, 1884-10-04
TIE TOWN OF JUNEAU.
a Visit to Alaska's Three-Year-oid
Mining Camp.
4 ciobe- Denoerat Correspondent
A-horc-HeauUc- OF the Land
xcape-NIounfnIn, Village
aud wood.

Rslamah's Alaska Letterl
When VIC scanned On a mile and crcpt up
To ,i.e s. liaff at Junen,i the whole town and
a. intlan village were down g go Us. land,
and uir-n tho lines were cast ashore, the
c1r % friends made IA rush for the assembled
mi mrs and the trading torres The town OF
Jurral dates back as a mining camp but a
lft'o over three years. In 1879 the Indians
gave Hnr quartz specimens to tho officers Of
the mun-of-Nar, Jamestown, and In the fol
low ing simmcra prospecting party was or
ganig,-i by Joseph JUNEAU and Richard Har
liz 1hey fanped at the present town sito
on the 1T OF October and then following up
told creek to the Silver Bow basin, three
mile. Lack, found the rich placers and the
%cniciupping quartz veins
When the news OF their find reached Sitka
there WIS n rush for the new Fl Dorado, and
a camp aprang up that winter and hasslowly
grown into an old little town. Il was first
called rilshtmy for one prospector, then Flip
tuan with miners grim humor, then Rock
web for the lieutenant who came from the
Jamestown with a detachment Of marines 10
lncp the camp 10 order. and fourthly it was
named Harrisburg, and Gfthly Juneau. The
last name was formally adopted by the min
en- Mt u meeting hola in May, 1889, and In
the same c~onclavc resolutions were passed.
ordering all Cinnamon out Of the district and
warning tho race TO stay away, which they
have lone.
When the sun shines, as II has done to-day
and for two weeks past, Juneau Is as charm
ing a little mountain nook as one need seek
Tor. The mountains 90 40 straight up TO
their 5000 feet that the little cluster Of white
houses al the base look as though they might
be bits Of the lofty snow banks that have
tumblsd down Tho feathery cascades 10 the
beach. The slin Of tho mining camp in tho
Silver Bow basin Is even more picturesque.
and The trail from Juneau plunges straight
up the mountain side, then down 10 a second
valley, and nlopE the wild cnnyon Of Cold
creek and into the basin Of tho Silver Bow.
All the way it leads through dense forests and
luxuriant bottom land, where the. immenss
pino trees, the thickets OF ferns and DEVILS
club, and the RINK underground Of bushes
and grasses continually excited ono's wonder.
We rose at $50 In order to go out TO the
basin and get back before the ship sailed at
10, and In tho fresh, dewy air and the puro
light Of the early morning 1t was n walk
through an enchanted forest and a happy
valley. Tho trail wound up 10 800 feet,
dropped by long jumps and slides TO the hIsI
level OF the canyon and reached 1900 fest
above the sen again In the basin. The DEVILS
club. a tall thony plant, with leaves twelve
inches md more ncross, grew In impossible
clnmps in tho woods, n the sunlight falling
on these largo leaves gave "A tropical look to
the forest. The devils club is the prospectors'
dread, and the thorny sticks used to do 10
switch witches with in the Indians old I'M
CIVILIZED days. E~ehinopauax horTida Is the
botanist's awful name for It, and that alone
"a caution enough for one TO avoid it, There
were thickets Of thimble-berried bushes
covered with large creamy white blossoms,
and clusters OF white ranunoulus, white
columbine, blue goranium and yellow mon
key flowers grew in patches and dyed the
ground with their massed colors. The ferns
were everywhere, and under bushes and be-
sido fallen logs delicate maiden hair ferns,
with fine ebony stems, were gathered by the
handful We met a few well-drcss ed In
dinns hurrying to town and an occasional
miner who gave us a CHEEKY greeting.
Silver Bow basin is a place to delight an
msthetic miner in the way Of landscape, and
any one with n soul in him would surely
appreciate that little round valley sunk deep
In tho heart Of great mountains, with snow
caps on every horizon line, IA glncier tipping
from a great ~ravine, and waterfalls tambling
noisily down the slope. Timing ourselves by
our watches, we fingered long ON the last
mile, sitting on a log in the cool shade OF the
forest, where the trail almost overhung the
little town. We could watch the people
walking In the streets beneath, and in the
stil. slumbering sunshine almost catch the
hum Of their voices. Pistol shots raised
crashing echoes between the high mountain
walls, and set all tho big ravens to croaking
in hoarse concert