Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-10-06
PROVISIONS PLENTIFUL.
THERE Is NO DANGER OF ANY.
ONE STARVING IN THE COP
PER RIVER REGION.
An Interesting Letter From Mr.. A. 8
Mcdowell to His Sister, Mrs. A. b.
Skinner, of Molino-Visited
Jas. Marshall and Party.
To Mrs, A. B. Skinner, Moline, Mo.

| Lon1 VALUES, AIAShA, aug. TO-
My Dear Sister: I am in camp OF
Klutena River. Everything is qutet
here now. Nothing has been STRUCK
in the Copper River district so far, il
spite of the energetic prospecting
which has been prosecuted here thii
summer. The weather here now IL
perfect in every way. Our autumn
has commenced now and we are hav.
ing heavy frosts every night and the
leaves are turning yellow. The North.
ern lights have commenced their dis.
plays and everything seems to point
to winter. We are prepared and &c
everybody says, 'let her Gomez There
is an abundance OF supplies here for al
and / think more than will be used.
You see there was between three and
four thousand people come in here
and there was probably ~two-thirds OF
them sold out and went back, and
there will be a lot more follow before
winter sets in. 1 don't look to see
more than three or four hundred peo-
pie winter here. OF course, nc one
takes anything out; everything is left
behind. So you see, those that remain
behind will have all that $500 people
brought in with them.
Auction sales Is the order of the day.
Flour that one month ago brought
from SIS to $50 per hundred brings to-
day from s4to S. per hundred. Every
thing else is in proportion and Is get
ting cheaper every day. So don't let
any newspaper stories Of starvation
on Copper River alarm you in the
least. II / had $50 I could buy more
supplies than I could in Portland for
SIS, but l have everything I want.
am going across from the head Of
Copper River to Tunanna River this
winter and would not like a big outfit
to carry along. Next summer I will
prospect on the above named river
and will try to make some kind of q
raise and re-outit from some trading
post on the other slope.
I have just returned from a visit to
the Mexico party, camped five miles
below here at the head of the rapids.
I think some of them will 60 home
this fall. The party is composed of
o. P. Jones, James Marshall, Mr..
Baker and others. If either of them
60 back I will send word by them.
In places there Is q great deal Of
game, especially bear, the like Of
which l never saw before. The woods
are full of them. They have left the
streams and are feeding on berries.
There is a great many varieties Of
berries growing here, especially wild
c%urrants, of which there are two
varieties-the black and red ones.
Also buckle berries and wild raspber-
ries and others, 1 know not their
names. In q little while the bear will
be very fat and their fur will be good
and then / intend making war on them,
which may not be much Of a picnic, as
there have been several t%enderfeet
come into camp pretty badly chewed
up by too close acquaintance with
bears. One poor fellow lost his knife
and while crawling on his hands and
knees q bear tackled him, knocked his
gun out of his hands, bit him several
times in the face, breaking his lower
jaw in two places and otherwise using
him badly, then walking of in disgust,
leaving him more dead than alive. He
is about well and swears all kinds of
against the bear. He says
they ever meet again it will be war
to death.
l am just as hopeful now as before
1 landed here. II I can't find gold at
one I will try another. I did not come
here like many, expecting to pick up
nuggets without any exertion what
I think the mail will be deliv-
cred most all winter. Don't know
whether the United States will estab-
lish a mail route in here or not, but I
doubt 1t, for by spring everybody will
have gone to Tunanna River. Write
me 80 the letter will reach me by Nov.
1. After that 1 am liable to start on
my winters march. With love to all
I remain, afectionately,
Your brother,
A q McDOwErJ.