Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-06-03
RUSSIANS WORKED NORTHERN
MINES CENTURIES AGO.

still wondering after forty centuries
how such vast riches as the gold and
| diamond mines of Solomon and Hiram
king of Tyre, could become lost to
| the world, it forgets that in the great
gold fields of Alaska there is a similar
instance. confined entirely within the
bounds of the nineteenth century.
There is ample evidence that the
Klondike gold fields were discovered
by Russians in the early thiries. last
century, and worked by political slaves
abandoned and forgotten. And it is
now recalled apropos to the new
branch OF the Alaska Central railway
up the Yentna-recently described by
DIR. +. A. Cook, the first mountaineer
to ascend Mount Mckinley, who took
that route to the mountain-that :, in
1892 the Russians explored that dis
trict thoroughly, and mined thousands
of dollars worth of gold on the Anauk
river in the Seward peninsula. In fact
the instruments which they used and
the chains with which the convicts
be a portion of the Russian occupa
ton exhibit of Alaska at the great
laska-Yukon-Pacifc exposition which
will be held at Seattle in 1909. Be
sides the industrial, agricultural and
mineral exhibits at the exposition,
I.n IN
plays dealing with the early history of
Alaska and Yukon.
The discovery in the Klondike was
made in a dramatic way. A short
distance above Discovery claim on
Hunter creek-chief tributary of the
Klondike-a number of miners were
working lay. That Is the ground
belonged to someone else and they
worked it agreeing to pay all expenses
and to turn over certain percent
usually Is per cent, to the owner of
the ground.
When the ground was opened cou-
pie of feet, the miners came across
traces of an old tunnel. At first they
paid little attention, as in the early
days of the country in 1897 to 1899,
all kinds of tunnels were dug and
then abandoned by a certain class of
inexperienced newcomers~who expect
ed to find gold in millions for few
days labor. But as the miners went
deeper, they saw that this tunnS
ha hn ntlx If mi
ging at so recent a period. The tim
bers that shored the walls were old
and rotted. the tunnel looked as If 1t
had not been worked for century.
At the end there were evidences of
a tragedy. The bones of couple OF
had evidently imprisoned them be-
yond all rescue, and on their legs
there still clung the heavy Inanaeles
with which Russia in the old days
hobbled her political prisoners. The
men had died miserably because OF
the cave-in, and for some reason never
10 be known, were not rescued. The
irons on their legs had apparently
hindered their movements, for the sit
uation would not have been desperate
to the modern miner, possessing free
dom of movement. Beside them, were
their century-old picks, heavy, blunted
and inefficient instruments. The re
mains were respectfully buried and
the instruments and leg irons were
saved, and will be a portion of the
| Russia exhibit in the Alska building
| OF the Alaska Pacific exposition
In 1882 a Russian dog mail on Its
way from the interior to Sitka dis
covered traces of gold on the Anauk
An old trading post on the Koskokwin
the ruins of which are still to be
seen, was the headquarters OF Russian
trade In that district. The Anauk rivel
and so appears today on the Russian
\ maps. For years this discovery wal
worked, but the Russians, never goo'
prospectors at best, abandoned gol'
mining as soon as the deposits in th
Immediate vicinity OF the original dis
covery were worked out. Why tn
rich Hunker was abandoned will fol
ever remain mystery. 1t has bee
claimed that all along the Russlai
government had records OF the vas
gold deposits in the neighborhood @
the Klondike and had that portion G
the country been Russian and nc
British, the United States would neve
have had the opportunity to purchas
Alaska. But that must remain a spe'
, iition as Russian bureaucracy neve
) gives up Its secrets. One thing
| certain, that the gold deposits ,of bot
e Yukon and Alaska were worked ha
a century before Skookum Jim mad
s his famous discovery on the afternoc
of August l6. 1896, and opened up
s new frontier kingdom for the troo
d ers Of the lost legion to conquer.