The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-08-13
A SUMNER TRIP
THROUGH ALASKA
(By A. B. Jones.l


ss | had spent several years IN the
Tansns Valley as a miner. prospeetor,
hunter, trapper and fur buyer, ! eX-
pected to make the journey one Of
pleasure as well.
Many changes had taken place since
| left Alaska five years ago. The
greatest Improvements, however, are
on the coast.
Our boat to the north took the inside
passage, as it is called Islands cut eff
the view of the ocean most all the way
up. Only at Queen Charlotte's Sound
and at DiXOn's Entrance did we see the
open sea. We had beautiful weather
on both the up and down trips. The
waves were no larger than they often
are on the Columbia.
At Ketchlkan, Alaska, we made our
first stop. This is a fishing town and
has large cold storage plants and can
neries. The largest fish market in the
United States territory is located there.
1t is a city of nice homes, well built.
There are many fine gardens. The
people were well dressed and seemed
happy and contented, as they did at all
of the places ! visited on the coast.
Everybody was busy and in hurry.
They said the run of fish this spring
was small. wondered what big run
of fish would be if the boat loads of
salmon and halibut we saw were con-
sidered small Some of the fish traps
get $4,000 fish at one lift. We made
several stops at salmon canneries along
the bay, at Wrangel, Petersburg and
Juneau, the latter the capital of Alas
ka. Douglas Island. across the bay,
where the Treadwell mines are located,
is in plain view.
Juneau is having a building boom.
Every body is trying TO get in on the
ground floor, as it were, while things
are cheap. Buildings of all kinds are
springing up like mushrooms. A
mountain of free milling ore has been
struck there. Although it is of low
grade it can be mined and milled so
cheap that it will be money maker.
They have pierced the mountain back
of the town with two mile tunnel.
The mouth of the tunnel is about a
], ZOO feet straight up over Main street.
1t looks as though miner could drop
his dinner bucket down on the street.
Forty stamp machines are already
running and plans are under way to
install 1900. This will make the largest
stamp mill in the world. With a pay
roll of a million and quarter OF dol
lars no one can wonder that Juneau
promises to be large city. Enough
ore is said to be in sight to run the
mill for a period of 100 years.
aC n
at Juneau as at Portland. Meals are
from 25 to 35 cents each. Wages are
low, compared with the inland places
of Alaska, from $2.50 to $4.00 per day
with plenty of help.
Our next stop was at Skagway, the
end of our ocean trip. On the north
bound trip we saw a number of whales
as we'll as other kinds of fish. Above
Prince Rupert we saw deer swim
ming the bay, which was about two
and half miles wide at the point.
| Skagway is nicely located at the head
of Linn Canal, yet it has a deserted
appearance. The White Horse Railway
starts from here and goes over the
White mountains l09 miles to White
| Horse, which is in Canadian territory
AS one passes the dividing line on the
summit, the customs officials &c
through the baggage and outfits. Hare
luck to the man who has bottle OF
whiskey or box of cigars not bearing
the Canadian stamps.
At the town of White Horse | took g
White Horse railroad steamer for
Dawson. The trip down the river was
fine and we ran Five Finger Rapids
without any trouble. 1t was a grand
sight The boat on a trip just before
ours was thrown against large rock.
! The port side was broken in as was the
railing of the upper deck. There was
no leak, however, and carpenters were
at once put to work and the boat was
kept on its regular trips.
Dawson has seen her best days.
Over half of the buildings are empty.
Still, there are large dredges or gold
machines, as they are called, at work.
They are each taking out from 81, SOC
to SIS, 900 every "a hours. visited one
of them. 1t is certainly an improve
ment over the old process of Rambling
pay gravel. They were dredging all
the pay dirt and waste down as deep as
80 feet and were also getting about a
foot of bed rock. While it was low
grade they could save it all, and it was
paying big. Most of the old Klondke
streams are being worked over in this
manner, and the new companies are
making more money out of them than
the rough and tumble miners.
remained only one day at Dawson,
leaving on the Steamer Yukon for
Fairbanks on the Yukon river. After
passing Forty Mile the steamer crosses
over into Alaska again. Fourteen miles
below the line is Eagle, the finest town
site on the Yukon river. The govern
ment has removed the soldiers former
ly kept there, and the place has a de.
serted look. A large farm and several
gardens give it the appearance of a
country town. Between Eagle and
Circle City some very beautiful noun.
tain scenery is viewed. We saw q
black bear swimming the river. He
did not seem at all afraid of US. Fur.
ther down the river three caribou
crossed the river in front of us and 6
| lynx was seen on the bank. Every.
where along the river bank the willows
and other small trees had been stripped
of their bark during the winter months
by rabbits. They must have been very
numerous.
We found Circle City a very lively
little place three stores, postoffice,
three saloons aud fish markets. One
gold machine. that is paying big, has
already been installed and machinery
for another is awaiting to be hauled
out to the creek. This place is about
three miles suoth of the arctic circle
Yet we saw numerous vegetable anC
flower gardens.
Our next stop was at Fort Yukon
two and a half miles above the Arctic
circle, according to the government
survey. 1t is largely an Indian towr
with headquarters for fur traders
More than $4,000 worth of raw fur'
we're brought here last spring and win
ter, most of them coming from thu
headwaters of the Porcupine river oil
the Canadian side of the boundary line
We saw some very nice black anC
silver gray fox skins. One of then
had been bought for $500. The govern
ment keeps a deputy United State
Marshal here, and no saloons or gam
bling houses are allowed.
Fort Yukon might well be called