The Alaska prospector., 1905-08-24


 value of about $500, 900, and adja- cent to the town is another inhab- ited section that is practically a a part of the town, though not within the corporate limits, and consequently not on the assessment roll. If it was we could show a conservative valuation of at least $4OO, 900, and all built up from the hard earnings of an enterprising and energetic class of men and women who came here from all over the union to try to better their conditions. They are the people who from their own re- sources have opened up the vast country known as the Copper river section of Alaska, and as head quarters they have established and built up the the town of Valdez, until, as our local contemporary justly says, "It has become one of the best towns in Alaska" It is 'excellently situated at the head of navigation, with two wharves, a 'first-class electric light plant,a we'll equipped ;awmill, churches, schools stores of all kinds, comfortable homes and many other up-to date improvements are well established. After eight years of expenditure of toll and capital to bring the town to its present position, where many have their every dollar invested, is it any wonder that they now object to throwing up their hands and 'snrrendering everything at the re- quest of few interested parties, and receive in return only the privilege of purchasing lots and erecting buildings on a piece of ground five miles down the bay, and consequently that much fur ther away from the interior, sim ply to enrich the owners of a piece of property that was taken up few years ago as pasture for stock, but which will be far more valuable to the owners as town site if railroad investors can be induced to construct five miles more of road than is necessary in order to put value in the so-called town site. As stated above the people of Valdez have opened up the Cop per river country and have done more. they have discovered valu- able mineral deposits that are only valuable ii they can be brought to the market, and that a railroad is necessary for the purpose everyone recognizes the fact and every indi- vidual would gladly welcome the advent of road. "It has been a long wait, but the people here have held on determinedly if little im- patiently, confident that in the end they would be rewarded for their perseverance," and such a reward, they are advised to stand one side and grin while being despoiled of $4OO, ,OO0 worth of their hard earned dollars. It is objected by the in- terested parties and by them only that Valdez is unsuited for a town site owing to occasional washouts, The same might be said of Calves ton, East St. Louis and many other towns throughout the Union that have existed many years, are still in existence, and are prosper ous. The washouts referred to oc- cur on the north and south sides of the town so that the proposed rail- road if started from the proposed townsite would have double the amount of water to contend with than if it were started from Valdez. But no it is not a matter of water trouble, but of townsite profits, and this same townsite proposition has held Valdez back more than any other factor. Each season during the past three years there has been given a positive assurance that a railroad was about to be constructed from there and some of our citizens have been offered inducements on each occasion to move there The nYomotaro L,on