Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-08-19

The subioined letter, from the Grant
County Herald gives an exceedingly
plain and vivid account of an overland
Journey to the Klondyke-a story that
carries its own evidence of honesty and
accuracy in every sentence. It's author,
Will c. Jackson, is a Grant county
(Wis) boy and the letter is to his
father, c. NJ Jackson, who lives at
Potosi Ex-Congressman A. R. Bush
nell who knows the young man, says
he is sturdy, truthful and manly fell
low whose account may be accepted as
reliable in every particular Here is
the narrative:
Eldorado Gulch, \. W. T., June 6,
1897. Dear Ones at Home see by
by diary that the last letter | wrote
home was on April 16, nearly two
months ago At that time we were at
Sheep Camp, near the foot of Chilkoot
pass. have passed through many ex-
citing scenes and over many dangerous
places in that time; but it seems that
good luck was with US all the way.
We carried most of our outfit up
the summit on the 18th of April and
/ will tell you it was no easy matter
although hardly the job I expected it to
be. We made seven trips apiece with
SO TO 100 pounds to a pack. The next
morning easter Sunday we took our
camping outfit and pulled for the sum-
nit
We got to the top all o. K and
loaded everything on our sleds and
turned them loose down the mountain
side, and the way they did goi Luck
was again with us for they did not
upset as a great many sleds did. Tt
was SO steep that it would have been
impossible to have taken them down
in any other way. At the foot is
Chicago lake and the sleds went about
half way across it. We next crossed
Crater lake and arrived at the head
Of Lake Linderman that evening. By
the 23d we were at Caribou crossing,
the place where we built our boat We
crossed Lake Bennit, a distance of 26
miles, in four hours, but with a sail to
help us. We tied our sleds together.
one behind the other, and had our sail
or the front one, We all rode, and ate
our lunch on the sleds While going 1T
was ride for your life We came
nearly walking back to have another
ride. We found good timber at Carl
bon crossing, and built our boat there
We found saw-pits, already built and
dry logs near them. We sawed
enough lumber in day and a half for
the boat; had it done by the 29th 1t
was 2012 feet on bottom, "a on top 21b
across the bottom and had a 5-fOot
beam We left camp on the 30th,
crossed Togish and Mud lake, and by
the Sd of May arrived at the head of
Louis river We arrived at head of
canyon at p. m. on the 4th, landed
and took a look at what we had to go
through, and decided we could run it
all right, so we just set our teeth
showed out into the current and al
most before we knew it. we were
through it. The water runs very swift
ly; but there are no rocks to bother
you and if you kaer your boat straight
there is no danger. IF it should get
sidewise it would not last long as the
sides are feet high.
That article In SCribner's gave a
very good description of the trip into
this country. Only two were
drowned at the canyont this spring
ard but two or three outfits lost. and
1000 people must have gone through
there Those men would not have
been drowned, but they got excited
and lost their heads From the mouth
of the canyon to White Horse rapids
| consider the most dangerous part Of
the trip as the river is full of boulders
and the water runs very swiftly. We
portrayed around White Horse, a dis
lance of 200 yards. 1t was a very dan
gerous place to run with a small boat
and very easy to get around it. so We
chose the latter. We saw a scow go
through it safely. but even it shipped
about two barrels of water.
We nassed the mouth of Tahkeena
river May 5th, and on May 9Th ar
rived at the head of Lake lie Barge.
1t took us two days to cross it as the
wind did not help us any. We got to
the mouth of Hootalinqua on the even
ing of the 9th and camped Went
through the Five Fingers on May IS,
the last dangerous place on the river.
river with narrow channels between
them. We went through without any
trouble, as hundreds of others have
done.
Arriveo - TT Sellick, at mouth -
Pelly river, on May Is. The Pelly,
uniting with the Louis river, forms
the Yukon. | registered at the Fort and
was the Goth that had passed there this
spring. You see we were near the
head of the push, and at the head of
the parties that came on the same boat
that we did Passed mouth of Stewart
river on the 18th and at 5 p. m. arrived
at Dawson, our destination, at the
mouth of the Klondyke river, and
found a very lively town indeed.
Lots 50x100 fee; IN Dawson are sell
lug all the way from $1,000 to $4,000
We heard al sorts of stories about
the mines; but they all agree that it is
the largest strike ever made, as there
are no blanks at all We came out
here to the mines on the goth and
found the stories all true, for EldoradC
gulch is a world-beater.
We started to work for Elwell on
the 21st of May at SIS day, or 81 an
hour. We put in extra time when not
too tired The claims are 500 feet
and he only has a fraction of 1872 feet
Elwell bought his partner out May