The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1898-11-08
DAWSON CITY.

No. 81, /. o. o. F. We are NOT
at liberty to publish the entire
letter, but will publish that part
of 1t that will be of interest to
the public. ED. M.
DAWSON CRY, N. w. T., !
September 18th, 1898. {
Secretary, Officers and Members OF
Custer Lodge No. ell O. O. f.,
Chaltis, Idaho
BROTHERS. have thought a
great many times l would write
a letter to the lodge for all the
members, as could not write to
each one separate, and now
have got started will try through
you, Mr.. Secretary, to come in
touch, at least for little while,
with Custer No. 81 and all the
Brothers. Although separated
far away from the lines of the
more civilized parts of North
America, we are not separated
from the bonds of Friendship,
Love and Truth, which are
taught within the walls of the
lodge room. You, Brothers, that
have not strayed outside the loss
of home comforts, and all the
blessings that surround Custer
Lodge, know but little of the
great work you are carrying on
each night in your lodge room.
You visit the sick and bury the
dead, but nearly always sur
rounded by loving friends. But
very different circumstances
have surrounded the work of
Odd Fellowship. On the journey
to this land of gold, Is of the "a
men buried in the great snow.
slide at Sheep Camp, were Odd
Fellows. Odd Fellows on the
trail cared for the remains and
and gave them q respectable
burial at the cemetery at Dyea,
and took charge of the personal
effects of the deceased, which
were disposed of and sent to
their friends. Not less than so
cases of sickness, or accident,
have come under my observation
where Odd Fellows have answer
ed the Sign of Distress.
Where so many strangers are
thrown together as are in this
country, and the only thought of
each one is gold, there is very
little thought of your neighbor,
but the Sign of Distress" and
Odd Fellows spring up like
mushrooms.
We have an Odd Fellows Club
here, and are building a hall,
place tosmeet in and pass the
evenings, and / suppose in time
will have lodge. No one wish
es to withdraw from their home
lodge.
We have a city here of nearly
10, 900 people, one-fourth of
which live in tents, but most all
are building. Building lots and
property in the main part of the
town is very high. On Main
street lots are as high as $40,-
900; cross streets and Second,
$4,000, which has driven the
people of limited means out of
town. So that cabins are one
string up and down the Yukon,
and Klondike for two miles, and
we find cabins aud sod houses
at short intervals, out for 100
miles in the mines, and up and
down 100 creeks.
We have two mining districts
that record at this place, embrac.
ing country of so by 100 miles
In extent. and the length of all
the creeks will aggregate at least
800 miles, besides bar and bench
claims on most of the creeks the
entire length, will give you some
idea of the scope of country, and
the distance men have to travel
to have their claims recorded
and get supplies. Dawson City
is the base of supplies fora much |
larger district than l have de-
scribed. | will try and give you
an idea of what men undergo to
mine in this country.
The country is of course noun
famous, and entirely covered |
with timber, and a carpet of moss
from q to IL inches deep, and as
the ground thaws in summer to
a depth of two or three feet, the
moss becomes full of water, so in
places it would be called swampy,
even up high on the side of the
mountains, the top of the ridges,
and margin OF the rivers are ex-
ceptions, in some places, to this.
AS no work has been done on the
trails, men follow the trails made
by the moose or cariboo, which