Stikeen River journal. (Fort Wrangel, Alaska) 1898-1899, 1898-06-18
1ESL|N TRAIL ALL RIGHT
\ Proper Outfit and Dctcrmina-
ton Can Win.
PACK ANIMALS NECESSARY
Considerable Work has Been
Done on the Wagon
Road.
PACK ANIMALS NECESSARY

PROSECUTORS continue to arrive IL
town from Glcnora and points beyond
us far as reslia Lake. bringing stories
of failure to reach the golden regions
beyond Trsln Lake. Failure not due.
us many suppose. to the fact that the
trail is impossible. or very hard To
travel: but owing to misrepresentation
on the part of transportation companies
who have thus far been the only benc-
ticiaries, from the thousands who left
Wranyel to enter the uneXplorcd re-
yions below Tcslin Lake via the Sixteen
river route. ! his Misrepresentation
has reached Il point far beyond what
any person unfamiliar with the facts
would dream of. The route from
Wranrcl to Glcnora or Telegraph creek
is an easy one during the season of
navigation, but from Glenora or Tele-
graph creek to Tcslin Lake the
trail passes through mountain
GA, country nearly all the way
and the distance is so great
that it is impossible for Il prospector to
reach that point without pack animals.
He may 90 through with pack on his
back. but he will find ON reaching the
Lake that he must return at once for
more provisions, rs there are rs yet no
provisions for sale at Teslin Lake.
The Iudson's Bay company have
pressed into service more than three
hundred pack animals on this trail and
are taking in supplies for their post at
Teslin. but it will be fall before they
too late To do much, if any. prospecting
before the winter season begins. With
pack animals the seeker for gold can
land his supple, AT Glenora or Tele
graph creek and 90 straight through to
Teslin Lake covering the distance in
two weeks, provided of course he has
good animals. The only other alterna-
tive is to have goods packed by one of
the numerous concerns engaged in the
business of packing. The price of pack
ing from the Stikeen River to Teslin
Lake has been forty cents per pound.
although it is said that offers have
been made to pack freight through by
the next trip of the pack trains at
figures as low as thirty cents. although.
as IL rule packers or their agents do
not care to make Il price in adv ance of
the return to GlcnOra of the packers.
During the season of 1891 packers car
ried freight from Glenora to Teslin at
a figure as low as seventeen cents. but,
unless the number of pack animals in
crease very soon or the quantity of
freight offered becomes less no such
price will be made for this season.
During the past winter transportation
companies. especially the G. L. r., re-
presented thi, route as being through
IA level country. easily traversed. with
feed for horse, every "h here in abund-
ance. \ wagon road was to he con-
peted to Teslin Lake by April 18th,
and railroad by Sept. lst. This and
many other glowing accounts of the
Stikeen route brought g, great many
people to Wrangel and Glenora who
were unprepared to meet the cOndi-
tions as they exist but. who had they
known the facts would have brought
along an outfit sufficient to take them
through. and instead of returning the
prospectors would all be we'll on then
way to the Yukon. The wagon road
has proved Il gigantic fraud, started in
luke warm spirit and ending in fail
ure The contractors have built Il road
from Glenora to point one mile from
the creek, known as Telegraph creek
and five miles from the town of the
same name. They have also built sever
miles of road along the side of Tele
graph creek, leaving only one mile tC
be built in order to make road o
twenty miles which would be Of grca
service, but which at present is of nj
value. The failure to build this Wagon
disgrace to the entire Dominion of Can
ada.
Considerable work has been done or
the pack trail by the Provincial Gov
eminent and pack animals can g
through with load of 25O pounds
There is not ar abundance of grass
but sufficient to feed all animals a
present on the trail. The swamps an(
hills are draw back, but not by any
means unSurmOuntable.
1t is hoped that the near future will
see wagon road competed through tt
Teslin Lake, but even now the Sti
keen route, to a person cOnversant
with the facts and properly outfitted
is an easy route in comparison with
what man should expect on a trip 1S(
miles through mountainous country
J. r. MCkEAND.