The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1898-05-03
From chaiIis to Fort wrangIe.
FORT wHANoLr, Alaska, April IS, 1898.

DAi OAe 4f1I%ooISN6Gh "1lbcl
leaving Challis on the 3rd OF
March, | journeyed down the
country to Blackfoot, which place
was reached about 9 o'clock D. m.
of the 4th. After remaining at
this point until 2:10 a. M, the
south bound train was boarded
and | was soon in Pocatello, al
which place l stopped until about
$3.50 a. N. of the 7th-the west
bound train being a few minutes
late. | met quite a number of
Custer county people at this
place.
The next stop I made was at
Baker City, Oregon. This seems
to be about as busy place as
passed through until reaching
Seattle. After stopping over
until the 18th ult. waiting for the
other boys, and visiting with old
friends and looking at old famil-
lar scenes, Bert and Arch reach
ed me here on the O'Clock train.
From here our course west
ward took us down Powder River
Valley past Haines, North Powd-
er and Wolf creek, and out across
the hills and down through
Pyle's Canyon into Grande Round
Valley. This is a large valley,
but as it had not advanced far
enough towards Spring to make
it green, it did not show off to a
very good advantage.
The next place we reached was
LaGrande, and as it was Sunday
evening, the boys and their best
girls" seemed to be out in full
force, and we might say "there
are a right smart sprinklin. :"
After leaving this place we fol-
lowed up the Grande Round riv-
er and were soon on the summit
of the Blue mountains, or at the
old Meecham station, at which
place we took supper. The next
place we came to was Pendleton.
but as we passed through it in
the night did not get to see much
of it. We, also, passed through
the Dalles in the night. We
reached Portland the next morn
ing at Z o'clock, and left at IL a.
m. This did not give us much
time. but we made the best of it.
After leaving Portland we
travel along down the Columbia
for some distance until we were
put across it by the steam ferry,
and were soon being huled along
towards Tacoma, at which place
we stopped only long enough to
change cars, and were soon on
our way for Seattle, which place
we reached at 6:20 p. m. Here
we were compelled to lay over
until the 10Th, when we again
resumed our course northward
on the steamer Cottage City,"
one of the Pacific Coast Steam
ship Cos. vessels. This Com
pany's boats carry the mails for
the North.
Seattle is the boss town. 1t is
doing as much business as all the
other coast towns we were in.
You can't go any place or turn
any way but what you see 'Klon-
dixie" or alaska OutfitterS"
posted on houses; men carrying
banners with it on; dog teams
with wagons and sleds with
some .'Klondil1e" mark posted on
the rig. and. of course, they all
let you know they are for sale.
If you go into a store and ask for
anything, and you have a kind of
Alaska look on your face, they
draw their lists and start to Civ
ing you game of CUFF" and
want to sell you and outfit, but
they are all right, and so is
Seattle at present.
We boarded our steamer at
11:40 a. M, and were soon steam
ing off for Tacoma, where we
took on some passengers, and
about 800 tons of freight, laying
here until 9:15 p. M, when we
again started on our journey
north-traveling through sounds,
straits, bays and inlets most of
the way-only touching the main
water at Queen Charlott's Sound
and Dixion's Inlet. On Queen
Charlott's Sound it was quite
rough, and number of the pas
sengers We're a little sick. and in
order to be in style joined in on.
the chorus.
The firststop from Tacoma was
at Port Townsend, which place
place we reached at 2:30 a. m. of
the goth. so did not get TO see
anything here but a few lights.
The next reached was Victoria.
where we arrived at Z a. IN. AS
this was our first chance on Can
adian soil, we were soon out aud