The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-03
ANACONDA NEWS.
LITTLE GIRL IN ALASKA
She Writes an Interesting Letter
From the Frozen North.
STRAIGHT AND AUTHENTIC
How Things in and About Sheep Camp
Strike the Childish Fancy-Her OBJ
servations of Events and En-
vironments Put in Writing.

Little 12-year-old Ida Hoffman of
Missoula, who is visiting her father in
Sheep Camp, Alaska, addressed the
following letter to the editor of the
Anaconda Standard. She once lived in
this city and has a large number OF
friends in Montana whom she wishes
tell about her trip to and sojourn in
the Northern camp. So she sends her
letter to the Standard in order to give
all of her friends an opportunity to
know how she is getting along away
up there. Her letter is interesting, and
for truthfulness it can be thoroughly
relied upon, SO it may be taken as the
latest really authentic news from the
frigid zone. The letter follows:
sheep Camp, Alaska, Feb. FL
started reading your valuable paper
when I was years old. | am now Il.
My papa and mama say they would not
be without it, and / know what a large
circulation it has. / therefore
thought of asking you to put these few
lines in your columns, as 1T will GER
tainly be of benefit to some of your
subscribers, my friends and all Mon
tanans who may wish to come out to
the gold fields We once lived in Ana
conda, but are now residing in Mis-
soula. Most every one has got the
am visiting now. They told me they
would meet me at Skaguay, where
papa first intended to locate, but the
Skaguay trail. they say, is nothing but
fraud There are people there now
who came out last fall with thousands
of dollars, lost all they had, could not
go further. and there are about 1900
dead horses on the trail, and in summer
when thepsnow melts there will be
pest; besides it is impossible to go
through the swamps. We see here
daily people who went over the Dyea
trail already returning from Klondike
with fat sacks of gold, having struck
rich claims there. They drive their dog
teams shouting 'Mush, Mush on some
Indian expression for March, March
on and they are happy and they all
say they will return again on the Dyea
trail in the near future as it is the
easiest, safest and shortest route. /
landed at Dyea, had a fine sleigh ride
through the canyon 1t is pictur-
esque sight, the finest / ever saw.
sheep Camp is only 16 miles from
Dyea. We made it in two hours
and a half. From here people pack
over the summit four miles distant,
making four trips a day. On the other
side of the summit is Lake Linderman,
where they build their boats. | call 1t
a pleasure trip, and would advise all
my friends to go over the Dyea trail.
They will meet me at Sheep Camp in
papa's store.
II have too many friends to write to,
and we can't always get stamps. there
fore kindly insert this letter in your
paper for my friends to see.
They haul freight from Dyea to here
now for half a cent per pound, and
from here to the summit for two cents,
though most people going through do
their own packing, even ladies pull like
horses. The trail is lined with people
pulling their Yukon sleds with 200 or
300 pounds, and now and then dog
team appears, and 'mush, mush on
echoes through the mountains.
Two thieves were tried here yester-
day for stealing. One must have been
handed a revolver by some unknown
person and tried to escape, but the peo-
pie ran after him. When he saw that
he lost ground he fired, and it is sup
posed that he thought he shot some
one when he fired, so he blew his brains
out and was buried here to-day. The
other got Is lashes, and was sent out of
the camp placarded, thief, pass him
along
IF you put this in your paper | will
write more news from here. They have
notices all over the lakes that nobody
will be allowed to pass the borders
with less than 1000 pounds of provis-
ions. | remain respectfully yours,
IDA HOFFMAN.