as class the best pathfnders in
the world, have frequently spent weeks
in coming from the mouth of the Ruby
to my place, distance of barely 20
miles. Men have frequently faint I'd
on the trail, and the hardships enlur-
ed last season would fill volume.
Rapids must be passed, steep noun
tains assembled, and at one place a
thread-like trail less than a foot in
width leads right round a precipice to
the sides of which the miner must
cling with tooth and nail to escape be-
ing dashed into the river, boiling and
surging thousands Of feet below him.
! tell you, my son, added Mr.. Goodell
in paternsl manner, it requires nerve.
How do You get there, did you sayi
WE'LL you take the boat at Seattle and
sail 70 miles down the Sound to the
mouth Of the Skagit. You then as
cend the river to Mt. Vernon, ten
miles from it mouth. Steamers take
you daily from Seattle to Mt. Vernon
for $3. You are now on the Skaeit
proper, which is supposed by some to
be navigable for light boats for eight
miles, or within 20 miles of the mines,
though you may add right here that no
Gamer has yet accomplished it. The
river above Mt Vernon to my store is
q very swift running stream, but free
from distractions. Tbs present mode
Of navigating the river is for three
men to charter canoe, with Indians
to manage it, Tn, canoe can be OBJ
tanned at an expense of $50, and will
hold besides the Indians and three
whites, from twelve to fifteen hundred
weight of provisions, enough to last
three carefully fveor six months. The
canoe voyage from Mt. Vernon by the
portage will occupy fully FIVE days. 1t
is not necessarily dangerous, but re-
quires considerable caution, as tum-
ble into the ice cold, mountain gen,
dered waters of the Skag,t means
cramps and death. A few lives were
lost last season from canoes, but none
while the Indians had thcm in charge.
For eighty miles this canoe route pass
es through the finest body of agricul.
tural land in Washington Territory.
1t now lies unoccupied and waste
abandoned. Baker river Joins the
Skagit from the north 40 miles above
Mt. Vernon. The Baker is stream
OF considerable size, and may possibly
be navigable for light draf. boats. Tie
Baker bars were once the cause of a
mining furore, but were long ago aban-
doned. The Sank then joins the Skag.
it from the south; it is a stream about
the size of the Baker, but unnaviga,
bic. Traces Of gold have been found
along its shores. From the mouth OF
the Sank, as far as any being has as.
centesl, the Skagit bars all prospect in
gold. Why, even at my place, I have
rocked out dollar day with an old
rocker. The Skagit bars are all ex-
tensive; some of them are two or
TIRES miles long and quarter Of a
mile wids, and prospect in gold in all
places. No one yet having prospected
to bed rock, their exact richness is UNI
known--in fact the entire Skagit is
but a huge conjecture The next
stream to be passed is the Cascade, a
river about the size of the Baker and