Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-07-29
a LETTER FROM HLRSKR.
a Potosi (Wis0 Boy Writes Home to his Father,
G. NJ jackson, from the Golden kiondgke-
Incidents OF the Journey.
ELpoRADo GuLcH. \. W. T.
June 6, 1897.

diary that the last letter wrote hoIle
was on April 10, nearly two months
AGO. At that time we were at Sheep
Camp. near the foot of Chilkoot Pass.
have passed through many exciting
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
I will tell you ii was no easy matter
although hardly the job | expected
it to be. We made seven trips apiece
with 60 to 100 pounds to pack. The
next morning easter Sunday we
TOOK our camping outfit and pulled
for the Summit.
We got to the top all 0. X. ana
loaded everything on our sleds and
turned them loose down the noun
tain side. and the eCay they did co.
Luck was again with US, for they did
not upset as a great many sleds dld'
1t was so steep that it would have
been impossible to have taken them
down in any other way. At the loot
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 23rd we were at Carbon Cross
ing, the place where we built our boat
We crossed Lake Bennit, a distance OF
% miles. in four hours, but with
sail to help US. We tied our sleds
together. one behind the other, and
had our sail on the front one. We
all rode, and ate our lunch on the
sleds while going at the rate OF seven
miles an hour. 1t was a ride for your
life. We came nearly walking back to
have another ride. We found good
timber at Carbon Crossing, and built
our boat there. We found saw-plts
z already built, and dry logs near them.
We sawed enough lumber in day
and half for the boat; had it done by
goth. 1t was 201 feet on bottom, "a
on top, p across the bottom and had
5-foot beam. We left camp on the
30th, crossed Togish and Mud Lakes,
and by the 3rd of May arrived at the
head of Louis river. We arrived at
head of canyon at p. m. on the 4th'
landed, and took look at what we
had to 90 through, and decided we
could run ii all right, so we just set
our teeth, showed out into the current
and almost before we knew it, we were
through it. The water runs very
swiftly; but there are no rocks to
bother you and if you keep your boat
straight there is no danger. II 1t
should get sidewise it would not last
long as the sides are 8 feet high.
That article in Scribner's gave a
very good description of the trip into
this country. Only two were drowned
at the canyon this spring and 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 mouth of canyon to
White Horse Rapids | consider the
most dangerous part of the trip as the
river is full Of boulders, the water
runs very swiftly. We postaged
around White Horse, distance of 200
yards. 1t was very dangerous place
to run with a small boat and very easy
to get around it, so we chose the lat
ter. We saw scow go through it
safely, but even it shipped about two
barrels of water.
We passed the mouth of Tahkeena
river on May 9TH. and on May 9th ar
rived at head of Lake LaBarge. 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 49,
the last dangerous place on the river.
There are four large rocks across the
river with morrow channels between
them. We went through without any
trouble, as hundreds OF others have
done
Arrived at Fl. Sellick, at mouth of
Pelly river, on May IS. The Polly.
uniting with the Louis river forms the
Yukon. registered at the Fort and
was the 99th that had passed there
this spring You see we we're near
the head Of the push. and at the head