The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-01-01

ing excursions in various directions.
mainly in search Of the copper, which
they did not find.
The First Prospects.
In the spring, being short of provi-
sions, they made their way down the
river, Prospecting as they went. The
result of their prospecting Harper sum
med up to tnc thus:
On the Nelson, nothing; on the Ii
ard, co!ors; on the Mackenzie, nothing;
on the Peel, fair prospects; Oh the Por-
cupine co ors; Oh the Bell, nothing
and on tn, Yukon, prospects.
To obt in provisions they had to
make thu IF way to st. Michael's, and
OH their ray back they encountered Nc
Questen and Mayo, who had gone into
the service of the Alaska Commercial
company Near the mouth of the koyu-
kuk Htper saw an Indian with some
gold ch he said came from Il moun-
tain i'll le vicinity. Harper spent the
winter If 1915 prospecting at the
point indicated, but found nothing.
McQuesten and Mayo, as the result of a
conversation with him, went up the
stream nd established Fort Reliance in
August hni September, 1874. Harper
Joined them the following summer, and
a partl{ {rship was formed which exist
ed until 1889.
IAondikc Prospectcd In Vain.
Fort Reliance is only 6 !, miles from
the u outh Of the renowned klondikc.
Will, trading it appears that they
made very few and short attempts at
pro>p citing. The valley of the Klondike
ana t. aifiuonts is il fayorite hunting
ground but they never prospected there,
and If they had done 80 III the Klondik,
itself they would have found nothing.
tor its bed consists e coarse gravel
through which fine gold ~.
soon gone cut of sight. ana =, ..
ro prospecting was done c.@.p; s~..
work; In the summer Of 1857 - ,..
ley of the Klondike was prospcy,g, {
upward Of 40 miles with 10 I,>ut.
again. III 1898. il was prospec,cd and
nothing found.
Early in the eighties gold was found
On the stuart river In lss6 Mr.. Harper
erected trading post at the mouth Of
the Stuart for the benefit Of the miners
L ere, sOnie 30 or more i'll number.
In :hc same year coarse gold was
found on Forty Mile. Now, as coarse
gold is what al miners principally
search for as sOoi. As this discovery was
snade known Stuart river was desert
IA. Harper left Stuart river in June,
sS1. and went down to the mouth OF
;hc Forty Mile. where he began the
arection of u residence and trading
house, the nucleus of the famed town OF
Forty Mile
First Rich Strikes.
From the headwaiers of Forty Mile
many went over to the headwaters OF
Sixty Mile-the two being separated
.nly by low. narrow divide-and
Miller and Glacier creeks We're discov
cred. Miller was considered the riches
creek i'll the entire country for severa
years. but would not at all compare witt
Bonanza or FL Dorado Miller and Gla
cier creeks were believed to be in Alask;
until l produced the one hundred ant
forty first meridian. which is the inter
national boundary line. and found then
well in Canada-so far that there cal
never be any question as to which sid
of the line they are on.
Forty Mile, with Sixty Mile, was tn
mining ground i'll that vicinity unit
1891, when gold was found on the head
waters Of Birch creek.
This was the origin of Circle City
which is on the banks of the Yukon
about 200 miles below Forty Mile and
miles from the head Of Birch creek
This town was begun in 1891 and ah
sorbed the attention Of great many o
Forty Mile and the bulk Of the new
ooners There are couple Of gulche
at the head Of Birch creek which wer
thought to be rich and are good, bu
they cannot by compared with FL Dc
RADIO or Bonanza.
First Gold on the Klondikc.
The discovery of the gold on tn
Klondike, as it is called, although tn
proper name Of the creek is i'll India
"Troan dix" was made by three me1
Robert Henderson, a Canadian, u natiy
of Prince Edward Island; Frank Swar
son, Norwegian, and another ma
named Munson, whose nationality ! d
not know, who in July. 1896, wer
prospecting OH Indian creek.
They proceeded up the creek withor
finding sufficient to satisfy them unit
they reached Dominion creek, and aftt
prospecting there they crossed over til
divide and found Gold Bottom, an afflu
ent Of the Klondike, where they &c
good prospects and went to work. PR
visions running short, Henderson r.
traced his steps to the mouth Of India
creek, leaving the other two at worl
From tho mouth Of Indian creek he wei
up to Sixty Mile, but failing to obtai
q supply there he had to make for Fort
Mile. On the way down he passed q
old mining comrade named George v
Car,nack. Henderson ut once advise
Carmack of the discovery on Gold bo
tom and advised him to try ther
He went down, found Swanson III