The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-12-02

storms are very severe.
The mean temperature OF the interior
during the summer months is 60 to 70
degrees, there being many very warm
days. The Yukon region, being SO far
north, has the long summer days and
long winter nights of that latitude,
though, being south of the Arctic cir.
Gle, it just misses the continuous day
and continuous night Of the Arctic
summer and winter.
Aside from gold, the chief resources
of Alaska are timber, fish and fur-bear-
ing animals, including the famous fur
seals which are. giving the United
States. Great Britain, Russia and ia
pan so much trouble. Salmon are
plentiful in all the streams of the
islands and mainland, and millions are
annually packed for market. Halibut
and cod, herring and smelt, Or Oola-
chon, abound and have become of great
commercial importance. The seal and
sea otter in the water, and the fox,
bear, lynx, otter, beaver, etc.. on land,
contribute thousands of their skins an
nually to the worlds fur supply. The
fur trade is handled by the Alaska
Commercial Company and the North
west Trading and Transportation Com
pany, both of which have headquarters
on st. Michaels island. near the mouth
of the Yukon, while the Hudson's Bay
Company operates on the Canadian
side of the line.
Coal and coal oil have both been
discovered and may be of future value.
The timber of the coast and islands
grows very large, owing to the humid
atmosphere. 1t is chiefly cedar, spruce
and hemlock. 1t has been little used
thus far, though several small mills
have cut it for local purposes. The
timber of the interior is much smaller,
and is found only along the lakes and
water courses. 1t is chiefly spruce,
alder, cottonwood and willow. Several
small mills have been taken in for cut
ting this timber. Agriculture is as
yet an experiment, but little having
been attempted. Conditions on the
islands are favorable for grass and such
vegetables and cereals as mature quick
ly. Even along the Yukon region
summer vegetables may be grown and
possibly wheat. A few years will show
what can be done in agriculture and
stock raising.
The great interest in Alaska at the
present time centers in the Yukon
placers on both sides of the boundary
line. Prospecting on the Yukon began
in 1881. In the fall of 1883 the
first gold was brought to juneau from
the interior. The next year 800 men
crossed the mountains and the number
of miners steadily increased each year.
The first work was on Stewart river and
then Big Salmon, both in Canada. In
1886 the Forty-Mile creek placers, also
in Canada, were discovered, and the
next year the famous franklin gulch,
on the same stream. In 1892 the Miller
creek diggings were found. also tribu-
tary of Forty-Mile, and on the Cana
dian side of the line. The next year
there was large influx of miners, fully
800 working in the Forty district.
IL 1898 the first important discover
les on the American. side of the line
were made on Birch creek, and the
town of Circle City. now having 500 log
houses, was started on the Yukon as a
supply point. The next year over
100000 were taken out along Birch
creek and Forty Mile. In 1895 Eagle
and Porcupine creeks began to produce
in the Birch creek district. The total
output of that year exceeded $500, 900.
In August, 1896, it was reported at
Forty-Mile and Circle City that Won
derfully rich placers had been discov-
cred on the Klondike, small tributary
of the Yukon entering that river about
SO miles southeast of the international
boundary and on Canadian territory.
There was great rush to the new dig
gings, the older ones being nearly de-
serted. In a few days $1,000 were
taken out on Bonanza creek, tributary
of the Klondike. By January l, 1897,
400 claims had been located on Bonanza
and Eldorado creeks, and 200 on Hunker
creek, and later many others on Bear,
Gold Bottom and Too Much Gold creeks
and their tributaries. Fully 81 AGO.
900 were taken from the Yukon placers
in 1896.
It was not so much the amount of
gold brought out by the first steamer to
come down last summer, as the news
that this was the result of but little
work in a few claims only, and that
there would have been many times as
much had the hundreds of other claims
been worked in time to send the gold
out, which caused the excitement. The
method of working these mines is to
sink shaft into the frozen ground in
winter, taking out the rich gravel near
bedrock and piling it up to be washed
out when the water runs in summer
time. For this reason the gold washed
out last summer could not be sent
away, and will not be brought down
until next July, when it is expected
that several millions of dollars will
come out as the result Of the first years
work along the Klondike. The COM
mercial point for the Klondike district
is the new town of Dawson City. stu
ated on the Yukon just below the
mouth of the Klondike and reached by
river steamers.
The Yukon gold fields extend for a
thousand miles along the stream, with
q width Of 500 miles. In this vast area
there are hundreds of streams and
gulches. offering ample room for the
thousands of gold seekers to prospect for
new diggings. The new discoveries re-
ported this year are on Dominion creek
and on the tributaries of the Stewart