The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-06-16
1T BEATS THE KI.ONDIKE.
Part of British Columbia Where
Gold and Game Abound.
A Region That Contains Rich Ne
wards for the ExplOrer-Much
Gold Has Been
Taken Out.


ough exploration. The territory is a
continuation of that great collaborating
belt of which California, Colorado, Ne
yada. Kootcnay, Cariboo and the Iu-
kon are sections.
The riches of Cariboo were long ago
unlocked TO the world. and soon pros,
pcctors will have overrun every part of
the famous Yukon. but the wild noun
tain businesses of this uncNplored ter
ritory have so far resisted the white
mans entrance, and the great area
stretching between ATTITUDES - and IS
and cNtcnding from tn" Rocky noun
tains on tiIc east to l2o west longitude,
ro.raiu terra incoruta.
YI.f streams tributary to the Yukon,
Peace river and the Liand, known to be
rich in placer gold. and rivers flowing
through Curihoo and Cassiar. noted for
their gold beds many wears AFRO. al take
their rise on the outskirts of this vast
territory. would indicate the presence
of mineral wealth in the unknown
field.
This supposition is supported by more
than mere probability. Since 1855 Ut
dams and half breeds have vaCrcIy
talked of gold sup in the interior" and
taciturn Cinnamon in ra"~"d clothes
have come down to the coast with bags
containing large and small quantities
of the precious metal. As the industri-
Gus celestial has been washing roih in
old placer beds for years, earning a
pittancc which the white man would
not consider worth bis labor, the APP
pcarancc Of these uncomnunicativc.
rrvstcrious fellows at Pacific ports cy-
cited little interest until Klordil<c dis
coverics aroused every one. Then pros
pcctorS began to suspect the existence
Of new gold fields south of the Yukon,
and last summer miners vcntured along
the margin of the unknown region.
Two men who had been washing
along streams of this outlying district
brought ont $4,000 worth of the vel
low dust. During the summer one pros
pector found n nugget worth $40 and in
October n large nugget worth $500 was
sent from the northern part of the ter
ritory. Within the past few weeks the
discovery of extensive bodies Of fine,
millin" gold quartz was reported to
the British Columbia minister of mines
by prosrcctors who left last summer
to explore the southern outskirts. Win
ter had prevented more thorough ex-
Dloration. hrt the veins were said TO
be of extraordinary width and were cx-
posed for miles across the country
samples OF quartz. rich in gold. accom-
panied the report; but so wild and in
accessible is that REGION these deposits
cannot bc worked until the Teslir Lake
Tele@rauh Creek railway or the Cas-
star Central has been built.
The unopened territory is variouslv
designated by the names of its differ.
cnt sections. as the Omircca, the Peace
river the Lizard country. Roughly
speaking, il is bounded on the east by
the Rocky mountains. on the west hv
the Yukon and the Pacific slope and
on the south by Cariboo. The nearest
point on the Canadian Pacific is almost
COO miles from its northern limits, but
the Omineca can be reached by way Of
the coast. going up the Skrcna river and
following fairly clear trail for $50
miles.
Discovery of gold in Omneca caused
n great rush northward from Carboo
and the coaat in 1870; but without mod
crn hydraulic appliances the Gravel was
dit'ic"'t 10 work. When rich G'r'-ir ~s
were found in Cassiar. the crowds stan-
pedcd 70 the newer field. During the
eight wears that followed. 1T least 81.
100000 in rold was taken from the Omi-
neca by miners satisfied with rno1e~pto
returns. The general i'm rrcSsinn that
the digringS on the southern outskirts
we're shallow DISCOURAGED exploration
until last fall, and then. when the dis
had advanced too far for prospecting
For hundreds of miles north of 0mi-
neca is a vast eXpanse absolutely I'M
known to the white man. 1t lies be-
tween Peace river and the Yukon. A
party under Lord Avonmore is spending
the winter in Lizard country. in order
TO be on hand for thorough exploration
of that section OF the terra incognita
when the season opens. Between the
Peace and Lizard rivers the climate is
not so rigorous and forbiddng rs in the
Yukon. The country is denSelv wooded
There is superabundance of timber
for fuel and for building purposes
Game, large and small, is plentiful
For naturalist. sportsman and pros
pector, no part of the uneXplored world
offers more attractive prizes.-N. Y.
Sun.