Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-02-03
Direct From KIondlke.


Following is letter from j. l..
Coats, formerly OF Platteville. pub
lished las week in the Witness:
DAWSON CITY. Nov. Z, 1897.
Dear Sir: | should have written to
you long ago but not being acquainted
with the true situation of things.
refrained from doing so until now
will try to write what | think you
want to know as regards to the coun-
try as l have found it. | will first
give you the favorable side of it,
Eldorado Creek is certainly the rich
est that has ever been discovered.
being good for four miles. Bonanza
Greek has many claims but is spotted
and is about twelve miles long. There
have been several other claims located
but so far have not been prospected
enough to say what they are, but no
doubt some of them will be good and
there has been great excitement here
all summer over the prospects. | will
now give you darker view of the
question. There are ten men here
for every job now. and it is estimated
thousand more on the river below
here that will be here in the spring,
and one thousand more on the trail
The river steamers have had a great
deal of trouble in coming up the river.
Four hundred miles below here the
river widens until it is nothing but a
lot of islands and sloughs. There is
about 100 miles of this and the rest of
the river is navigable. | came up on
the first boat from St. Michael. We
left St. Michael June 2Sth, and arrived
at Dawson on the 10th of July. Our
boat drew three feet of water and we
had considerable trouble in getting
up so you see it will not do to depend
on that source for large supplies.
The other way is bad, too. BY start
ing early man can get here cheaper
than any other way but it is hard
trip and | would not advise anyone to
do it for there are too many here now.
A great many are selling their outfit
for what they can get and giving their
last money for dog to help them out.
A dog is worth from 800 to $3.50 and
hard to get at that price. Horses are
being killed as they must be fed on
-four and meal that costs $3.50 per
pound. Everything is very high.
There are not enough supplies for
half the people that are here now. A
great many will go down the river to
where the steamers had to leave the
supplies owing to the low water. A
great many are going out over the
trail. Some are intending to return
in the spring with provisions to sell
before the river boats can get up. All
staples are worth from 81 90 to 1.50
per pound. There is % cents duty to
be paid on the trail to the Canadian
Government. 1t costs from so cents
to $1.00 a pound to pack to the mines
in the summer but they are beginning
to run sleds and the freight is much
cheaper. There is lots of sickness
here in the summer, but they say the
winters are more healthy. The water
is very bad; it is all surface water and
does not run into the ground and
consequently is not filtered but is
always ice cold. There is ice every
one to two feet thick, and is like a
sponge, full of water. 1t is necessary
to wear rubber boots most of the time
and as they are so warm it is hard to
dress the feet comfortably. All the
clothing man requires here in the
summer is overalls, a cotton shirt and
a mosquito net. In the winter he
wants to be in a warmer climate.
Well, that is about as near the true
condition of things here as | can give
you, SO trusting | will see you next
summer, not at Dawson but in Taco
ma, | remain, Yours Truly,
j. l.. COATS.