The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-08

=, 1egs-Before leaving seettle'
June II, fs@. ] promised that
would writs the Post-Inteih-
eenSer IN case ] should obtain IN
formation OF sufficient interest 20 JUSTIFY
the use o. space in your valuable paper.
We OF Koyukuk put a much higher value
on the Post-Inteiligencer than the people
of the Queen City, as II Is valued at u
copy when several months old. | VIII
try to write as briefly as possible some
thing about tho present and future out
look OF this icy and Isolated country. 4
will be necessary TO review a little OF It's
past history In order that you may have
q better understanding Of its present con-
dftion and future prospects. / realize the
Importance to Seattle OF the speedy de-
vsiopment OF Alaska; that every valuable
mine put in operation adds so much more
to the commercial greatness OF the prin-
cipal Alaska Quitting city OF the Pacihc
Northwest.
The Early Prospectors.
Tho nrst prospectors known TO have en-
tered the Koyukuk country made the trip
in the spring 1871. when four men came
over from the Tanna station. on the fu-
kon, striking the Koyukuk where Berg
man n now located. These men found
nne gold on the bars along the koyukuk.
but their food supplies gave out and they
were COMPELLED TO return to the Yukon
In the spring OF 1883 they again returned.
followed by fifteen other men. This year
they got farther up the river, and found
coarser gold. but ,.as WAS year or ex-
trene high water and as these men were
all bar prospectors little was accomplish
ed Again they ran short OF food. owing
TO the great distance thai they were com
PEELED to travel, and had to abandon the
country other prospectors followed near
ly every yenr. with about the same re-
suits. until 1906 when Gordon c. Bettles
came up the Koyukuk with n small steam
er ard located a trading post. called Arctic
CITY, near the present site Of Bergman.
About thirty men came in and wintered
hcte Work was commenced on Tramway
~ IN the Middle Fork and a little done
q mouth Of Davis creek, on the South
II OF the Koyukuk A small amount
toid was found on the latter creek. near
ihs mouth At Tramway better results
" re obtained, but nothing TO excite the
miners further than TO establish the belief
hat gold existed in more paying guam
tities somewhere I'm the country. The
miners at this time were bar or surface
miners. and did not attempt TO sink to
bedrock
The Rush Of IsDs.
In the summer Of this year news reached
here OF great strike on Birch creek.
near Circle city Of SO to the pan The
miners decamped ms only miners can, and
only the float gold having been discovered
In iSx the Koyukuk country was again
entered by hundreds Of people. your hum
Bile servant among the great rabhle. We
Accomplished far less than the first pros
pectors. All kinds OF outfits came In that
year, There were steamboats, galore, load
ed down with worthless machinery in the
shape OF dredges aud all kinds of ma
chinery for thawing frozen ground. drilling
into glaciers. etc, etc. But worse than tho
machinery that came In were the people,
The worthless machinery could be thrown
aside. but the people We're not so easily
handled. This great human herd was
composed OF bank clerks. real estate specu-
lators who had been hit by the great fnan-
ella, depression that had recently spread
over the country, artists lawyers and,
IN fact nearly every class except men
% practical mining experience.
Parties broken Up.
The members OF the crews OF the big
mining companies guarreled among them
selves. split np and divided their food and
other supplies. ana every man started out
on his own hook. This was unfortunate
for those individuals. well as the
country, Tor ''United we stand. and di-
vided we fan proved true In this case.
Men single handed could accomplish but
little In TINS country up TO the present
time But as the country becomes better
established there will be better chances
for individual effort
Tho mlners-~no. l cannot call them by
that name-the grahbers started out with
Ratchet and pencil and staked nearly ev.
cry creek aud gulch within reach. There
was a local Law made that stalking by pow
or of attorney could not be allowed but
some Of the men who attended the meet
Ing and holped make this law immeaI-
airsy started out and staked for all their
hat IA afa
caused much dtssa abstraction and these lo-
cations were declared Illegal and have not
been recognized.
Little Profitable WORK Done.
A little work was done Ia different parts
Of the country BY sinking hotes The men
went on the theory that "Goid Is where
YOU nnd IT," and certainly u Il had been
found where many % them looked It
would have been very irregular and crazy
acting gold To sum e all up there u
just as Eooa chance u finding sold on
the poor farm south OF Seattle as there
WAS whore the majority OF people did
their work in the koyakuk. Tho results
% the Labor 81 all these hundreds Of peo~
pie was that not one found anything wortA
mentioning In the year of la, 10 not
lot me pe Understood as saying that out
OF All those men there were No hard
working, ambitious people in tho country
Many oveftaxed their strength Ia their
efforts 20 nn1 the precious metal ana
coaid their Efforts have heen directed by
SOME ccns potent person thls country would
nov have a great name on ''tho outside d"
f.~s me here explain that Alaska Is spoken
II by tho miners a. tho INSIDE and an
the rest 90 the wofia "a the outside
strike on Myrtle Greek.
when the breakup % the icc came, in
iSss even steamer was loaded with dis-
Appointsd pruspectors EoinE aown she
river In fact. the steamers could not ac-
epumoaate them all. and great numae rs
" small boats were h,ilt 500 carry uus
other Disguised god m.nera OAiy d few
compared so the mAHy thAt oaas here
the Tan baG0re. remained There were mot
over sixty. ana quite uAnasF 20 the last
mentioned along Ia Jsty b.a.snt jiscolraE-
ed and were staFtng down tHe ylyeF fram
the head waters OF the ala ercut branches
~ ihr kayukpk Cor the "outslle On
reaching Bergman vague ruusora were