The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-27
LIFE AT DAWSON CITY.
What Woman Finds in that Far-OR
Town.

Esther Lyon, in Leslie's Weekly.
A journey of forty-five miles from Sixty
mile Post brought us to Dawson City, the
wonderful city of the new mining district,
really sixty-fve miles distant from the
K.ondike, it is q typical mining camp, minus
the guns. The laws of the British govern
ment are enforced at Dawson City, ana
those laws prohibit the use of firearms;
consequently few men carry guns. In ana
around Dawson at the present time there
are about four thousand men and one nun
dred and fifty women Dawson, of course,
is very primitive and very dirty, although
from a recent conversation with Mr. Isudue
| understand that every effort is being
made to clean it. There are large stocks OF
provisions in all the storehouses, and 1t
looks as though there could be no hunger
in the Klondike. There viii be little or no
lawlessness. and there is a probability OF
very little sickness The Alaskan winters
are healthful. In September can be seen
quantities of black ducks vending their
way southwark, and even on the streets OF
Dawson you can see the sparrow and near
it's chirping. Here, as everywhere in Alaska,
nature has stored her treasures in a safe of
ice in fact, one writer has called Alaska
the nations ice box, but to me it represents
the future paradise of poet and painter.
Nature has done much for Dawson, but the
energetic American has done more. He has
built warehouses in which he has stored
acres OF food, built comfortable log cabins,
erected a theater established many sa-
looms, billiard rooms and dance halls The
sums of money spent in these billiard
Se~AOOAAo
lous; fortunes change hands every night at
the different gambling devices. AT poker in
a single night 100000 frequently changes
hands, 1t being nothing unusual to see
$4,000 bet on single hand. Yet do not in
fer from this that all the miners are gam
blers. Many of them never even enter
saloon or dance hall.
l have a little friend out there an old
schoolmate, who is teaching school She
hugely enjoys her winter there. She is at
Circle City. She takes daily ride behind
a splendid dog team, and l tell you it's
great fun. You ride while, and then you
get out and run; then you get in and ride
again. No one really knows what sleigh
ride is until they ride behind a fine dog
team. The inhabitants manage to get con-
siderable amusement. They have private
dances, parties and in the summertime they
even have picnics. The arctic winters are
most keenly felt by those miners who are
obliged all through the long, dark winter
to live in tents and dug-outs.
Dawson City is rectangular in shape. 1t is
laid out in town lots. It's streets are sixty
six feet wide. 1t is situated on stretch of
low ground on the northwest bank of the
Yukon, just below the mouth of the Klon-
dixie Town lots in Dawson City are selling
now at 5000 each. Up to the present time
So cents at Dawson is the smallest piece of
money used; it is called four bits. Both
Protestants and Roman Catholics have al
ready established mission churches in Daw-
son. Those who visit Dawson next spring
will see live metropolis