Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-07-27
THE OTTUM-.ss


if we We're fortunate enough to get
them. for some time. On our trip TO
Clear Creek we had neither tent nor
stove nor fruit Except wild berries)-
Just some good old bacon, beans, ball-
ing powder bread and oatmeal. Octo-
Der l was a red-letter day-.Deacon"
made his first pies and turn-overs.
Winter Sets In.
On October s the river nearly froZc
over. On the 9th about u dozen of the
boys went skating on a lagoon. On the
18th it showed little, and the next
day some of us skated on the river and
over it. il kent getting colder. and
the morning of the 18th it was IL de-
grecs below. During all this time we
had been making our wood pile as
large as possible. BY the Goth the
days got SO short that we decided that
two meals a day We're enough as long
as we had nothing particular to do.
On the 18th Akers and took our guns
and began to explore our surround
ings. The lagoons and marshes We're
frozen over. so you could walk most
anywhere the brush would let you and,
there was an inch of snow on the
ground. u, to- the 25th we had shot
nothing except a half dozen spruce
hens, and saw no tracks but what have,
since proved to be otter and rabbit
tracks. We found that nearly all the
country had at some time or other
been burned over; found standing
eharred st,lmps of trees thirty inches
in diameter, and many birch trees
peeled by the Indians. 49,.
On the 18th. zero weather. Some six
miles from camp we ran into bear
hole. into which the animal had evil
IDENTIFY retired only few days previ-
all over the snow. We woke them up
with some lighted birch bark stuck OH
the end Ola stick. and as they came
out to see what the matter was, we
quickly saluted them with our 1890
rifles. There were three-a mother
and her two children. 1t was murder
in the first degree, and the only excuse
was fresh meat.
On the 18th of September two of the
San Francisco crowd were drifting
down the river and saw two bears
ahead OF. them on side hill. They got
within seventy-five yards, but the
bears got Disguised and hurried away
out of sight, after standing stock still
for three shots. There was no blood
drawn that time. You may believe
there was rejoicing in camp over the
bear and two cubs. They were very
fat and tasted like roast pork or roast
beef, just as on fancied. We distrib-
uted them over Camp so that all
twenty-siN men-could have several
meals of fresh meat. Although Akers
and myself hunted faithfully until
October 81, we found no more bear
holes except three old and empty ones.
In the meanwhile two of the San
Francisco crowd had gone to Clear
Creek with hand sleds. They got back
on the 30th of October, and reported
that Don Rutlege had left for-bome
on September 1s; that they We're una-
BILE to get down to bedrock on Clear
Creek on account of the water break
ing in; that 100 people had come in
there and taken. up claims, sand that
Hiatt had shot "a caribou back in the
mountains. 81 z Z.
q Nothing on Basin Creek.
On: Nov. all of our crowd except
Burnett and six of the San Francisco
crowd, took tents, stoves and provis-
ions on hand-sleds and started up river
to prospect Basin Creek, some fifty
three miles up river. 1t was seven
miles up the creek to the Basin, and
we had to swamp the creek before we
could pull sled. 1t was full of
warm springs which bothered us con-
siderable. The weather ranged from
zero to 40 degrees below. By the 10th
we had all claims staked off and
started to burn the first hole. Two
OF the holes had to be abandoned on
account of water breaking in, and new
| ones were started. We decided 10
prospect beyond the bald hills which
surrounded our basin, and also to
prospect the left fork of basin creek,
and made up two parties. i was with
the marty that climbed the mountains
| lit was a grand view. Snow-capped
rugged peaks bounded the north and
west; east was Il succession of bald
| hills as far as the eye could see. while
| in the south stretched the valley oil
the HogatZakakat. with its winding
river, small lakes, lagoons and marsh.
| es. ] shall never forget it. The best
| things any of us found We're two old
Indian winter hunting camps. BY the
Goth we had one hole down fifteen feet
and another eight feet. both in a soft
hardpan and the knowing ones decid-
ed that Basin Creek was worthless as
Il gold producing spot. On the 21st
we gathered all our ''penates' (noi
potatoes). and started for the forks
of the river. Here, King, johnson and
MeSregor decided to prospect the lief,
fork. and leaving them the remaining
provisions and bidding them good
luck. we started for camn on Thanks
1 giving day. 1t was so windy that al
certain bends one had to walk or
shore and jerk his sled along foot OF
two at time. until he made thai
bend. One could not walk on the
slippery ice against the wind and pul
a Wound. Fortunately, for most of tn,
way. the wind was at our backs. w,
had sport that day. The wind would
blow our sleds so hard that on,
would have to be quick and jump OF
them or they would get away. I rod,
once over 200 yards without stop o
4 turnover. We arrived at camp mex
day at 1:30.
4 Thirty-Three Cents Per Pan.
j On the both, Manion, Hiatt and Bel
Boyer came up from Clear Creek, pre-
A pared to go up the river if we ha,
struck any pay dirt. They reporte,
fhat ono hnla had haan 6uu down =