The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-10-05

Rainy Lake City, the Dream Of the Fortune Hun
ter, Is Going to Decay.

Ht''f ~ tht ftfN htatft bi tue uluti lulhtu
OF gold fields. The place possesses many
ol the characteristics OF the dead boom
towns Of the inr west, and il exceeds
them In lonlincss and dcsola.ion. The
name OF the town is Rainly Lake City
aud probably no town in the entire
country has received more advertising.
To the outside world. Rainy Lake
City is a town OF possibly 1000 inhabi-
t'lnts, with stores and residences such ms
may bc fonnd In better and longer settled
communities. To glance at the Rainy
Lake Journal, published by Fred j.
Bowman in the most northerly portion
OF ltasca county, Minnesota, one would
imagInc that the so-calIcd city was n
city in reality, where all is life and enter
prise. and where business is carried on.
This ls the picture held up to the outside
world-a thriving village, constantly
growing, in the center OF the richest gold
region on the earth.
But the true picture Is one vastly
different. Rainy Lake City is dead, and
the present winter, which hns already
begun in the far north, will probably
witness its burial-and there will be but
few people present TO attend the obse-
quies. Then the town where once CEN
tered the hopes aud ambitions of hum
drcds will he given np To the original
Inhabitants oi the region, the big white
owl, the skulking wolves. and the half
wild Indians.
When gold was discovered in the Rainy
Lake country lew years ago there was
a rush for claims, the region was exten-
siyely advertised, and it filled up with
prospectors and men who expected TO
make their fortune there. with rapidity
only cqualled 10y the sudden influx into
the Cripple Creek district in the west.
From almost every corner OF the United
States the gold hunter came, and il has
been demonstrated thar there is gold 10
be found there in abundance But the
hardships TO bo endured and the diff
culties TO I've overcome, coupled with the
done without Inexpensive machinery, which
il il almost impossible to take into the
country, and that whIlc living in that
barren country man IL an exile, are the
things that arc driving people nway.
Today there are but twenty-five houses
and stores, all OF them log structures,
some even having canvas roofs, in Rainy
Lake City, and not over dozen OF these
nre inhabitatcd. The total population
at the present time IN less than thirty,
counting in Indians, too, and by mid
winter this number will be reduced TO
less than ten, provided the people can
find means to leave the country, where
year ago they dreamed golden dreams Of
coming greatness and financial power.
Now all il changed, and ON every hand
are the uuiailing Indications OF rapidly
dissolution,
party oi newspaper men, which hns
just made n trip hy canoe all over the
Rainy Lake country, tell pathetic tales
of the sights Witnessed When the little
party departed from Rainy Lake City
and started back To civilization, the toy
steamer which makes regular trips 10
the place from Fort Francis, Ont, was
starting ON her return trip. On board
the boat, which was loaded TO the
waters edge with human freight, pack
ages. household goods and thousand
other things which departing people cnn
not bring themselves To- leave behind,
were crowded nearly twenty-five people,
over half Of the population OF the town.
The romaing residents Of the village, less
than twenty-five In number, were as-
sembIed ON the wharf, TO bid the travel
ers n last farewell. Tho four women who
constitute the female population OF
Rainy Lake City today, tried hard TO
hide their sud thoughts behind forced
smiles hut rs they shouted farewell and
waved their handkcrchicis tears filled
their eyes. These four women arc the
only white women in the country, and
hard is their lot-nothing to do, nothing
10 Htps ilNNNtiN w ttn
they are, by black, rocky cliffs, dismal
swamps and forests, and Indians, hall
breeds aud wild animals. Most oi the
people who now reside in this dying town
remain because they cannot get away
All they have in the world is tied up in
mines or other property. town lots, for
instanee. and To lenvc would be To lose
forever all hope Of ever stnrting even
with the world again. A few Of the men
honestly believe that the Rainy Lake
and Seine river gold countries have
inturr before them, and that In few
wears will he located there one oi tho
greatest mining cities ON the face OF the
Rlohc,
A walk about tho vlIlage-camp would
be better name for the place--Iills the
visitor with sadness. In the palmy