Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-02
NEW CHICAGO IN ALASKA
Founding of a Town on Coast
 of Resurrection Bay.
MANY BUILDING SITES SOLD.


 Pioneers From the Western MetrOp- OIis Are Erecting Seward, Which Is to Be Railroad Center of the Far North Municipal Officials EIected-COuntry AbOunds I'm Min erals and Game.
 While Chicago was honoring the memory of the men who laid its foun- dations another band of pioneers, bred in Chicago and aided by Chicago capi- tai, was forging it's way through the forests of Alaska to found a new Chi cago there, according to information received in Chicago Recently from A. w. Swanitz, in charge of the party of pioneers, says the Chicago Tribune.
 The first clearings for the new city to be erected by Chicago enterprise were made on Aug. 15, when score of Chicagoans disembarked from the steamship Santa Anna, anchored in Resurrection bay. A sign bearing the name Seward by which Chicago's newest suburb will be known, was nailed to the biggest tree in the forest beside the bay, and the work of laying out the little city and marking the course of the Alaska Central railway was begun immediately. ss@ The railway, which is to be built by, the pioneers from Chicago, will eztend from the south coast to the Panama and Yukon rivers, a distance of 400 miles, penetrating to the center of the district.
 A few hours after the Chicagoans had unloaded their tools, tents and sup plies on the beach the forests were echoing the ring of their axes. Chicago engineers soon had their transit and chain out, and before nightfall many trees had been felled. At night a lot of tired men had their first meal on the spot where they expect to see the rise of the Chicago of Alaska.
 A second steamer arrived in the bay and dropped anchor. More people came to swell the population of Seward They had heard of the building of the Alaska Central railway and came in search of work. Before another sun had set the original band of twenty persons had been increased by seventy-five per sons from Valdez and Sitka, from Seat tie and San Francisco, from Portland and Tacoma. The town was growing with the rapidity of it's mother city.
 A temporary judge and marshal, both Chicagoans, were elected at noon on the third day, and thus the community was established under the unwritten law. but recognized by the United States supreme court, which approves the acts of judges elected after this manner. Since then several hundred building sites have been sold. The highest price paid for single lot was $1,OO0.
 A sawmil1 is in operation. Piles for a wharf are being driven. A restau- rant, grocery, a meat market and other shops have been established, and horses have been brought into the city from distant points and sold to the settlers. The town's population on Sept. was 200 The people were planting civilization where a few weeks ago the brown bear roamed un- disturbed
 The settlers are living on the same kind of food that Lieutenant Swearin- gen and John Kinzie thrived on at Fort Dearborn n 1903, bear and veni- son meat.
 The residents say nearly every mile of the surveyed line of the Alaska Central railway reveals new resources. Bear creek, six miles out, and Swan river, fifteen miles from the bay, give fair returns in placer mining. Ten miles farther north lies Renal lake, nestled in the forest, with several rich placers. Trail creek and the entire valley of the Sushitna is said to be rich in pay dirt, hydraulic and quartz ledge opportunities.
 When the Sushitna valley, 110 miles from Resurrection bay, is once reached 1t Is claimed that there is a veritable Btorehouse of native ninerals-not on ly gold, but copper, coal and iron. Government geologists are claimed to have discovered tin float and platinum in the rich valley.
 The country abounds in game and fish. The creeks are full of salmon and speckled and silver trout.
 The woods and small barren places gre thick with bear, deer a I moose. grouse. wild geese and du KS, while herds of wild sheep are pasturing on the upper mountain slopes. Vegetation is rapid. The grasses in the valley, red top prevailing, grow thick and ia V and