Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-02-10
KL0NDIKE NEWS.
A Letter From Archie Shelp, One
of Cavalier County's
Old Timers.
HAS STRUCK 1T RICH.
This County Will Furnish Fair
Quota of Prospective.
Gold Hunters.

Interest in matters pertaining to the
Alaska gold fields of the Klondike is in
creasing. IN Cavalier county from day to
day and from all appearances the quota
of seekers after the yellow stuff from
different localities here in the spring will
be much larger than the community at
large have any idea Of
In letter given below which appeared
in last weeks Bathg ate Pink Paper, a
former resident of this county, in the per-
SON Archie Shelp, is heard from. He has
been in Alaska for nearly eight years
and from what he has to say below must
have cleaned up a pretty good pile. At
the time that he wrote Editor Wilson
Archie replied to letter of recent date
from his brother, Pat Shep, who lives
at Mazda, the news in this being similar
to the one printed below. He adds,
however, that be has seven claims in the
Klondike region, besides one on Douglas
Island, near Juneau, which he bonds this
spring for 100000. Two of The claims
near Dawson City he expects to dispose
OF right away at Il big ii. ure. Archie
returns to the interior about May lst
and waits at Juneau until that time for
his brother Pat Shelp TO straiyh,en up
his affairs IN this county and join him
in the hunt for gold. AS will be Seen in
the following letter Archie is quite
modest in his account, lie does not claim
to have dug up millions in gold nuggets,
but admits that he now possesses more
than he ever expected Lc 10 those hav-
ing the Klondike craze his letter will give
much information which has been gained
through years OF experience, by one
whom we all know we'll.
juneau, Alaska, Jan Sth, 1898.
FRANK A. WILSON:
Dear Friend:- am in receipt of your
letter of Dec. %, '97 tolay and will
hasten to answer 1t. JOS. Birch handed
it to me today. I left Dawson City Dec.
9Th. with dog team and arrived at ID. e;,
Jan. End. made two trips in there last
year. would say there were seven
thousand people at Dawson, most of the
people there now | think will Stay there
as they either have good claims or are in
some good paying busine s. l consider
the Klondike the RICHEST placer mining
camp the world ever heard of AT for
Forty Mile, Sixty Mile, Stewart River,
Circle City and those PAGES they run
from ten TO twenty dollars per day and
plenty OF ground and will be good paying
ground where there is plenty of grub to
be had and cheaper.
l think Dawson City will take the lead
and will be headquarters for all the min
ing on the Canadian side while Circle
City will be the same for the American
side and think will be good country to
make d stake in for a while yet. 1t ls a
very hard place to get TO with any amount
of stnff. consider the Dyea route the
best one. If you should come let me
know about what time You will he here
and l will lay for you and can give you
some good pointers. Now as to the news
paper / know nothing about that kind of
thing, but can tell you there is no such
thing there yet and outside paper sell
very high. I know OF no one taking in
any such thing and I think ynu would
have hard work to get it shipped up the
river and to get it in this way would cost
big lot of money. will try to leave
here by March 1st with pretty big out
it, have in all seven claims in the
Klondike some OF which l know to be
good. Imade heap of money in that
country this season, but am playing for
a big stake ard have invested everything
in claims so I think will have plenty
now soon.
It looks as if there would be an awful
lot of people go in that country this sum.
mer. left here last time Oct. Sth, and
now find two big towns where there was
nothing at that time. Dyea will be
big place also Sheep Camp sixteen miles
from Dyea, then there is a town building
nine miles from Dyea. Cannon City.
Now they are surveying for a railroad
at Chilcot over the Dalton trail / have
some good quartz claims here, but the
Klondlke excitement has left everything
in the shade but Klondike property
Your Respectfully,
ARCHIE SHELF,