The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1886-01-14

outside of some bar diggings on the
rivers and they pay from IS to $40 a day
to the man. But that Yakon country Is
q big country and lam in hopes that in
9: a:couple Of years more they will strike
worth going after but 80 far
they have: not got 1t ana what little they
have found Is in British Columbia under
the English government. There is more
going on here than In any other part Of
Alaska. This summer they Just COM
pleted tho finest mill i suppose Ii the
world at: an xpenpe OF three hundred
and fifty thousand for the mill alone,
but twin not take them long ID got got ont
money at tlle 81 Is
since they start Tiers il aslaTa
dydhet knOWs t,I eef III siloa
they afe tasins sts,inlt. They haze one:
hundred and atWenfy stamps running on
tle mill5and use froms5oO to $50 tons Of
ore every twenty-four hours, the ore
averages about FIVE dollars at the least
Their actual expenses when things are
running in good shape will be3 about
$1.25 q ton for mining and milling so
;thatsgiYes them a profit Of $$3.755 q Ion
thatis as near as you can get to itsand
next summer they are almost sure to
put up another mill like this. But this
company with lots Of fmoney that they
had aud are making now, have the best
Of the country right here corralled to
themselves and outside Of what they.
have got there is nothing done or being
done in this place at all. They are work:
ing about forty white men on the mine
and mill all told, the rest are Cinnamon
and Indinns. There is q little placer
mining camp about three miles from
here, and in the summer a few white
men work there, but now! all is idle for
the wiuter. There are about four or five
hundred white men and women in and
around this place and That is about one
half Of The population Of all Alaslea.
1t is doubtful If there arc q thousand in
+ the Eholescountry, still the goyernorin
| his report has put it q good deal higher.
Ibeleiye there are some doing pretty
well in the fur business. But that big
fur company has that pretty well to
themselves the. same as anything else,
There are a few Indians here maybe two
OF. three hundred and some OF them arc
at work, the rest do nothing and live on
dried salmon. That is pretty near oil
their support, the Indians here are differ
Ient from those around where you are
These will work and some of them dt
work from one end oe the year to, thu
other. No whiskey is allowed to b
brought into the country but Jet tfer'
! are about twenty Saloons in Junear
alone and all sclling is as public as il
| New York city, the only trouble is in get
Iting it3in nnd a good denl is Inaniifac
ltured right here, and the Indians are tht
worst you ever saw. II o white maj
gives them any swhiskey they are liable
4 to goright straight to the fret Office
4 they can find aud tell him who gave i
to them, SO you can judge thereis no
much Of that done. There is civil Law
hero now, and some one is hauled nj
every day or two. So on the whole
woIldno advise .you to come here ant
Invest anything in the country. at tn,
4 present time. Still there are men her
4 that are going to make money, and 9th
|ers again after bringing considerable
,nDney into the country will leayei
broke. Bnt that is tie way with mostl.
EVERY mining camp and excitement
Undoubtedly there win be a good deal5e q
{ money taken out OF here for years t
come, but the work will be done b,
4 Cinnamon and Indians and that vii
I not help the country any. This countr;
/. has got the meanest weather you eve
4 saw, raining or showing all the time bu
i It is not cold, the rain or snow does no
], stop any .oaet from working outside
\. Sometimes il n nsyer stops raining 70
two weeks alta time. IL q
Your dear friend,
OWEN JONES. a5S ss