The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-03-18

WOMAN
PIONEER
Martha Smith, Miner
and Trader
On Her Way Back. Backed by
Eastern Money
Voted a Gold Medal by Con-
greSS for Bravery

| one OF the mOsl noleu iIOhueIsNV
men living is in Seattle on her way
to Alaska. She is Mrs Martha Smith,
wife of Fred Smith, for many years a
Cook Inlet placer miner Mrs. Smith,
whose honors include gold medal
voted TO her by congress. was the first
white woman ever seen in the Cook
Inlet country. On the inlet her only
daughter and the first white child
born there came 10 cheer her in her
lonllness and isolation. She is now
girl 10 years old.
/ Mrs. Smith in the future will be
found operating on large scale In the
Copper river country. She will send
an expedition North on the Pacific
Packing q Navigation Company's Elk
celsior. on which vessel Mrs. Smith
herself will take passage. She will
take ,up a large consignment Of sup
plies and six or eight head OF live
stock will be used in transporting the
outfit into the interior.
In her Copper river operations,
which are solely in the line Of copper
mine development, Mrs. Smith is
backed by an Eastern syndicate.
1T Is too early yet TO say much
about our mining project" she said
yesterday, more than that Il Is an
enterprise that means much, not
alone for Alaska, but this city as we'll
My husband and have found great
copper deposit In the interior from
Valdez. We know what the property
Is, and have sufficiently shown It's
great worth to enlist ample capital TO
develop IL ON a large scale, Our en-
terprise contemplates the construc.
tion OF smelter and fully 100 miles of
railroad SO IL will be seen that We
have found a great copper deposit,
else these things could not be contem.
plated. People may think this is a
gigantic undertaking, but II is no
trouble 10 induce capital where there
is real merit in your scheme.
All Favor Alaska.
while In the East | found much
capital, especially in Boston, seeking
Alaska investment Boston is the
home OF the copper kings. They have
an unlimited supply OF money, which
they are always ready TO let go OF in
the way OF a copper mine investment.
There is no end OF copper in the
Copper river valley through which a
railroad is sure 10 be built II may be
one year and IL may be several before
such a highway is in operation. but Il
is going TO come
/ For the past hye or six years Mrs.
Smith has been mining in the Cook
Inlet district, notably Lynx creek. She
will direct the operation Of these
mines ard others owned by her
self and husband the coming sum
mer.
The copper river valley properties
were located by Mrs. Smith. For
purely business reasons they decline
TO make known their location. save in
general way
Mrs Smith went 10 Cook Inlet in
1898. She was then known as Martha
White. For several years ON the inlet
she aid little else than trade trap. fish
and hunt. She is an expert shot and
a splendid swimmer Nearly every
species of wild game known TO Cook
Inlet has FALLEN to her guns
Il was due OF her ability as a swim
mer, together with courage and will |
ingness TO risk her own life for 9th
ers. that congress bestowed upon her /
one OF the only two gold medals ever |
awarded TO a woman. The other was
given 10 Ida Lewis
Eleven years after Miss Lewis was
honored Mrs Smith got her reward |
for rescuing shipwrecked sailors from
a schooner which had met disaster on
the Washington coast,
The heroic deed was performed Jan
Cary 20, 1892, Through her unaided /
EFFORTS three OF the crew of the British
bark Ferndale We're rescued from the
surf, while N persisted within few
yards of the shore.
Mrs, Smiths yalor attracted imme-
diate attention. The Portland Cham.
ber OF Commerce came TO the front
with gold medal and later congress
recognised her lltesaving service by
voting her a sold medal