The river press., 1902-12-31
FLOTSAM FROM THE NORTH,
interesting "reminiscences Of Early Days
III the Great Northwest.
CofrespOndeuce River Press:

correspondence River Prees:
MEDICINE HAT, N. w. T., Dec. "a.
The present winter of our discomfort
although not very stormy-appear
10 De shaping for moderately hard
winter. We are at present experience
ing pretty stiff spell-about ':forty
below at times, SO if our old "skook-
um tellicum' the ''chinook" does not
ME an appearance within reasonable
time there will be considerabl BILE suffer.
ing among stock-especially among
the "dogies,' shipments of which were
rushed in as late as the last of No.
vember. According to the 'Qaid-
nuncs' we are on the threshold of a
series of severe winters-old.timer
like the one we haG about ten years
ago and the old corker of 1861, when
Charley Russell's painting, "W aiting
for Chinook' we'll illustrated the
gravity Of the situation.
Owing to being crowded too close
by the ''incoming Pilgrims good
many old timers have Of late years
''pulled their freight' for the Peace
river valley--the Mecca of the hopes
of the old "Sourdoughs. Among
those who took the trail last fall with
that country for their objective point
was "Johnnie' Grant, man who
twenty years ago was we'll and favor
ably known throughout northwestern
Montana. Although Mr.. Grant is up
wards OF seventy-three years Of age
he still possesses most of his old time
vigor. He started his journey at
Wetaskawin, Alberta, where he had
made his home since leaving Montana, ,
and accompanied by his sons and
their families, to the number of twenty
souls and with sixty head of cattle
and eighty head of horses, started on
the long overland trail for the Peace
river valley. Mr.. Grant was one Of
the real old Simon-pure pioneers of
Montana, and reckoned among his
friends Frank Ridley, commonly
called Benetsee, the first discoverer of
gold in Montana. His brother "Jim-
my" Grant was killed in a fight with
a Piegan Indian in the early eighties.
The encounter took place on the Du-
puyer road.
A brother of Simon Frazer's, the
discoverer of the Fraser river died re-
Gently in Ontario. The deceased was
IN receipt OF q pension from the Do.
minion on account of his brothers
services. Among those who accom-
panied Fraser on his overland trip
was Jules Quesnelle, after whom the
town Of Quesnelle in the Caribou
country is named. His son, Mechelle
Quesnelle. was an old time Montana
freighter.
Robert Campbell, the discoverer of
the Smoky, one of the head tributaries
of the Yukon, was living in Strath-
clyde, Man., few years ago.
"Sam' Napier, native of tie Mia
namachi river, New Brunswick, died
recently in a lumber camp on the
"Ottawa". Mr.. Napier was noted as
the discoverer of the largest nugget
ever found in Australia. In the early
days Canadians appear to have been
extremely fortunate in the various
mining excitements but their good
luck seems to have Invariably de.
serted them at the end. .'Caribuu"
Cameron made one Of the biggest
strikes in the Caribou excitement.
then there was old - AXE" Comstock,
the discoverer Of the far famed "Com-
stock lode tha made Mackay, Flood
and O. Brien rich, and who afterward5
blew out his brains on the Yellowstone
river, Montana. The richest strike in
Alder gulch was made by three Cana
dian brothers, and the first discovcrer
OF gold in Montana was Francois
Ridley who was a native Of the Rcd
river valley, Manitoba.
SHEMOkOMAN.