The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-09-30

bue sound and 200 miles easterly
from Cape Prince of Wales. 1t is big
enough to make a state, and has a
larger population than Indiana, Mich
igan, Minnesota, Nevada Dakota,
Arizona or Wyoming had when they
were organized in territories. And
yet Seward peninsula is only about
one-fifteenth of the area of Alaska
north of the Yukon river, and all of
Alaska would make as many states
the size of Seward peninsula as there
are in the union.
There are some trading stations on
the Yukon a mining camp on the Ko-
yukuk, and several thousand men are
just beginning to develop Seward
peninsula. Aside from these, the
country north of the Yukon, and most
o. Alaska south of the river as well,
is a wilderness, many parts of it I'M
explored. Along the shore of KotZe-
bue sound are a few government and
whaling stations and missions but
very little is known of the country
through which flows the Noatak, the
Kowak and Selawlk rivers, and COM
paratively nothing of that great chain
of mountains that extends from Cape
Horn and is called the backbone of
America. The few prospectors who
have been in the Point Hope region
say that the mountains have all the
characteristics of the Rocky noun
tains in Colorado. The country is
mineralized, and a few lodges have
been located but what can a handful
of men do in country difficult of &C
cess and far away from a base of sup
plies? How much of the several
thousand square miles of territory
can they prospect? Gold, silver, tin
and copper have been found in these
mountains, and there is a mountain
of jade which has been the Mecca of
many native pilgrimage.
Between the Keewalik river and
this country there is big area com
paratively unexplored. Gold has been
found on many streams by adventur-
Gus prospectors, but they were hunt
ing for bonanzas, and as yet have
found no treasure; but what may be
found when capital sends men into
this country with ample supplies,
furnishes an opportunity for giddy
fight of the imagination.
On Seward peninsula mining has
scarcely begun. Most of the work
has been done on a few rich creeks,
like Anvil, Dexter, Ophir and Candle.
But there are hundreds of creeks that
carry gold. Possibly not all of them
will develop pay, but great many
of them will. Up to last season no
work has been done on the benches,
but since then it has been proven
that they contain most of the
gold. Many old miners shook their
heads when asked about the pros
poets of quartz on the peninsula, but
next spring will hear the pounding of
quartz mill in the Solomon river
country. Pumping plants and bitches
have just begun to supply water to
| the miners, and the effect will be
shown by an increased output this
year, the largest yield in the history
of these gold fields. Many new prop
critics are being opened up, and next
year they will be among the pro-
ducers.
This is the beginning. What will
the record be in few years, when
the mines are developed and all the
water necessary is conserved and
utilized? Last year one of the best
informed men in Nome on the sub
| ject of gold mining said that the out
put of this peninsula will ultimately
equal and may exceed the biggest an
nual gold product of the Klondike
And when the vast interior of Alaska
is explored and prospected, there are
many reasons for believing that q
great many millions will pour every
year from it into the channels Of
commerce.
AM lNTEDECTlMc cT0DV