The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-07
vROOMAN IS HERE
Senior Of Famous Brothers
ReVisits Topeka.
He Has Been Absent for Twenty
Years.
MARVELS AT CHANGES
Few People Are Left That He
Remembers.
At CHANGES
Has Had Many Interesting and
Thrilling Experiences.

FRANK NIOOI1dn, OF san FRANCISCO
who was at one time a resident of To-
peka and student at Washburn col
! lege, is in the city visiting old friends
for the first time in % years. Mr.. Vroo-
man after leaving Topeka in 1885 went
to Beloit university in Wisconsin and
later went to Harvard where he spent
a couple of years in post graduate
work, studying later two years in Ok
ford, England, and later at Berlin.
Since that time Mr.. Vrooman had not
| been in Topeka until yesterday after
| noon when he came here making it %
years of absence. Mr.. Vrooman is on
| his way from Washington to Winnipeg,
Manitoba, and stopped off in Topeka
| to renew Old acquaintance.
In speaking of the great change
which Topeka has undergone in the
past two decades Mr.. Vrooman says:
There are but few people in Topeka
whom remember when lived here in
| my boyhood days. The entire popula-
/ ton seems to have changed and
| streets have changed and it is Just
| like going to a strange town to come
| back after such long absence. I have
| seen but one man whom I recognized,
/ although I have met several old friends
| whom l remembered after being in
! troduced."
| Mr. Vrooman has had a remarkable
| career and is now largely interested in
| extensive enterprises in northern Can
ada. While pursuing his studies in
| WaShburn Mr.. VrOOman was employed
| to greater or less extent in the news
paper business. He worked during his
vacation at Washburn on a Topeka
paper and after leaving college went
| to Emporia where he was a reporter
on the Emporia News. He was con-
nected with the News during the
| Blaine campaign in 1884. The next year
| he left Topeka for Beloit, Wis, where
he remained year at the university
| there.
After the completion of his studies in
| the German university he spent some
time in travelling upon the continent
where he became well acquainted with
affairs in the political and industrial life
of Europe. After his travels in EurorAe
he returned to this country where after
working on newspapers in the east he
| took trip of several months dura ton
among the different islands of the
| Hawaiian group. After his trip to
Hawaii Mr.. Vrooman made an expedi-
ton into the unknown regions of north
ern Canada between the Klondike and
HCdson's bay. This expedition was a
hard one and one full of perils and ad-
ventures of various kinds.
| The. trip which he made into the sub
Arctic regions and forests Of Canada is
a trip which very few make and which
| when once made the explorer very sell
dom cares to repeat. Mr.. Vrooman
| started from Edmonton the terminus of
a branch railroad two hundred and fifty
miles north of Calgary on the Canadian
| Pacific. The trip was made for the pur-
| pose of investigating the mining re-
sources of this region and after leaving
| Edmonton was very treacherous jour-
| ney.
The trip from Edmonton was made
with a pack train of twenty-one horses
which were driven by force of natives
which Mr.. Vrooman had employed and
| was continued for some time almost
directly northwest from Edmonton. At
| ter reaching Lesser Slave Lake the ex-
| petition of Mr.. VroOman went north
| west to the Peace River which they fol-
lowed until Fort ST. John was reached.
| After leaving Fort st. John they crossed
| the three ranges of the Rocky Noun
| tains and proceeded north to Fort Ora
hame on the Finley river. From this
point they pressed on north for several
weeks until they arrived at the mining
district, which Mr.. Vrooman had been
| sent to investigate. The return expedi-
ton from Fort Grahame was the most
perilous part of the whole journey. The
size of the expedition was reduced to
five men and seven horses and these
proceeded on RATS down the Peace river
which was a very hazardous undertake
| ing. For four months the expedition
was nearly starved to death and the
ioea of ever reaching civilization alive
again had almost fed. In this territory
Mr.. Vrooman found very profitable min
ing resources which however had to be
given up on account OF the lack OF
transportation facilities.
Mr.. Vrooman had undergone great
hardships in this expedition and al
though he did not enjoy it at the time
says that it did him a great deal of
good as it hardened his constitution
and his good health at the present
time he attributes largely to this
trip. Mr. Vrooman's feat of travelling
down the Peace river and through
the whole Rocky mountain range on
RATS has never been duplicated.
A few years ago a brother of Mr..
Vrooman, Hiram Vrooman, made
similar expedition into the same coun-
try which, however, went further
north by way of the Klondike. Here
was found gold sand in paying quanti-
ties which were accessible to trans
portation by means of river and ocean
steamers which penetrate that Sec
ton of the country. Mr.. Frank Vroo-
man through the Canadian govern
ment secured from the English crown
a grant to the land in this region
along the Teslin and Hootlinqua rivers
which holds good for twenty years
for which a royalty must be paid to
the government for the development
of the land. This land contains large
deposits of gold and platinum which
| occur free in the black sands along
these streams. These holdings are
located in the Northwest territory of
British America and is between the
sixtieth and sixty-second parallel
north latitude.
Mr.. Vrooman is now on his way to
! that territory, having organized a
| company to develop the land. Large
| dredges will be installed which do the
work of placer mining on large
scale. According to the reports from
| this section of the country it costs
! about five cents to work a. yard of this
sand while the returns yield about
| eight dollars.
Mr.. Vrooman is now engaged in
writing a book telling of his ad-
! ventures in that country. He is also