The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-09-14
CHAPTER VI.
In a Wild Country.

NeilS expedition was landeu
at the deserted fishing station of
Omar, thirty miles down the
sound from CorteZ. From this point
its route lay down the bay to open
water and thence eastward along the
coast in front Of the Salmon river delta
some forty miles to Kyak. This latter
stretch would have been well nigh i'm
possible for open boats but for the
fact that the numerous mud bars and
islands thrown out by the river afford
ed a sheltered course. These inside
channels. though shallow. were of suf-
ticicnt depth to allow small craft to
navigate and had long been used as a
route to the coal fields.
Appleton. smiling and cheerful, was
the first member of the party to APP
pear at the dock hat morning, and
when the landing had been effected at
Omar he showed his knowledge Of the
country by suggesting n short cut
which would save the long row down
10 the mouth of the sound and around
into the delta. Immediately back Of
the old cannery, which occupied a gap
In the mountain rim. lay a narrow
lake. and this. he declared. held an out
let which led into the Salmon river
flats. BY hauling the boats over into
this body Of water-a task made easy
10y the presence of n tiny tramway
with one dilapidated push car which
had been n part Of the cannery equip
ment-it would be possible to save
much time and labor.
1--WE heard there was a way
through" O'Neil confessed. but no
body seemed to know just where II
was"
81 know" the young man assured
him. 1--WE can gain n day ut least.
and / judge every day is valuable"
80 valuable hat we can't afford to
lose one by making a mistake" said
his employer meaningly.
Leave It to me. | never forget a
country once I've been through it"
But Dan Appleton was not mistaken.
A two hours row across the mirror like
surface OF Omar lake brought the par
ty out through n hidden gap in the
mountains and afforded them a view
across the level delta. To their left the
range they had just penetrated retreat
ed toward the canyon where the Sal
mon river burst its way out from the
interior. and beyond that point it con
tinucd in Il coastward swing to Kyak,
their destination. Between lay q fiat.
trackless tundra. cut by sloughs and
glacial streams. with here and there
long tongues OF timber reaching down
from the high ground and dwjndling
away toward the seaward marshes. 1t
was a desolate legion, the breeding
place Of sea fowl, the hunting ground
for the great brown bear.
O'Neil had never before beer SO near
the canyon as this, and the wild stories
he had heard Of it required to him with
interest. He surveyed the place Gu
riously as the boats glided along, but
could see nothing more than a tumble
Of small hills and buttes and beyond
them the dead gray backs Of the twin
glaciers coming down from the slopes
to east and west. Beyond the foothills
and the glaciers themselves the main
range was gashed by a deep valley
through which he judged the river
must come. and beyond that he knew
vas a country Of agricultural promise.
extending clear to the fabulous copper
belt, whittier the railroads from Cortez
were headed. Still farther inland lay
the Tanana. and then the Yukon. with
their riches untouched.
What a pity. what a mockery, it was
that this obvious entrance to the coun-
try had been blocked by nature! Just
at his back was Omar, with it's deep
and sheltered harbor: the lake he had
crossed gave q passage through the
guardian range. and this tundra
O'Neil estimated that he could lay a
mile of track a day over Tiled right
up to the glaciers. Once through the
coast range building would be easy, for
the upper Salmon was navigable. and
its banks presented no difficulties to
track laying.
He turned abruptly to Appleton. who
was pulling an Oar.
What do you know about that can
yon?' he asked.
Not much. Nobody knows much,
for those fellows who went through In
the gold rush have all left the country.
Gordon's right Of way comes in above,
and SO does the trusts. From there on
l know every foot Of the ground"
Camp was pitched late that night far
out on the flats. During the prepare
ton of supper Murray sat staring fix
edly before him. deaf to all sounds and
insensible to the activities Of his COM
p%anions. He had lost his customary
b~reeziness and his good nature. He
was curt, saturnine. unsmiling. APP
pleton undertook to arouse him from
this abstraction. but Slater drew the
young man aside hurriedly with a
warning (Continued nm papa Tenl