Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-03-12
Copyright 1910 BY Frank G. carpenter)

and the Chief officials. Their
Offices are in an old frame structure not far
from the governors mansion 1t has pre-
tentious frame courthouse Of two stories
with little dome on the top, and city hall
with cupola that reminds one Of the head
of pearl diver in his diving suit, ready to
drop into the deep.
The most Of the houses Of Juneau are Of
frame. The country about is covered with
timber, and there are great sawmills at the
wharves that supply the building materials.
OF late they have been putting up some con
crete structures, and the era Of stone has
begun. There is one building of five stories
and half dozen Of two and three stories
each constructed Of concrete.
The Juneau Of today has only 5000 inhab-
itants, but its streets are as lively as those of
city Of four times that number in the Uni
ted States proper Every man in the town
is hustler. and the place huns with politi-
1 clans, lawyers, tourists and miners, The
crowd is of all classes and OF all sorts of
dress. Many Of the men wear clothes OF the
latest cut Of Broadway or Fifth avenue, and
others have SLOUGH hats, mackinaws and
trousers Of Khaki Some have on boots that
reach to the knees, and now and then you
meet one iii white rubber pantaoons 10 the
waist
Drays. automobiles and carriages move
about through the city. Juneau has 30 mo-
tor cars, and motor stage runs from it TO
the mining town Of Thane, three miles down
tile channel. At that place are the mills and
reduction plant 81 the Alaska Gastineau gold
properties. Nearby are the Juneau gold
mills, and on the other side of the channel
III plain view are the Treadwell mines, with
the towns OF Treadwel and Douglas, each
having 1000 or 5000 population. Altogeth-
er, there are at least $4,000 people living
within radius~o of five miles of the court
house, and the quartz mines alone are now
giving employment to more than one-third
of that number. The place is a great mining
center and fishing center; it is the chief
port Of Alaska, and it does business with
every part OF the territory.
Juneau is in the heart Of southeastern
Alaska. It is 90Gniles north OF Seattle and
1900 miles from San Francisco. Its farther
from Nome than from Salt Lake to New
York, and its distance from Fairbanks is
greater than thar from Boston to Omaha.
The town is beautifully situated. It lies on
the mainland, at the head Of the Gastineau
channel, narrow strait which separates It
from Douglas island. just over the way.
The channel connects Stephens passage
with the Lynn canal at the northern end of
which Skagway is located. It is very deep
and the harbor is SO good that all Of the
ships that pass through Alaskan waters ex-
cepting those that ply between Seattle and
Nome, call at Juneau During the summer
there are boats north or south every day,
and tens Of thousands of tourists pass
through at that time.
Juneau is right on the water with wooden
piers extending out into the Gastineau chan
mel. 1t lies in a nest in the mountains, which
rise almost perpendicularly behind it to
height OF perhaps 1000 feet / have seen
cliffs of this height in other parts of the
world They were mostly straight walls Of
gray red and black rock, as bleak and bare
Is the Desert 81 Sahara The walls OF Tu-
neau are covered witlla vegetation as green.
as the valley Of the Nile They are so steep
that It would seem as though the trees could
moi find roofing places But they cling to
the precipitous cliffs and are SO imbedded ia
moss that they give the place background
ofyerdure.
The city is cut out of the rocks or, rather.
4 IS propned up by them The most OF the
houses and streets stand upon stills. The