The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-30

Anglican mission. row a rssssenG Of s tt
Mcpherson. near the mouth OF the Mac
kenzis river. This gentleman was. some
fifteen years ago. iahorfrg al Eauzpar r.
House. on the Porcnpins river. He made
several excursions 20 and up the yukon.
going as far ar ore time. I believe, "a an
Indian settlement near what was after
wards Fort Reliance. II am correctly In
formed. he assembled Birch creek 20 visit
the Indians ar the head Of that stream. On
one Of these excursions gold nugget was
picked up on one OF the streams Nc
Donald reported the find and described the
locality so mlnutely that some who heard
II determined 20 search for the place This
led TO ths discovery OF the famous Birch
creek mines. and although the description
imputed TO that gentleman would not fit
any creek 50 far found. il IS believed by
many that the spot about where this mug
ger was found has been located and Is now
being worked. The rivers IN this district
were much richer than anything heretofore
found In Tire Yukon basin. but the best Of
them 70 quote an old miner in the country.
were only Chinese diggings compared with
Eldorado and Bonanza To estimate the
amount If gold taken out OF Birch creek
and Forty-Aisls. and the same time famous
Miller and Glacier creeks on Sixty-Atile is
futile as no record was kept and the aver
age miner IS invariably reficent about what
he has taken out. To say that Il amounted
10 a couple OF millions would. think. not
be very far wrong. In Iss5 and In fact,
some years before little prospecting was
done or a stream called Indian creek,
which joins the Yukon about thirty miles
above Fort Reliance. Gold was found on
IL in sufficient quantity to keep up the pros
pecting spirit. In 1895 Robert Henderson. a
native OF Prince Edwards islands. with
some others assembled this stream forty
FIVE or fifty miles. He assembled an affiusn.,
prosnectiug 80 he went. ard crossed a d.
vide TO stream an aftiuent OF the Troan-
dix now known a Gold Bottom. Here he
and his comrades prospected for some time,
finding on the surface good pay. Pro-
visions running out. he returned by the
way he went IN. visited SixtyN.le post in
hopes Of finding supplies there. but failed.
He then started down stream 70 Forty
Mile. On his way he visited George WASH
ington Carmsek. a native OF California,
who was camped at the mouth OF the
Troan-dk, engaged in salmon fishing.
Henderson and Carmack had been ac-
quainted for several years. 50 Carmack was
informed of the good prospects on Gold
Bottom. which was supposed to be tribu-
tary TO the Troan-dik and to Join that
stream some farty-five or fifty miles above
its mouth. As the Troan-dik is a swift
mountain stream. with Inuumerable rifles
on ii, its ascent was deemed impossible.
so Caruack learned fran the local Indians
the nature Of the country and the positions
OF the various creeks. Carmack's Wife Is
native Of the country. and associated with
him In his salmon fishing were his wife's
brothers. known as Tagish jim or
'Skookum Jim and Tagish Charley. both
members of the Taglsh tribe, On the head
waters az the Lewis river. In cefnrany
with these two each with a heavy pack on
their back. Carmack made his way from
the mouth of the Troan-dik over the hills
to what is now the famous Bonanza creek,
which he struck some three or four miles
above it's mouth went up its valley to FL
dorado. followed II for about three miles
Che thinksl then assembled the ridge be-
tween Eldosado and Bonanza followed Il
around until II joined the dividing ridge
between Bonanza and Indian creeks fol-
lowed this eastward until he struck the
head Of a stream. which he believed to be
Cold Bottom. described to him by Hender-
son.
Carmack went down to the stream and
found some OF the parties still on the
creek. who had gone over with Henderson.
He prospected half a day. found nothing
TO satisfy him and determined - return.
which he did the following morning. At
the head of Bonanza he thought he would
return by the valley Of that stream and
prospect as he went. He spent three days
in this work and struck nothing satisfac-
tory until he reached Discovery claim.
about midway on the creek. where he PAN
ned out s1e in a few moments. This was
the 18th Of August, 1895. The following
morning he located for himself Discovery
claim and No. ] below: No. above for his
associate. Tagish Jim and No. below for
Tagish Charley. This done. he Joined his
family NJ the mouth Of tie Troa n-dik river.
and as soon after as possible went 10 Forty
Mile. where he spread the news OF the dis
covery and exhibited his si2. which he
brought down in a Winchester cartridge
shell in proof of his assertions. At first
his Information was received very coolly.
and. although no ore openly asserted that
Il was false. great many shrugged their
shoulders and remarked; oh. who the -
would believe Slwash George las he is
commonly known in the country he is the
damndest liar that ever was known The
Hz IN dust. however, proved a stubborn
fact.
II did not resemble the gold found on
Forty-Mlle, and must have been found
somewhere. that was plain. So II was de-
termined to test HIS assertion Four or five
started up In a boat from Forty Mile TO
the mouth OF the Troan-dik. about City
miles upstream. which means two and one
half or three davs' hard work. according 10
the height 81 the water and kind of boat
used. The ice was broken. and In a few
hours Il seemed as though all Forty-Sii
poured Itself into the rent. Some who We're
obviously drunk for weeks and physically
dead. were carried By their comrades.
dumped into boats and taken I'D without
their consent or knowledge. One Of the
thoroughly lucky ones II IS said was fairly
into the Troan-dik before he realized that
he had left Forty-Miis. The news spread TO
the creeks on the head OF Forty-Mlle and
Sixty-Afile creeks and the miners there
crossed and located In this way Bonanza
and Eldorado were all located before Sep
TENDER had passed. Those who came after
wards had 20 take side streams. too numer-
Gus TO mention. Although these creeks had
al been located and recorded. no great
faith was placed in any OF them. The re-
suit was that many claims were sold IN
October and November. 1856 for as many
dollars as they would now command thous-
ands.
For instance. one claim on the EIdorado
was located by young man who sold e a
few days later for 81. The purchaser never
put a pick into y and sold Il AZ the begin
ming Of April. 1897. for s2t 60 lawful money
of Canada. which in dust. taken al ST. an
ounce, the correct value would De equiv
aIent TO al least 81 30 Again a French
Canadian. while Intoxicated. sold his claim
IN Eld0rado for $500 When sober he re-
GREETED. being informed by those who he
ghourht knew tsat a contract made with
a person Intoxicated was void He threat
ene3 proceedings 20 break the sale. There
s. no doubt that all the parties were more
or less intoxicated az the time the con-
tract was made but rather than hazard n
law sHlt the purchaser Of the claim offered
him what was IN effect ahous ona-'sr,fh
OF the original claim. to surrender all right
and title real or imaginary which he might
have He accepted this about the middle