The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-05-21

up to supply the fort and take away
the furs bought during the winter.
A party of Indians reported that
there was plenty of gold On 40-Mile
River, and party of about eighty
determined to prospect there. We
reached the mouth of the river on
the first day of June and the water
being low. we began operations at
once by adopting a crude, but SER
viceable code, of mining laws and ap-
pointing committee of seven to see
that order was preserved. and to settle
all disputes which might arise.
Forty-Mile River is small,
crooked and rocky stream with
semi-mountalnous banks. The hot
RAYS of the summer sun thaws the
most exposed parts of the banks sew
eral inches in depth and when heavy
rains come, great masses of the
,haved earth slide into the
river, forming bars, which in
many cases change the channel. The
gold is found in these bars. Some are
spotted but the majority are rich
throughout. There is no doubt but
what the banks of the river are full of
gold. The masses of detached earth
shows that fact beyond all question,
but they are eternally frozen and can
not be prospected.
secured a claim on bar about 20
miles up the river and began work.
As | could not find a branch near
enough to supply my claim with water
| decided to build a wheel and pump
water from the river. | found TIM
Der suitable in a canyon two miles up
the river. l cut the logs and RATED
them down to my claim and with
whipsaws cut out enough lumber for
the wheel and raft to erect it ON by the
first OF September, when the approach.
ing winter closed mining operation
until next June and We sll went into
winter quarters. During the summer
an ALASKA fur company steamer came
up to the fort and supplied us with
provisions and We spent the winter in
our huts quite comfortably.
One of our young men opened nego-
tiations with the natives to purchase a
wife. He found one who had a come
Iy wife aud daughter and was willing
10 sell either for some provisions and a
DIR of boots. Our man decided that
he wanted the daughter but was un-
able to raise the amount demanded,
viz: 100 pounds of four. two pounds
of powder, one POUND of lead, three
pounds of shot and pair OF boots.
The miners belonging to his mess
agreed to help him out provided the
woman would cook for the entire mess.
He had decided to IKE the daugh-
ter and laid the matter before
her and she gladly accepted the
conditions and made him a
faithful wife and in the
course of few weeks became a very
satisfactory COX for the mess. They
were married in the presence of the
miners by jumping over pickhandie.
ceremony that greatly impressed the
girl, who ever afterward boasted OF
the fact that SIZE was a real married
woman just like American white
women anu not liable TO be sod should
her husband become dissatisfied with
her. There was considerable rivaly
between the daughter and mother and
when the young man decided to take
the daughter, Disappointment was plain
ly discernible on the face of the latter,
and she was only satisfied when her
soD-in-law agreed to take her if the
daughter cid not prove to be a good
wife.
Later in the winter three other
young men bought wives. The
women considered themselves The
aristocracy of her tribe and
were as exclusive as the hest
of Ward McAllister's 400. Each
of the women in due time presented
her husband with g little halfbreed
baby greatly to the delight of the sew
eral husbands as well as the entire
camp. 1t was no uncommon thing
for dozen miners to gather around
one Of the huts in which one of the
little ones was domiciled TO hear ii
cry. One of the babies died last sum-
mer and the whole camp turned out
to the funeral, some of the miners
coming twenty miles for that purpose.
1t greatly astonished the natives to
see such attention paid TO baby-a
girl baby at that-ss babies and wom-
en- are not held in high consideration
by the tribe.