Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-10-06
FOUND NO GOLD.
G. W. wYLDE, OF BENTON CITY
AND PARTY PROSPECTING ON
STEWART RIVER.
An Audrain County Man Writes From
the Northwestern Territory About
Their Trip up that Srteam-The
Scenery and Climate Grand.

Correspondence Of the Ledger.
MOUTH OF STEWART RIVER, NORTH
WEST TERRITORY, Aug. 21.-In my last
letter, June z, we we're ready to start on
a prospecting tour up Stewart River.
We have completed our trip and re-
turned here, finding our goods safely
cached, as weileft them. The Stewart,
q tributary of the Yukon, is difficult to
navigate on account of its swift cur
rent and numerous reefs and rapids.
We left the mouth OF Stewart July
8, having for our destination Mayo
Greek, 100 miles distant We DON dis
covered that pulling a boat up a swift
mountain stream quite a different
matter to floating down the Yukon.
We had a small boat with a rope
about 100 yards long attached on each
side. Two men usually walk along the
side OF the river pulling with the ropes
while a third sits in the boat and
steers. We were four weeks in reach
ing our destination and it was by far
the hardest trip Of my life. We often
experienced great difficulty in getting
around high cliffs, where the water is
always deep and swift, and other times
the overhanging branches of trees in
terfered with the working Of the ropes.
But the most disagreeable part was
when we had to get in the water and
pull, by main strength, our boat
through rapids, often having to wade
for half q mile In the water, very deep
and cold, not infrequently stepping in
holes, thus getting in over our long
topped gum boots. We were many
times in great danger. The weather
was mostly delightful, the air fine and
bracing and in spite of the h~ardships
everybody is healthy and stout and
have fine appetltes.
1 cannot do the scenery Justice; it is
simply grand. The mountain sides are
covered with beautiful flowers for
miles in extent. A painter could get
lovely views for sketches here. Moose
and bear are plentiful and some were
killed and eaten. We found moose
meat to be delicious, having a rich,
gamey taste and as tender as veal.
Bear meat lie not quite so good, but
still . nice change from pork and
beans. The birds and squirrels are
quite tame and will come and eat
crumbs at our tent. We killed a grouse,
or mountain hen, and had pot pie,
which was much enjoyed.
On our way we stopped and pros
pected on the following streams, tribu-
taries of the Stewart: Rosebud, Daisy
May, Black Hills, Macquestion Crook
ed Creek and Mayo, finding gold in
two places only, Macquestion and
Mayo. On the first mentioned stream
fine gold ID found, but not coarse
enough to pay to work. On the Mayo
we found lots of fine gold dust in the
sides Of the river bed. It being i'm
possible to pull our boat go we walked
some 40 or 80 miles up this stream.
The face OF the country here is similar
to the mining district of Colorado. Old
miners say coarse gold will yet be
fonnd in this locality but say some bet
ter means for getting provisions in
there must be devised first. Some dis
lance up Mayo we came to Mt. Look
out, a large mountain resembling
Pixies Peak. From this mountain we
could g for many miles in every
direction. We could plainly trace the
course of the streams, while several
large lakes, Dr. inland seas could be
seen in the direction of the northeast.
We regretted to leave Mayo without
further prospecting, but we were over
200 miles from q provisions and
owing to the lateness OF the season
and the great difficulty in moving
goods we were obliged to give up the
idea of returning to that point for this
season at least. So we came back to
the mouth of Mayo, where we had left
our little boat, and on Aug. is started
on our return trip down the Stewart
and, as the boys would say, we "come
a-fyin'," arriving in 3 days, Aug. 20.
About 1900 men came up the Stew
art this season. Many have returned,
while many others will remain all
winter. They are digging away most
faithfully and if gold exists it will
surely be found soon, but 90 far none
has been found on the Stewart this
year. I do not believe there is any
gold on the Stewart, but may be
wrong. In 1882 there vas consider
able gold taken out of the gravel bars
in this stream, but 1t is now believed
to have come from the headwaters or
some tributary near the headwaters.
Soma miners vent al far az the falls.