The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-06
DAWSON'S GLORY
IS FAST FADING
Mining Camp Has Seen
Its Best Days.
ITS POPULATION DECREASING
CANADIAN EXCLUSION ACT A
BOOMERANG.
Prospectors Are Crossing to Ameri-
can Territory, and at Eagle
City Thriving City
Will Spring UP.
BY HAL HOFFMAN.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

JUNEAU, Alaska, Feb. 1 (by steam
ship City of Topeka to Seattle, Feb. 81.
Charles G. Carruthers and Captain
w. III. Smith of Eagle City and Charles
E. Lowe and William Studing of Daw-
son have arrived on the coast after a
twenty-one days trip from Dawson.
They broke through the ice at several
bad places on the trail and eventually
lost food, dogs and all in hole in the
river, narrowly escaping with their own
lives. They are southbound on the To-
peka.
Mr.. Carruthers is editor of the Eagle
City Tribune. He says that place. the
liveliest in American territory, has a
population of about 1000 and is boom
ing. Forty mile is dead" for the rea-
son that it is easier and shorter to
reach the best creeks in that district
by way of Eagle City. He reports the
recent discovery on Discovery Fork of
American River, Eagle District. on a
claim owned by man named Hall. of
a nugget which weighed $3.50. Several
new creeks which run from 10 cents to
80 cents to the pan were discovered late
last fall and all the ground is located.
Editor Carruthers thinks Eagle City
has a most promising future and that
it will not be long before it will rival
Dawson. He says the best feature Of
this promising outlook is that Eagle
City is in American territory and that
things there smack Of the States in
stead of Canada. The American miner
and gold seeker feels at home there.
1t is the opinion of Mr.. Carruthers
nd q hoard
Topeka who have recently left Daw-
son that DaWson'S glory is fading and
that the famous camp has seen its best
days. AS other creeks are discovered
the population of Dawson decreases.
and there is also natural hltratlon
into American territory. Over 5000 men
are reported on the trail to the coast.
hurrying to get out.
The Canadian exclusion act has al
ready had the effect of stimulating in
terest in and travel to Porcupine, in
American territory, from Juneau and
Skaguay. l have seen number of
prospectors within the last week here
and at Skaguay who have been over
considerable of the Porcupine country.
They say Porcupine itself and McKin-
ley Creek, upon which the best loca-
tions have so far been made. are in
American territory, as they head up to
the northwest and west, but that there
is no doubt the larger creeks above
them heading to the northward are
partly in British Northwest Territory.
Haines Mission, the most approach
able port to the Porcupine District. is
a missionary station. Chilkat. another
small town and on Chilkat Inlet. and
Pyramid Harbor, also on the inlet. are
trading stations. These towns have re-
Gently taken on vigor never known
before and with the development of the
Porcupine District one of them at least
will become a good-sized mining town.
A short distance up the inlet is Klak-
wau, with a population of about 1900.
one of the oldest, most picturesque and
largest Indian towns in Alaska. 1t is
the capital of the ChiIKats. one of the
most powerful, intelligent and fearless
tribes in all Alaska. The name trans
lated means Mother Town" or metrop-
oils. 1t has remained for centuries
comparatively undisturbed by white
men, but now it's time, too. has come.
Palefaces have already begun to invade
it's ancient precincts.
OF all the tribes in Alaska the Chill
kats are the most dangerous and liable
to outbreaks. Colonel Sol Riplnsky has
been a trader among them for years.
keeping a store at Chilkat. He came
to Alaska first as a teacher for a mis-
sion school. He says they are the best
of the native tribes physically and
mentally. Some of the women are quite
pretty.