The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-28


the population of the mining camps
The news of the Tanana find having
spread rapidly, miners are focking in
from other camps in great numbers,
many who left Dawson for Nome hav-
ing stopped at Circle City, and chang
ing their course seek these new fields,
which are superior and far more extern
sive than the Nome fields or the Yukon
in it's best days
Work the present summer will be
prosecuted pretty extensively on Home
Stake, Faith, Charity. Hope Idaho.
Bachelor and Costa creeks, all of which
have developed very rich prospects, and
these, having good grade and plenty or
water can be worked easily and ex-
peditiOuSly.
The creeks that have been prospect
ed and located in the order of their
richness are Faith, Home Stake, Char-
ity, Hope, Idaho, Monte CriSto, Bach
elOr, Costa, Nevada, Deep, switch, Or
phan, McManus, Sour Dough, Beaver,
Surprise, Expansion, Tortoise, Amer1-
can, War Cry, together with number
of others not yet developed.
Since commencing this letter one
hundred miners have come down from
Dawson in a body, many of these with
equipments for the summer, While quite
number have pack animals, anu OH
pers following with pack trains Will en-
able supplies to be transported into the
district.
One of the prospectors on NO l.
Home Stake, has recently refused $25,-
900 cash for one-fourth interest IN the
claim, which has just been opened up,
with a fabulous showing of wealth. A
number of steamers have been charter
ed at Dawson to carry passengers ana
supplies up the Tanana at once, the rare
from Dawson to the landing on the head
waters of the Tanana, Wlthln tnlrty
miles of the district, being 5000 with an
allowance of one hundred and h1ty
pounds of baggage.
The greatest stampede that has ever
been witnessed in the northern gold
fields is looked for during the fall and
the ensuing winter, when the summer
''clean-ups'' establish the richness OF
this new Ell Dorado.
The local laws have barred the stalk
ing of claims by power OF attorney
hence, there will be no trouble on TINS
score, as there is at Cape Nome, and on
the Koyukuk Under this rule no claim
has been staked by the second person,
as each person must stake and record
his own claim in person; this rule pre-
venting dispute and trouble.
There are many instances where per-
sons without pan, pick or shovel have
scraped out of the crevices in the rim
rock with sticks, gold worth - or 49,
No mining camp in the north has shown
up so well or looked SO promising with
as little prospecting as the Tanana dis
trict.
Miners wages are the same as paid in
the Birch Creek district. namely, $40 per
day; the Birch Creek mines having
maintained this scale for day labor dur
ing six years.
The word that has just come in to this
camp of the increasing richness or the
finds in the Tanana,iS creating the most
intense excitement among the ola min
ers. The greatest find in the history OF
placer mining was on No. below, on
Faith Creek. The claim is owned by
Ike Long and in prospecting a small
boulder was removed and beneath it
coarse gold was found lying loose all
over and through the gravel, showing
a hundred thousand dollars IN slght,
and apparently enough in the gravel TO
employ a hundred men for a year Slu1c-
ing the dirt. Faith and Bachelor creeks
promise to turn out more than half
dozen Ell DOradOes, as the pay streak
on Faith is almost a thousand feet wide
and extends from the grass roots down.
This creek is nine miles long and shows
Bachelor is the strongest rival with Faith
for richness, although, Hope. Charity,
Home Stake and Costa are fabulously
rich. But thus far nothing in the history
of placer mining has ever compared with
the richness of Faith and Bachelor creeks.
Notwithstanding the fact that Peter Nc
Cracker, the discoverer of this district
spent last summer along the creeks and
found good prospects, the great richness
of the district was not revealed until the
discoveries of the past spring, the mint
unearthed by George Lopez having proven
Toner Who maintained himself in the iso-
Iafped district throughout last winter,
tenting in the cold and snow and enduring
ali The hardships incident to a winter IN
this northern latitude, remote from settle
ment, is a Kansas man; his nome belng
Of AT,,Ivana Kansas and for his endur-
~ y "a 1i no,,ras ga he has been most richly
repaid as he well deserves. Lopez has
spent many years prospecting and mining
in this country, having for the first time
in a long while passed the winter of 1898
and 1899 with his people in Mulvane; Mr.
Lopez, in appearance, courage ana FRANK
ness, is a typical frOntierSman.
The name of McManus creek has been
changed to it's original Indian name, given
years ago by the Tanana Indians; the
name now being Chatanikas pronounced
Charity and a number of other creeks
empty into this, it is now known and
called the Chatanika District OF the
Tanana, as the Klondike District OF the
Bachelor, Costs. Mckinley and a num-
Der of other creeks are across the range
and empty into Preacher creek, Hence
ing districts, the Preacher District" and
the "Chatanika District"
AS 1 had before written the miners on
one of the creeks united in giving me the
ed it e Since then they came
pansion'' might not be significant in fu-
fure years, as the protest against it might
cease. and therefore suggested that give
it some other name. I suggested to them
the changing of the name to Mckinley, as
I thought that name would forever pc sig
nificant in the history of our country;
would stand with that of Lincoln and would
signify not only stability at nome, but
expansion of American ideas and Amer
lean government wherever the nag led
The question was received with shout
by the hardy miners, and so the creek is
now known as Mckinley creek, Tanana
/ am writing from the Birch creek dis
trict, old established mining camp
It is nearly twelve o'clock at night and
I am sitting by the window of my cabin
writing without artificial light Two or
three weeks later we shall have the mid
night sun. The weather for a few weeks
and quite a heavy snow is falling
A couple of days since two very large
fine moose came down the mountain, right
into the creek bottom in front of my
cabin, having come down from the range
in the mountains to get water, and the
miners soon out with their guns killed
both, the flesh of which supplied the
camp with abundance of sweet tender
moose meat.
Some of the operators %ho employ a
number of men, build cold storage rooms
in which they store large. quantities Of