The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-21
SHE is A WOMAN PIONEER
MRS. GEORGE M'KAY, OF DAW-
SON CITY, IN ST. PAUL
WAS the First White Woman to
Make the Trip From Dawson to
Dyea Over the sChiIiSOOt Pass
Is Now Returning to Alaska From
Visit to Her Former Home in
ichiHan.

Mrs. George Mckay. the first white
woman to make the trip from Dawson
City ITO Dyea via the Chilkoot pass,
was in st. Paul yesterday,
Mrs. Mckay has been spending a
couple OF months with relatives in Mich
igan, and was in this city yesterday en-
route for Seattle, from where she goes
to Dyea to meet her husband and pre-
pare for the return trip over the pass.
George Mckay. Mrs Mcl<ay's hus-
band, was mail carrier whose route
took him between Circle City and
Juneau when the eXcitemnt first broke
| out. He hired a friend as a subat-
tute and Immediately proceeded to Bo-
nanza creek. arriving there with the
! first group of adventuresome spirits
The mail carrier located two claims ON
the little stream, the name OF which was
soon to be a byWord on the lips Of
thousands, and, accompanied by three
cher seekers after the yellow metal,
struck out further into the wilderness,
arriving at Hunker creek, where he
staked out two more claims
The Mckays had been residing at
Circle City, but after the lucky mail
carrier returned from his prospecting
tour he took his wife to Dawson City.
Where they own a coZy little cabin Nc
kay sold one Of his Bonanza claims for
$4,000 and panned out sufficient dust
from the others to make him feel sure
that they possessed great wealth.
Mrs. Mckay had not been out of in
land Alaska for three years, and with
the riches of her better half came ii
desire to return 10 her old home in
Michigan and visit her relatives. nv
Mckay decided to accompany her as
far as Seattle, and on last Thanksgiv-
ing day the two, in company with a
PARTY consisting CT a MIR. Christian.
srecial agent of the firm Of Ladd &,
Tilton, Portland bankers. and several
Indians, started for Dyea. They ar
rived ct Dyea Dec. 81
Mrs. Mckay was seen yesterday af-
t6rnoOn in q Northern Pacific sleeper
She is a hright-loollirg, rather plump
little woman Of about forty years, and
described very graphically to The
G o b reporter her trip over the much
dreaded Tass.
There is practically no hardship to
the trip after you cross the pass and
are down on the either side" said Mrs.
Mckay. and to tell the truth, I didn't
mind the entire trip very much. OF
course / wore male clothing to allevi-
ate the hardship in climbing, and bore
the journey as we'll as any of the men
Il am going back to Dyea, where
my husband is at present. and together
we will start for our home at Dawson
City, where we will remain fer the
next three or four years. Life at Daw-
son is not so bad as you may suppose.
We live in nice little cabin and are
never troubled with sickness. OF
course It gets very cold End we have
to exercise great care when exposed
to the air.
Our next door neiehbOr on Bonanza
creek is Mr. Berry. who because of his
great luck with his claims is known
as the 'Klondike Kirg.
Mrs. Mckay carries with her a
OBJ = Il.
nuggets amounting to over $500 in
value. She requested the reporter to
open his hands and poured the precious
contents into them. The largest of the
yellow chunks was wo:fh $45.
This was the only kind of money I
had when | reached Seattle" went on
the vivaciouS little female Klondiker.
land, as I haven't been very extrav-
agant, I am taking some of my pin
money back with me. How the store
keepers down home did stare when I
offered them nuggets in payment for
purchases. OF course I only did it for
fun but some of them We're sorely per-
picked, as they had no scales to weigh
the proffered nuggets on
my husband and I intend to stay
three or four years more working our
claims, and then goodbye to Alaska
and its lack of civiliza ton; goodbye to
all the hardships Of a miners wife, for
we Snail return nome ana i've comfort
ably for the rest of our lives"
When asked if she had any children
Mrs. McKay's eyes glstened pa,thet-
ically as she responded in the mega
tive
AS the conductor gave his warning
cry of "all aboard" the little Alaska
bound lady accompanied The G lob e
man to the car platform and shook
hands with him. saying:
"GOOd-bye; wheneVr you are in Daw-
son City be sure to call on U.S."