The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-11-24
NEW TRAILS BROKEN.
Colonel Creighton Tells Of his Alaskan
Trip.

Trip.
seattIe.-Colonel II. r. Creighton,
who camped on the site Of Dawson
eleven years ago and who is well known
in San Francisco and Los Angeles, lie
in Seattle. He has made trip from
valdes with horses 10 the Yukon river
and Gays he is the first one to accom-
plish that feat.
With a party OF twelve he left
Valdes February go, 1898, for the
Copper river and finally reached the
junction of the Klutena and Copper
rivers, where the new town OF Copper
Center has sprung up. Finding no
mineral on the west side OF the river
he struck out for the Yukon across the
country, taking with him Robert Bruce
OF Allegheny, Pa, A. Warren Of What
com, Wash, and John Egan OF Edin-
burgh. They swan their horses across
the Copper river July Goth in a current
in which the pillows ran six feet high.
Not horse was lost, although five
we're carried half mile down stream.
''We bore east, said the Colonel,
"across valley Of small timber to the
open moorland country, skirted the
base Of Mounts Drum and Stanford, q
burnt-up lava country from which on
a clear day the smoke OF Mount Wran-
gel can he seen. Crossing the difficult
Stanford river we reached the Copper
river again, and consumed two days in
finding ford. We proceeded east
ward along the north bank OF the river
of the mouth OF the Slana, tributary
of the Copper river. We followed the
Slana to Lake Mantasta, then went
northeast across a high divide, from
the summit OF which a magnificent
panorama was seen. 1t was the valley
OF the Tanana, broad, level stretch
OF land. Groves, meadows and gardens
of flowers and lakes were visible as far
as the eye. assisted by field glasses,
could see. The grass was AZ high as
a mans head. II was not sour good
for-nothing grass, but red top and blue
joint. All this valley lacked TO give it
the appearance of a typical farming
country were buildings and highways.
Crossing many tributaries of the
Tanana, which we were Obliged to
bridge or swim, We came to the Ia
mana itself, Just above the mouth Of
the Tetlans river. From the Tanana
to the headwaters of Forty Mile creek
the route is most difficult, leading over
innumerable high hills or mountains,
with Undiscovered ravines between.
We found it necessary and most prac-
ticable to travel along the summit Of
ridges. The long journey had well
nigh exhausted our food, and for a
week and half we had been on half
rations. When we finally reached Sixty
Mile creek we were too far to the
south. Not until we reached Miller
creek did we meet with . well-defined
trail. 1t was the first we had seen for
many weeks.
"We saw no mineral country until
we reached the watershed of the Yu-
kon. This is the only practicable all
American route into Alaska. Valdes
harbor, which is open the year round,
cannot fail to be the initial point for a
railroad running through loves pass,
avoiding the glacier, to the Copper
river and up the same to Lake Man
tasta, and from there through the Lowe
divide to ranch of the Tanana river,
thus giving connection with the entire
Yukon system.
From Valdez to the Yukon our
horses subsisted entirely on the grasses
of the country, came to the end of the
journey, fully 500 miles, in good con-
dition and without an accident"