Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1898-02-11
ALASKA LETTERS.
Two Citizens of Idaho County who
are now In Alaska Express
their Views of klondike
Country.

Chas. A. Youngberg who was for
several years Interested in quartz mines
in Dixie district, this county, sends us
the following:
Dawson City, Dec. IL, 1897.
Hon. A. f. PARKER:-Before l left
Idaho | promised a large number of
friends that | would write them as soon
as I would arrive at Dawson City, but
after getting here | find that writing
material cannoy be had and falling to
provide myself with such before
started | am now without. l have
however managed to secure enough to
write few letters, and not liking to
disappoint anyone that ! promised |
will try and write few lines to the
old reliable FREE PRESS IN regard to
the country and the best route of get
ting here; which perhaps will be a lit
tie help to some of those who aim to
come here in the spring. To begin
with, / will give you q rough sketch
about my "trip. | left Grangeville for
Seattle on Aug. II, and after buying
my outfit ut that place | took the
Alaska, and arrived there five days
later. After getting our goods ashore
we learned that the trail was almost
impossible, and that there were at least
fifteen hundred people ahead of us
trying to get over the summit. On
our first day out we found the trail full.
| iy as bad as it had been represented to
US, and our hopes of reaching the Klon-
dyke before the winter set in looked
| somewhat slim. After sixty days of
hard work and bad weather, for we
| did not have nice day in that length
oftime, we managed to reach Lake
| ~. Il .a,t.,, Of los
| At that place we had to build boat
and on Oct. Goth we started for the far
away north, thinking that we would
not get over u hundred miles. We had
some very rough experiences while
crossing the lakes, for at places there
were windy channels, and not know
| ing anything about those places, we
would get in the rough water and 1T
would dash over the sides of ~our boat
and as none of us were sailors we did
not know how to manage it; but we
got through Notwithstanding mishaps.
Our next obstacle was the White Horse
rapids; but when we got there we were
glad to find Il man stationed at that
place for the purpose Of running boats
throug h the canyon, for which he
charged S25. From here on the trip
was pleasant till we got within a'hun-
dred miles of Dawson, when the drift
ing ice became very thick and heavy,
and all that we could do now was to
drift down with it. We landed
at Da vson City Nov. 5, with but one
day to spare, for on the sec ond day the
river blockaded entirely. After UNI
loading our boat we left one man t.
look after our goods and took stroll
about the town and were soon convinc-
ed that the mi aes Were about rs good
AS they have been represented on the
outside. The amount of gold that viii
be taken out this winter will be at least
ten times as great as that of last win
ter; for nearly every creek within Il
miles of the Kiondike has been LOCATED
and all the claims that pays from wage.
up are being worked. To be up on some
high hill where good view can be hat
of the Bonanza and Eldorado creeks OF
u real cold day it presents wonderful
sight. For distance of thirty-fiv,
miles there is at least one shaft for eve
ry 100 feet; and when they are all fired
a man would think the whole earth OF
fire. Stampedes are of daily occur
renee. Some one will come to tow
and report that rich diggings have beer
found on certain creeks, and in les
than half an hour the town is almost
deserted. Those that can afford dog
here keep them tied up so as to b.
ready and go when there is any excite
ment and men can be seen standing il
long rows all day outside the recorder
office waiting for their turn to come [,
record claims. Everything will be 10
Gated here this winter so that thos
that come here next summer and in
tend to prospect will do no good i,
coming to Klondyke. Stewart river i
attracting IA good deal of attention nov
as there has been IA great number o
bars worked for some distance up tn
river from its mouth. 1t emptes int,
the Yukon about 20 miles up the rive
from the klondyke and there is abou
200 men wintering at that place thi
winter. | cannot give you much of
description about the country yet for
. have not been here long enough to fint
ont much, but | have no doubt tina
there is as good diggins to be found We
as the Klondike, for the countr. Is new
and has not been prospected but yer,
little. There has been no attention
paid TO quartz whatever as far as l car
learn. All those that aim to come t
Alaska should not come unless the,
have two years outfit with them, fol
to get anything here within the mex
year is an uncertainty; for the boat.
could not supply the people that were
here last summer. A great number o.
the miners only have one sack of floul
to winter on, and hundreds of those
that came in last summer without any
supplies are now compelled to return .
distance of 600 miles over the ice
and SNOW. Provisions of any kind can
not be bought for its weight in gold, sc
dom start for Alaska unless you have
enough TO last you at least one year
You should start early in the spring sc
rs to get over the coast range ON the
snow which will be much cheaper than
to come in the summer. To come ovei
the snow the White Pass by the way
of Skaguway will be far the best route
as its elevation is nearly 1000 feet lower
than the Chilicoot pass. Horses and
sleds can be used all the distance from
Skaguay to Lake Bennett, SO before
| leaving Seattle you should buy at least
TWO work horses and some feed, al
though such can be had at Skaguay al
reasonable prices. / have nothing
more ofany importance worth mentions
ing, and not being much of writer
will have to close hoping To meet VI
with some old Idaho prospector here
next summer. Yours respectfully,
CHAs. n. YouNGBERG
| Joe Hardenbrook, of Elk City, has
received the following letter from hi.
brother, at Dawson City, and hands il
/ 70 us for public information az tn the