The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-07-02
Editor TRIBUNE:

Editor TRIBUNE:
l promised to send you communi-
cation from this part of the country as
soon as was able and justified for do
ing so. Sheep Camp, four miles below
Chilcoot Pass, is large city of tents
built on the snow, there are about or
8 thousand people encamped here from
all parts of the world, every nation
ality, Cinnamon excepted. The trip |
over Chilcott Pass is hard one, con-
nected with peril and hard work. There |
is an unbrOken line of people going up
from morning till night. $1,000 people |
have crossed the pass since January 1st
1898, and they claim the rush is not
over. Sheep Camp is full of saloons,
gambling dens and dance houses, but it
seems they are not doing a rushing
business, most people being transient,
and they all spend their money with
care. Every few miles from Dyea to
ChilcOot Pass you can see band of
"three shell men" and bunco steeTers
waylaying the travellers, and many a
victim they fleece. Every other day
some one is robbed or killed. 1t is not
very safe to wander about at night.
You can see from one to four women
every day on their way to KlOndyke,
and saw little boy like Tom Coffin
cross the pass and the little fellow
seemed to enjoy it. All women wear
boomers, or skirts that reach about one
inch below the knee, some of them are
dressed in full male attire. One of
them dressed in navy blue KlOndyke
male suit hailed me with: "Hello Babyp
l have not seen a good looking woman
since l have been here and travel up
and down the pass twice day and
have a chance to see all. This country
is not what it is cracked up to be. If
you have capital you can make money
but you have get to take chances, like
gambling. You have no idea how hard
a man must work to go over ChilCoot
Pass to Klondyke, and Chilcoot Pass is
the best route to the Klondyke. You
see sights here you will never see again
in life time. Thousands and thous-
ands of dollars are invested in pro-
visions and outfits, wherever you look
you SEQ piles and piles of flour and
groceries, you see machinery of all
kinds, boats of all descriptions and
sleds of all sorts. A man earns every
dollar he makes here. A great many
turn back after they get here. You see
tired, worn out people every day all
along the trail, some of them in actual
tears their thoughts turned back toward
home and wondering why they came.
1t is my greatest pleasure to saunter
along the trail and observe the throng
as it passes, to watch their faces, tC
hear their expressions. Many will be
disappointed and many will never re-
turn. There is great scheme behind
this movement, secret power seems tC
urge the masses. They are going t.
Klondyke over vast country covered
with snow and ice, weeks and weeks o.
toll and hardship and no pay, all hop
! ing to gain the reward after they react
Dawson. There is one thing noticed
in particular, the old time prospectOr
the old frOntiersman of the plains i
not much represented. They all seen
to be eastern people, green horns ant
T. you can Judge them by their action
and how and where they make camp
They make camp anywhere, under
bluff covered with 80 or 40 feet of snow
or on the ice of creek, never thinkin
. of snowslides or washouts. notice
all this on the start and drew the al
l tention of Lee Hurts and Henry Peter
son to the matter and told ther
: something will happen il few day
r 1t rained, showed and thawed her
0 from April 1st to April Sd Sunday. Sur
1 day morning while we were eatin
breakfast told the boys, we will nc
20 up the pass today, and if this keep
up day longer Sheep Camp will wi