The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-14

tempts at prospecting. The valley or
| the Klondikc and its aflluents is II fa-
! vOrite hunting ground, but they never
| prospected there, and if they had done
| so i'm the Klondike itself they would
have found nothing, for its bed consists
| of coarse gravel through which fine
| gold would have soon gone out of sight,
| and at that time no prospecting was
| done except surface work. In the sum-
| mer of 1887 the valley Of the KlOndike
| was prospected for upward of forty
| miles, with no result. Again, in 1898,
| it was prCspeCted and nothing found.
Early i'm the sos gold was found on
| the Stewart river by miners, promi-
/ nent among whom were two brothers
named Boswell from Peterboro, on
tario. There is little doubt that much
of the early mining done in the coun-
try was due to the reports of Harper,
! who had written to old comrades in
| British Columbia, where he had mined
| for many years, trying to induce them
| to try their luck on the Yukon. In 1856
| Mr. Harper erected a trading post at
| the mouth of the Stewart for the bene-
| fit of the miners there, some thirty or
| more in number
In the same year coarse gold was
| found on Forty Mile. Now, as coarse
| gold is what all miners principally
! search for. as soon as this discovery
| was made known Stewart River was
! deserted. Harper left Stewart River in
June 1887, and went down to the mouth
of the Forty Mile. where he began the
| erection of residence and trading
| house. the nucleus of the famed town
| Of Forty Mile was prospeCted it's en-
! tire length and to enumerate the
| creeks and gulches on it's hoadwaters
on which gold was found would now be
a waste of time.
THE FIRST RICH STRIKE.
From the hcadwaters of Forty Mile
many went over to the headwaters Of
! Sixty Mile-the two being separated
| only by low, narrow divde-the Mil
| Ter and Glacier creeks were discovered.
| Miller was considered the richest creek
! i'm the entire country for several years,
! but would not at all compare with
| Bonanza or El Dorado. Miller and
| Glacier creeks were believed to be in
! Alaska until l produced the 14lst meri-
| dian. which is the international bound
| airy line, and found them well in Cam
| ada-so far that there can never be
| any question as to which side of the
| line they are ON.
| | may state for the information of
many, as a case of what those con-
| templating entry to that country may
| regard as the usual thing, that Miller
| Creek was prospected three different
| times, and ON each occasion given up
as worthless Yet, after all, it turned
out to be the richest creek known in
the country until 1896.
Forty Mile, with Sixty Mile, was the
mining ground in that vicinity until
| 1891, when gold was found on the head
waters of Birch Creek. This discovery
was led to by a Canadian missionary,
! ArChdeaCOn Macdonald Of Fort Mac
Pherson, on the Peel River. This gem
| tleman, in connection with his mission
| AIRY labOTs, had Travelled great deal
! ever the COW Try. In coming frOr
| Tanana river he found nugget in a
gulCh on one of the head streams of
| Birch Creek. He reported the find to
| some miners, and they made search for
| the place where he had found it. But
although they did not find the place
| answering the description he had Civ
en-, they found the gold.
CIRCLE CITY's ORIGIN.
This was the origin of Circle City.
which is on the banks of the Yukon,
| about 200 miles below Forty Mile, and
! eight miles from the head of Birch
creek. This town was begun in 1891.
and absorbed the attention of a great
many at Forty Mile and the bulk of
| the newcomers. There are a couple of
Eulches at the head of Birch Creek
which were thought to be rich, and are
gOod-but they cannot be compared
with FL Dorado or Bonanza. ! will use
the words of an old. experienced miner.
VINO said to me that the Birch Creek
| diggings ARE only Chinese diggings
compared with Bonanza or FL Dorado"
why" he went ON, II know one or
two claims ON the IL Dorado that
| would not give for the whole Birch
Creek district
\ good creek was discovered on the
head of Forty Mile i'm the fall of 1895
named Mesquite Creek. As the law
allows a claim of 1920 feet measured
in the general direction of the creek
the few who We're in the country at the
time of discovery took up the whole
creek by locating claims to that eX-
tent, and although the rule up to that
time had been claims of 500 feet only.
FINDING THE KLONDIKE.
TIE discovery of the gold on the
Klondike. as ii is called, although the
proper name of the creek is in Indian
"Troan-dik," was made by three men.
Robert Henderson, a Canadian, "A ma
tive of Prince Edward Island; Frank
SWanson, a Norwegian, and another
man, named Munson, whose national
itv do not know, who, in July, 1896,
We're prospecting on Indian Creek.
They proceeded up the creek without
finding sufficient to satisfy them until
they reached Dominion Creek and af-
ter prospecting there they crossed over
the divide and found Cold Bottom, an
afliuent of the Klondike where they
got good prospects and went to work.
Provisions running short, Henderson
retraced his steps to the mouth of In
dian Creek, leaving the other two at
work. From the mouth of Indian Creek
he went up TO Sixty Mile, but failing to
obtain a supply there he had to make
for Forty Mile. On the way down he
passed an old mining comrade named
George w. CarmaCk, a native of Cali
forna, who had associated with him,
two Inuians, Tagish Jim and Tagish
Charlie natives of the upper waters of
the Yukon, who proudly claimed to be
King George men, or British In
diaus
Now one Of the articles of the miners
code is that he shall proclaim all dis
coveries made by him as soon as pos
sible, and Henderson at once advised
Carmack of the discovery on Gold Bot
tom and advised him to try there.