The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-01
is NOT A GOOD COUNTRY
Two Anaconda Men Return From
the Klondike Region.
HAD ALL THEY WANTED
Montana Offers Better Opportunities,
They Say, Than the Frozsn North.
Some Montanans Successful
but Many Not Lucky.

After two years absence from Ana
conda Harry T. Lewis and Chris
keenan, have returned from Alaska.
They left here together and came back
together, and they share deep disgust
of the northern gold fields.
1T is not a good country to go to-"
said Mr. Lewis last evening in sum-
marizing his views of the region. 1T
is not by any means a poor man S
the whole country has been pretty thor
oughly prospected and there are more
idle men there now than can be pro-
vided with living. 1t is just possible
that a man with $1,000 or $4,000 and
plenty of time might do well there.
Don't you think so, Chris?" addressing
his partner.
"A man with $4,000 or $4,000 and
plenty of time could do much better
right here in Montana than in that
country" was Mr.. Keenans reply. If
the same money that has been spent in
seeking to extract gold from Alaska
had been spent in Montana the results
and the profits would have been in
finitely greater. Montana is good
enough for me. / am going to go pros
pecting here again. | have been here
25 years and l propose to stay
Mr.. Lewis was formerly an assayer
at the works and Mr.. Keenan, is pros
pector and miner well known all over
the state. They left here for the So
called golden north in the summer of
1897, going to Seattle, where they took
steamer for St. Michaels. There they
arrived just in time to see navigation
close by the freezing of the river and
hoo h1t
winter at st. Michaels but Mr.. keenan,,
with a companion took team of eight
dogs and started across the ice on
little 1,100-mile journey to the new dis
trict CT Minook.
The mouth of the Yukon proper is
about 20 miles to the southwark of st.
Michaels, but by cutting across and
going over the portage straight from
St Michaels the river is reached about
400 miles up from its mouth, so wind
ing is the streams course.
Mr., Keenan's 1.100-mile journey was
made in the dead of winter, the tenn
perature being from so to 60 degrees
below zero most of the time. we
started out with an Indian guide" said
Mr.. Keenan,, but he insisted on stop
ping every few miles to make cup OF
tea so we fired him and got along all
right Going over a broken trail one
can usually load 100 to $50 pounds to
each dog of the team, but as we were
breaking a new trail we could only load
about 50 pounds to the dog, 50 we
could not take much with us. We got
along all right, only losing one dog on
the way. He got sick and we mad %
shoot him. AT night we camped Iii
the snow. 1t took US IS days to make
Minook, and there l put in the winter. >
While in Minook Mr.. Keenan, located
several good claims for himself and
Mr. Lewis. These are now beng
worked for them. 'Minook, said MIR.
Keenan,, lis the most promising part
of the whole country
Mr.. Lewis started up the river Ivy
steamboat when navigation opened in
the spring of last year. At Minook Mr..
keenan, joined him and they went on
I'D to Dawson, arriving there the latter
part of June, 1898 From Dawson they
prospected about thoroughly, MI
keenan, making two trips over the le-
gion. Like many other Americans,
they found irksome the 10 per cent. roy
atty imposed by the Canadiaa govern
ment on the mines and the other re-
strictions and petty annoyances, so
they went into American territory in
Alaska and were the discoveries or amt
first loca tors in the region now known
as the Butte district between Circle
City and Dawson. In this district th@y
have several claims which they say
are promising and from which they
have taken some dust. How much lhey
have taken out they refuse to say ana
they also, like most Klondillers, decline
to make public the am lunt II aust
they brought down. All their cams
are being worked for them.
The country is overrun with people,
said Mr.. Lewis. When we got to DaW-
son there were probably 10000 people
there and a small percentage OF them
struck it. Last winter 5000 people APP
piled to United States Consul McCook
in Dawson for relief. People are get
ting out of there as fast as they can.
When we came down there We're scores
of broke men at ST. Michaels who could
not pay fare and could not find work.
l think toward fall the government VIII
have to send up a ship to bring those
destitute people down.
Il have little faith in Cape Nome.
From what | can learn from people
who have been there, it is a fake gotten
up by the transportation companies.
We left our camp in Butte district
May q in our own small boat and flOat-
ed down the river to st. Michaels, hunt
ing along the way with good luck. We
came down with the breaking up of the
ice and surprised the people at Circle
when we arrived there. There were
four of us in the boat. Only two could
sleep at a time, the other two having to
keep awake to keep us from being
crushed in the ice. We reached st.
Michaels June q and left there on the
steamer Portland July 4, reaching san
Francisco July Is. There was $l,OOO,OOO
in gold on the ship
Some Montana men have done We'll
in Alaska" said Mr.. Keenan,. but
many have not. Among the fortunate
ones are George Burke of Butte, VINO
has taken $4,000 out of his claim IN
French hill, above Eldorado. Hugh
O'Donnell of Virginia City has claim
on French hill also from which he mas
taken between 10000 and $5O,0OO. HuSh
mckinley and Pete MCGOWAN of Gran
lie have claims on Eldorado from which
they have taken $50, 900 each"