The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-08-25
AT FORTY MILE CREEK.

carried 21OUS
AT FORTY MILE GREEK.
Canadian Law as to Mining Claims-StaS
ing and Blazing.
From 1855 to the fall of 1891 and
in the fall Of 1891 Miller, Davis and
Glacier creeks were discovered by
Frank Dinsmore, James Davis and .Jo-
seph Gauslaw, and there they found
the first rich diggirgs Of the Klondike
country. These creeks are tributaries of
Sixty Mile creek, but were reached, By
the way Of Forty Mile creek, being the
nearest supply station.
The first death at Forty Mile Greek
occurred in the fall of 1886, which
shows that pretty good period elapsed
before there were any deaths. The
victim was Jack Welch, about g. years
old When people talk about its being
an unhealthy country for strong,
healthy men and say that there are
1900 graves at Forty Nile, it is not So
They're lying
In the fall of 1890 I quit mining
and went into the mercantile business
at the moath Of Sixty Mile creek, 40
miles above Dawson, and there staid
with several men who wanted to pres
pect and had faith in that county
which did myself-in the vicinity Of
the Thron Diuck (Klondike) river.
Robert Henderson put in three years
there. / staid with him. He was pros
pecting on Indian creek, tributary of
the Yukon, running parallel with Bo-
panza creek.
In the spring Of 1886, on account of
the high water, he could not work his
claim, so he crossed over on to the head
waters of Gold Bottom creek. George
W. Mccormack gets the credit for dis
covering that gold, which he is not en-
titled to. because this Henderson went
from his claim on Indian creek and dis
covered it. After making the discovery
he came back and told me about it, as
/ had been putting up for him for three
years. mean I had GRUB staked'
sawmill and everything down to the
mouth of the Thron .Diuck, where Daw-
son City is now.
I had two American horses, which
I bought of Jack Dalton, who was con-
nected in some way with Lieutenant
Glave of the Frank Leslie expedition.
The four of them went over there and
made location. In the meantime Hen
derson took his boat and drifted down
the river to the mouth of the Thron
Diuck, which was The easiest way for
him to reach his destination and carry
his supplies.
Coaxed Mccormack to Go.
At the mouth of the Thron Diuck
he met this man Mccormack, who was
fishing for salmon, and coaxed him to
90 up with him and make location,
telling him what he had discovered
there. Mccormack did not want to 60
at first, but finally went and made his
location, he and two Chilkat Indians.
The names Of these two Indians were
Skookum Jack and Dark East Charlie.
Coming back, they crossed over from
Gold Bottom creek, that being cut of.
On their way back they struck this
Bonanza creek and found gold there in
paying quantities. They went to
scratching round and made the discov-
cry out of which they got three claims
Nos. and 2, below the Discovery
claim, and No. 8 above.
A claim is 800 feet in length along
the general course of the valley and
across the creek from base to base Of the
mountains. 1t may be 800 feet wide
and it may be 1000. The claim must
be staked with four stakes with your
initials on each stake. Four corner
stakes and the cross line must be cut
from stake to stake or blazed out on the
trees so that it can be seen.
You have 60 days from the date of
the location to find gold and record
your claim and deposit it for record
that is, under the Canadian law. be
lieve it has been revised lately, though.
No jumping is allowed. According to
Mr.. Ogllvle's report, there were OILY
two claims made up to the time ne
made the survey but what We're jumpa-
BILE, as they were not staked according
to law.
There were attempts to jump !, great
many claims, but they were squashed.
1t requires three consecutive months Of
work on these claims.
T. left Forty Nile creek Sept. "a,
1894, OH trip home ard reached here
in January. came back to do business
in Frisco connected with my sawmill.
etc. l had a store and sawmill, but bad
no mining claims at that time. Ny
nine years had brought me maybe 81,
00o or sS,00o We had no very rich
diggings up to that tire. remained
here from Sept "a until June 81, 1895.
Y