Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-10-13
Madison. Oct. 10.

more Inan ordinary interest and parts
of them are subjoined. Mrs. Edgren
writes under date of Aug. % as fol-
lows:
Ugh! its cold in Dawson this morn
ing. l can no longer look from my
window across the swift flowing Yu-
kon at the green hills beyond. They
are red and yellow with the scar
leaves of autumn. There's frost in the
air, and few weeks, about the time
you receive this, will see the snow
flakes falling. Then will we be a COM
munity apart from the rest Of the
world.
We've had bad news. We hear the
United States has the exclusive mail
to the Yukon. This will mean, prob
ably, no mail for us this winter. But
let us hope for the best. Don't stop
writing, for it may be, that mail will
be brought over the ice, as in the
Canadian system.
Il am going to tell you true bear
story. Cinnamon, Silver-Tips and
Rocky Mt. bears are plentiful here
Sometimes they appear on the hills
overlooking Dawson. Upon Hunker
Greek, about forty miles from here,
live five miners in a tent, on their
claim. Three of them went hunting
leaving two at camp, and taking all
the firearms. The men in camp were
aroused one morning by something
lifting the flap of their tent. Think
ing it was a dog, one man yelled out,
Mushonn and went to the door to
throw a stick. There stood a great
big Silver-Tip, one of the most savage
kind of bear. They had no weapons
if they climbed a tree the bear would
come too. Something had to be done
quickly and one man hit on scheme.
He grabbed up the sugar sack and
threw a handful at the bear. Mr.. Sill
Yer-Tip licked it up greedly. The
other man siezed an axe and crept up
behind him. His partner kept feeding
the sugar out until he got near enough,
and then he chopped his head off! Not
way off, but broke his neck.
Another man over on Dominion
Creek was not so fortunate. He was
walking through the woods, his rifle
on his shoulder, and suddenly came
upon big Silver-Tip. He shot at him
four times, but didn't kill him, and the
bear Rugged him to death, then fell
dead beside the man, all in sight of the
mans partner, who couldn't get there
in time.
"The left fork of the Klondyke has
never been prospected, for every miner
that has gone up there has never re-
turned. A savage tribe of Indians live
there. They used to MAKE war on the
Indians who live here, Until they ex-
terminated these Indians, and none
lived within twenty miles Of Dawson,
until Dawson was built up. Now,
however, under protection of the
whites, thriving Indian city has
sprung up mile down the Yukon,
about three-quarters of a mile from
our house over the hill. The trail
leads by our cabin and on pleasant
days we see many Indian girls and
women bringing mOccasinS and beaded
pockets and furs over to trade"
In letter dated Sept. II, Mr. Ed
81 CA1 H1IICS, o1I1OliS OIICI I1lASS, GS
follows:
up on the mountain, Glacier Hill,
the wind is bowling and screeching
Black, rolling clouds are tossing
above. Still, in our little cabin we
are warm and happy as if we were
sitting on a sofa in the parlor at
home, except that all of those that we
In fy,0V1 Of
on the top of the cupboard shelves l
can see the following canned goods:
Tomatoes, cabbage, corn, oysters
the beefsteak and onions are all gone,
buC there is plenty down town
We have some buchwheat now from
which we make "skookum' pancakes.
We are also the proud possessors of
a broom and a red table-cloth. After
living in a tent for so long, a cabin
seems like palace. We are getting
along very nicely. Our rich claim is
still somewhere in the future, but is |
sure to come. A gold mine is not
thu only way Of making money here,
however.
Winter will soon be here. Instead
" di Ncbh4Ao I'D dpp1OdCn, SFcly ollE -
looking forward to it with longing. |
1t means work for hundreds of idle
men. the dOg-teams, will be 'mushing
on. You see the mines are so far |
from Dawson that it is such a hard |
matter to get provisions to them in |
the summer time, SO all the grub is
taken out with dog-teams in winter. |
Fhnn all the rDinnC in in Full
blast, and most everyone has money.
he labOrers in the mines receive
rom SO to SIS a day. 1t is very hard
work, however, and they we'll earn
heir money. By far the most profit
able work outside of the fellow who
.as rich mine is the income of dog
cam. a good dog team is Of I'M
Known value. 1t was a lucky day
When l brought in the dogs instead of
cling them. Of course driving a dog
cam at 20 degrees or 80 degrees below
ere is not the pleasantest work pos a.:
1hle. But there are quite few road
ouses along the trail where one Ca, ]
top in to get warm and bite to eat. I
think l shall train little Bob to lead 7
lis winter. Then I will have three
God leaders. I can get 81, 500 for the f
cam now but if they are worth that I
D some one else they are certainly '
rOrth as much to me. You see that c
he dogs have more than paid their r
expenses in here now. Then again. do i
ct like to sell them unless l have to.
cine men are very cruel to their e
5gS, and we hate to think of the n
atient brutes through whose efforts r