Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-06-16
ALASKA'S
GOLDEN
STAMPEDE
Story of the Early Rush to
juneau and the Lands
Beyond

The history of the earlier northern
rushes to Frazer river, the Cassiar
and the Cariboo has been written long
since, but the first of the distinctly
American stampedes was started BY
the tale Of one Culver.
In the summer of 1867 a Hudson
Bay company's trading steamer, coast.
ing of Aaku Inlet, picked up drift.
ing canoe in which was man wound.
ed and half starved. After being
cared for, he displayed a quantity of
gold dust.
'We got 1t up there somewhere, 4"
he said, with sweep of his hand.
"My name is Culver. had two
pardners. The Injuns attacked up and
killed one. They done for the other,
too, | guess. haven't seen him
since.
He told his story at Port Townsend
and party fitted out the schooner
Louisa Downs from that harbor. AZ
ter some sailing about under the pilot.
aga of Culver, the party arrived in
the neighborhood of Taku. Here Cul.
vcr's mind seemed blank. and the
party declared they would hang him.
At this he quite lost his wits, for a
time.
A few years later he died at Sit.
ka, maintaining to the last that his
story was true. A dozen years after
wards Joe Juneau and Dick Harris
struck rich placer and quartz in Silver
Bow basin, which Is not far from Ia.
ku. The rush was then on to the
camp at "Juneau," and $l50,OO0 was
taken out there in '79.
The Chill0oot seemed more democrat
ic than Skagway. The big packers
and the big outfits seemed rather to
favor the latter, hence the "classcs. "
~ AhC lVNtcb ~ Aht w
cial strata and, naturally, the hardest
working, and by far the most numer-
Gus, were the despised handsledders'
What heart breaking loads those fel'
lows pulledl They were the only ones
that always had to turn off the trail
into the deep snow to let the lordly
pack trains pass.
cts long trail, amt II, pardr'
once heard packer cheerily call
out to a young fellow who had turned
out and wearily dropped down on his
load to watch the procession Of mules
60 by.
"what's thatH" he demanded ang-
rilly
"It's a long trail"
"Is itH Well, thank God. life is
short"
The story has been often told of the
stampeder found crying by the wal
side, who. when addressed sympathet'
ieally, replied;
"I've got 'nough. BY eraeky' ]
quitl I'm going back home to my
wife and children, and IN going ia
tell 'em what I've been through, and,
by cracky, if they don't cry, I'll lick
'em till they Do"
John McDougall, an old mining
friend of mine, likeg to narrate the
following incident;
"I was driving long up near the
summit one day. with a light one
horse load. when, up ahead, saw a
hand sledder settin' down on his load
all bumped over. with his head in his
hands. He looked so perfectly miser' >
BILE that was thinkin' bout askiu
him TO hitch on behind me. 50 when
| come up oppositee him, says Hell
10, pardner, how goes iti
"'He raised his head. give me one
look and says;
"'Go to-ooo- hoo-hell!' and then
dropped his face into his hands again. "
About half way up Box Canyon on
the skagway, in January. was short
but very steep and icy incline. / saw
a somewhat stout though energetic
German hand sledder essay this pitch
He had no ice ereepers attached to bis
feet. and three times he drew his load
nearly to the top but slipped baeki
vet he uttered no word. This was re-
markable, considering how rapidly the
most proper and serupulous Of men ae'
quired expertness at profanity on the
trail. But the fourth time the man
slipped back down that ineliae w WIN
ais load he lay painting on his back
in the snow for a momenti then, roll
ing his eyes up beyond the vast iey
peaks far above, he thaS pathe'ieaiiy
addressed the blue vault Of heaven;
"Gott IN Himmel! XIII mel XIII me
right herel Roll down dose mountains
on der top OF me urd Kill me kviek'''