The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-11
He KNOWS THE COUNTRY
W. G. Young Was on the Cop
per River.
STORIES OF GOLD FINDS
Ara Entirely Visionary-But the District
Is Rich in Copper-Reports of
Hardships Have Not Been
Exaggerated.

w. G. Young, the wel-known court
reporter of Salt Lake, who is on a visit
to Butte, furnishes some interesting in
formation concerning the Copper river
country in Alaska, from which reports
have recently come of great suffering
among the prospectors who Joined the
rush to the reported gold fields of that
section over year ago. Mr. Young
was among the great number of gold
seekers who decided to try their for
tunes in that region and he only re-
Gently returned from the expedition
He states that the stories of rich gold
finds were purely visionary as far as he
was able to ascertain and says he does
not think the color of gold can be found
in the entire district, but he did make
what he regards as as fabulously rich
find of copper. Mr.. Young talked very
entertainingly of the country when seen
at the McDermott hotel last evening.
IF they ever get means of transpor-
tation into the Copper river country"
said Mr.. Young, lin my judgment, the
richest copper mines ever known will be
opened up, but as to gold-that Is,
placer gold, which was what all who
went there were looking for--I doubt
if there will ever be any importa mt
finds made. The party I went with
examined the country as well as we
could, but we found no evidences of
gold and we did not hear of any one
who did. The rush to the country was
a terribly unfortunate thing for the
great majority of those who Joined it.,
and / can easily conceive that the re-
ports of hardship prospectors are said
to have experienced have not been ex-
aggerated.
1.-The trouble lay in the almost utter
inaccessibility of the region after you
reach a certain point. There We're $500
men who went into the country and the
object of all of them was to reach the
headwaters of the Copper or Tanana
rivers, which are supposed to be not
very far apart, the idea being that
there was where the gold would be
found. To reach there we sailed for
Port Valdes. From there we had to
cross the Valdes glacier, q miles on the
| ice Then we struck the klutina river
and the route then lay down the river
TO Copper Center, a mail station estab-
| lished by the government at the con-
| f1uence of the Klutina and Copper riv-
| ers. From here the supposed route lay
| up the Copper rive to Lake Mantasta.
| across the lake and up Tanana river to
| the headWaterS, out L DO not know OF
| any one who ever accomplished the
| journey and as far as l know the lat
| ter part of the route is mythical.
"At the time we all went in 1t was
| necessary to sled over the glacier and
| build boats at Klutina river. When
| Amy's rapids were reached the process.
| sion was at a standstill, as the rapids
| were impossible for boats, and, as the
snow had gone off by this time. shedding
| around which was the only means OF
| portage, was impossible. The result
| was a terribly disappointed army OF
| gold hunters. 1t was impossible to pack
| supplies around the rapids, and tbs
| only thing to be done was to get out OF
! take the chances of wintering in the
| country and trying ito reach the COM
| mon destination when snow came again
| The more venturesome stayed and the
| others sold out for what they could gel
and got out. Very few had money anc
| supplies that had cost so much money
| and labor to get them there were SOLD
| for a mere nothing. A more heartscf
| lot of men never lived. 1t was those
| who decided to winter in the country
| who suffered. Those who came Out
were peni.iess, but the others did the