The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-18

~ART,Y in August. 1857, tbs FIRST
prospecting pavtEeH left EduIon-
10 ton fer the Yukon, shetr pans
being to make ~ far as they
could in the fail and corr 1iste
The journey r. tae spring betoFe
any could get in by ether routes. They
took paekhorses over Indian trail ay
way Of i-ae Ste. Anue. direct across conn
try 70 ST. john. d distance % so r3iies. The
trail h0xever I'D through eonsiaera BILE
boxgy Land and the steep hills were aoi
properly grated f9r pack animals, conse~
auently they made SLOW progress |, WAS
winter before Eheg reached Fort ST. Jonn.
They weFe nadly crippled having lass aaost
OF their horses an fae way, from exposure
and ztarya sion. In November and Decsrn Der
several parties stared over the winter trail
with Gat sles.s. These too. made slow
progress. ios!ng most OF their horses en-
route. and suffering all the harfssIps If
outdoor life IL a cold country. NearY al
stopped a. Peace river landing. unable BY
reason Of lose OF horses 10 proceed fartaer.
Tas only course open. therefore 49, -
build boats and proceed in the sgring VIA
Peace river, Lake Athabasca. Slave river,
Great Slave lake, Mackenzie river to tne
Lard, snt by going up the Lard ard Fran
els rivers 10 Francis lake. portage 20 the
head OF FeIiy river.
The Government Trait.
In the meantime a surveyor had been
cent out With gang ~ alea g. 0s4ea ~ a
wide trail sui'abie for double ssc!gas IRON.
Edmonton 90 Lesser Slave lake. rs the
latter pert Of January this Mas reported
finished Hitherto the usual route had been
over stage road 10 Afhabasca Landing. up
the Atnahasca river Of the Ice 10 Little
Slave river and thence - Lesser Slave
lake. by this time. attracted by the many
advertised advantages. prospecting parties
from ali parts % the globe were arriving In
Edmonton and the new road was rep
Resented TO be shorter and better than the
Old. nearly all started In fais way. The
first parties started early in February. For
81 distance the road was practical. but very
rough In places. and the hills were not
properly graded when a short way out
the wood choppers were met coming in.
They reported al cn; but about five miles
from Swan river, from which point there
was "a good trsil on ice Ia the Save lake
post. They explained they had run short OF
provisions and were going back to Edmon-
ton, a distance Of % titles. for a further
supply. IL was mutually agreed by the
parties 70 voluntarily assist In cutting a
way through. ON reaching Moose mount
ain the end OF the tTa'l was reached. They
set In with a VIII to cut the trees from the
road. In threa feet OF Snow They soon had
the trail cut 10 the end Of me surveyors
blaze marks and we're breaking a path.
when the surveyors returned and proceeded
TO blaze the path. the pr0spectdrs follow
Ing up with axes. In few hours however
The surveyors Returned and Informed them
that they had reached rayine 500 feet
deep. with perpendicular walls u; is use
less" they added: the devil himself could
bot get through
Always HUFF in the Way.
The temper Of the men WAS now In no
very tranquil state. They had left Edm0u-
ton with what horse feed they could carry.
sufficient with reasonably good progress to
last them 20 Lesser Slave lake the next
point for supplies. The snow everywhere
waa too deep to allow horses 10 rustic
and with the prospects, OF an indefinite
h0ld-np matters took a serious turn
Threats OF what migAt happen il the chief
surveyor came that way had free circula-
ton. Exploring parties radiated on snow
shoes To try 10 find way out. but all re-
turned with the same story. They came 70
the steep blun, and saw the country
stretched out below them. To the north
west was a long, narrow strip OF white,
which proved TO De Lesser Save lake. fully
forty miles distant In "A few days how
ever. two men succeeded IN getting down
and striking Swan river finding The Old to-
began trail used by the parties starting
In early winter They followed this TO n
point whore Il hyanched from the main
trail SIX miles back from y here the parties
we're camped. There was but ono thing 20
do-to turn back and GU, the narrow tobog-