Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-06-03
LIFE IN ALASKA.
AS Recounted by an Illinois Boy
Who Resides There.

he can find theater for his ambition
course, this new field is Alaska Glimpses
of mining life in that vast and virgin
territory are to be had in some family
letters written home by Mr.. J. r. DOd-
son, an Illinois boy. to his friends in
this state. He writes from Circle City,
a camp Of 400 log cabins. / ,2D0 miles
from Juneau, whittier he had to journey
in thirty-day tramp. He says:
81 am feeling as good as could be eX
pected, considering what we have to
live upon. There are no luXuries here
mo meat, potatoes, eggs, milk, etc.
All We have is canned goods and -four
some canned and dried fruit. etc. Once
in q while some one kills bear or
moose. Then, by paying 80 cents or IS
cents a pound, we get a little fresh
meat. The way people live here is to
get cabin (lOg), then make q rush for
the store and almost beg them to let
you have an outft-that Is, get every
thing possible to eat you can, such as
flour, butter, beans, bacon. sugar, canned
goods, etc. You take your outfit home,
cache it, then start into housekeeping
everybody his own cook. On Thanks
giving [ had a couple Of friends to din
ner, and they told all over town of the
swell dinner we had. Bill of fare: Oys-
ter stew (of canned oysters and milk g.,
biscuits, coffee, butter, corn, corned
beef and cabbage, and moose steak
smothered with onions. Quite an ex-
tensive bill of fare for this country
| Circle City consists of about 400 log
cabins, twenty saloons, three or four
dance houses, three stores, theater,
two or three bakeries, three restaurants
(now closed), a blacksmith shop, two
carpenter shops and one photograph
gallery.
The weather is rather cool today (No-
vember); it is warmer than usual
thirtyone degrees below-it is cold
when sixty degrees below, but as it is
there is an inch Of snow on the windows,
about half an inch Of frost on the door,
and, in fact, the whole house inside is
ice. | packed the outside all over with
snow and water, which makes it warm
er. We have nothing but wood to burn
l-$1O a cord, and considered cheap. I
haven't had on pair of shoes for
| months. L wear mOCcaSlnS all the time.
l have, though, the finest bed in town;
had it made herc-$25. Had a hay mat
tress made, and [ brought iii two blan-
kets and a comforter. The latter of
morning is as stiff as board from ice,
where my breath would freeze and drop
on it.
Since [ wrote Ca month previous) [
have taken trip to the mines, which
lie about seventy miles to the west of
Circle City. There are 10 such things
as trains or wagons here, so to travel
one must take dogs or walk [ was
about three weeks making the trip, Ow-
ing to such cold weather, for when it
drops to tifty-tive or sixty below it is too
cold to travel. Today is the first time |
have seen the sun for pretty near two
months, then [ only saw tie reflection
as 1t was setting-1 O'Clock. It is now
about O'Clock and nearly dark enough
to light the lamp. For pretty near
week we only had a couple of hours of
daylight, but along in May and June,
for three months, it is daylight all the
time. l suppose you wonder what
kind of meal | had for Christmas?
Well, | had an excellent dinner, but
for New Years, [ don't think [ will fare
so well unless l get another invitation
out, for all my canned meats are gone,
and unless | can get some place, | will
have bacon and beans with corn, toma-
toes, oysters, fruit, and biscuits. [ have,
though, a comfortable cabin now, as |
packed snow all over the outside, and
purchased a larger stove (only S30),
square piece of iron (sheet) with two
holes in the top, and door, but it is
heater, and keeps me very comfortable.
| intend going out next fall, via Arctic
ocean, and when | come back in will
bring about 50, 900 worth Of goods with
me. If do [ can clear $6, 900 on them.
for everything costs three or four times
as much here as ontside.
! So l9uUhad some fine apo of q MON
asking me if this year was 1896, or 1897,
but | sat down five minutes trying to
think Of 1T myself, then had to look it
up. Here it is near the first Of January
and we DON'T know who was elected
President, nor will we for FIVE or six
months"
A letter written Feb. 3, 1897, saws
Everyone here was surprised yester-
day IN seeing mail brought in from
the outside. This mail is brought in by
dog team, and means 800 miles walk
ing in pretty tough weather, and
through snow; so you can imagine our
surprise when 1t arrived, as we didn't
expect it before April.
Alaska is verv mountainous, except
what is called the Yukon fats-400 miles
square, beginning just above Circle City,
and running down to the river Just
back Of Circle City, about fifty or sixty
miles, is a range of side hills, where
small streams flow from the SUBMITS ::
in most all of these gold IS found, some
creeks very rich, while others 'don't
pay"-that is, a man can get from $40 to
SIS day working for someone else and
unless he can make that much. it is no
good. There is no law here, except
what we call miners law. If Il crime is
committed. miners meeting is held !;
chairman and secretary appointed, and
then the crowd does the voting If a
man commits murder they show him no
mercy; If one steals, they give him a
sack of flour, and tell him 10 go; chances
are 10 to L of his ever getting out alive.
Theft Is greater crime here than hon.
icide. This is an awful good country to
make money, but expenses are so high.
1t costs $500 or 500 to live winter, and
that Is about all one can make in Il sum
mer's work. There is new mine
struck about 20O miles from here which
is going TO be the richest ore in the
world. Imagine one man making 81 600
a day. L may go up, but the dogs are
Slo0 each, and it would take four, it
comes high. Flour up there is 500 per
100 pounds. Grub and mosquitoes are
the only drawbacks to this country. In
summer, mosquitoes are so thick that if
one should go outdoors naked, in five
minutes he would be dead man. To
go outdoors with face uncovered. in a
second you would have to rake them off
with both hands. The picture | send
of myself, dog team, and cabin, will give
you fair idea Of dress and way of
travel. These dogs pull over 400 pounds
and once in a while | ride. 1t is quite
cold here sometimes but so far this,