The Progress. [volume] (White Earth, Minn.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-16
WAY OUT IN ALASKA.
How a Tenderfoot Sought Gold II
Our Arctic Territory.
Roseate Romance OF Boundless Wealth
and Magnificent Scenery ana the
Stern Reality Of Racon and Beans
IAN Hospitabla Indian.

and Magnificent Scenery and the
Stern Reality Of Baoon and Beans
IAN Hospitahla Indian.
: A writer in the Juneau City Mintn0 Rec-
ord gives a graphic description of expert
ences while in the recent prospecting tour
IN Alaska: On tho morning Of July 8, he
says, we left Douglas City on the favorite
and fast-sailing canoe Hiak, Captain Jim
tboth well and fayorahly known 10 Alaskan
waters) for a prospecting trip in Lynn
Canal. As the day was fine and the wind
fair the sail through Gastineaux, Stephens
passage and Lynn Canal was delightful, as
each one is dotted with little islands, rising
from the waters edge to a height of
thousand feet or more, whilst the mountains
on the mainland are thousands of feet high,
with ragged peaks not unlike the teeth of
an old-fashloned cross-cut saw, the spaces
between the peaks being filed with glaciers
and the peaks themselves are covered with
perpetual snow. AS / am chee.chaco in
the country CHATS what my chums call mel,
every thing appeared wild and picturesque,
and as burst out in explanations of admir-
alton every once in a while at the scenery,
they would say: $ Oh, shucks that amt
nothing; you had ought to see the scenery
on the YUKON
The first night we camped on creek
about thirty miles from Juneau, where our
native told US there was some quartz We
stayed and examined it, but did not think
enough OF it to locate it. The next day we
arrived at our natives illahee (as he called
it) situated at Lynn Canal, and distant about
forty miles from Juneau. It is a beautiful
bay, filled with many islands and teeming
with fish, from the mighty whale to the tiny
herring, while the woods and mountains are
full OF game-the small and harmless
grounding and the large and fierce brown
bear. -.
The Indian who accompanied us is fine
specimen of his race; he stands over six feet
in his bare feet, and weighs over two hun
dred pounds. He is q Mormon in prOcliy.
tiles, for he has a number of wives, who ap-
pear well satisfied with him as their lord
and master, and could see no sign of the
green-eyed monster. He is bear hunter
by occupation, and an enthusiast in that
line, and many were the stories and hair
breadth escapes he related. can well be-
heve he is good hunter, as his larder is
well stocked with fish, flesh and fowl; his
wives were brown, fat and greasy; his
dogs, OF which he had seven, were all in
splendid condition, and that is more than
can be said OF most Indian dogs. He told
us the peculiarities Of each, and showed us
the many wounds they had received in their
encounters with bruin. He also showed US the
hole where he buried the bears heads, and
there must have been twenty skulls in it I
inquired OF him why he did so, and he told
me: bear all same Indian; by and by he
60 10 the happy roofing ground
AS host he is a prince, and right royalty
he treated us to all kinds of game put up in
Indian style. We had smoked porcupine
put up in seal oil, and one of our crowd who
pretends to be an epicure said it was de-
hcious; there were seals flippers cooked in
grease, which were not dissimilar to pigs
feet; baked ground hog stuffed with mus
sells, which gave the hog fshy taste and
improved the flavor of the mussels. His
bears head cheese was actually immense,
and there were many more dishes too
numerous to mention. He showed MANY
kinds OF roots and herbs good for food and
medicine. He also showed his canned hal
hut, hooks and all of his dancing outfit,
his headgear and mask cost him fifty dol
lars; it was wild and uncouth, and was
carved out OF yellow cedar. It had large
nose like parrots beak. eyes made Of
mother.of-pearl, a mouth which contained
the teeth of the only siwash doctor on
Noah's ark. ears made from the hide of the
.lchthyosaurus, hair made from the sea
hons whiskers. His hunting knife had
some unique carving on the handle that
represented some Indian myth the bears
were afraid OF. AS a prospector, like many
more following that vocation, I do not con-
slider him success, as we examined MANY
places that he showed us, but could see
nothing except white and barren quartz
He had other places he want ed to show
us, and we would have gone with him, but
one OF the party had an acute attack of in
ftammatory rheumatism The native told
US the extent of his territory, and said he
expected white men prospecting on his do
main to pay him 50 50 per day for his knowl-
edge and services. He said the land and
water belonged to his ancestors from time
lmmemorial, and he inquired if white men
owning similar amount Of land would al
low every body on it. His argument brought
forcibly to our mind the <tbloated bond
holders of America and the land question
that is now agitating the British Empire,
where Lords, Dukes and EarIs are holding
hundreds OF miles square that their ances-
tors acquired by might, while he claims his
by right. The only difference I see between
them and this Indian is that he will be glad
to see you hunt or fish on his supposed
country, while if you caught a trout in their
waters or shot a pheasant in their woods
you would get about five years.
The next day we travelled against head
wind and a terrible rain, and after getting
drenched to the skin we camped It would
be very pleasant prospecting In Alaska
were it not for the rain, head wind and
tides, thick brush and mosquitoes, and a
few other little inconvenlences. Then.
again, if was looking through a tourists
eyes from the deck of an ocean steamer.
how romantic the majestic mountains and
rivers, hundreds of miles Of pine-clad
shores, and every now and then q vast
glacier! Then in smooth, narrow channels
can be seen the mammoth whale, forging
his way along nearly as fast as the steamer,
and every few feet can be seen the shining
silvery sides of a beautiful salmon, dis.
porting, or trying to escape from some
finny monster who is trying to catch him
for q meal. I saw q seal gobble one IN less
than two seconds To me the animals on
such trip remind one Of a great menagerie,
without having to pay at the door, while the
waters are grand aquarium; and take it
altogether, were it not for the stern re-
Atty of beans and hacnr,F a @<,,,,.