El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-07-15

~ SON. 1OhON IEkttlIOR4s
July 81 write of Dawson, the
;apital OF northwestern Canada.
the metropolis OF the Kiondike mining
region. and for years the richest min
Sng camp of the world.
II is just above two decades since
gold was discovered on Bonanza creek.
and now s1sO.OOO,OOO worth of that pre-
cious metal has been thawed out of the
frozen earth within a few miles Of
where / am writing The first dis
covery was n 1896, and the camp
reached the height of its prosperity
about five years later. It's gold output
-ythat year was So. 900. coo, and it has
annually produced millions from that
time until now. The product last year
was about S5.0O0.000. and they VIII be
getting out that much for some years
10 come.
Many Miners Rush In.
The first mining was done by in
dividuals. Stray miners. prospectors
and fortune hunters rushed in from all
parts of the world Each had his own
pick and shovel, his gold pan and his
firebrand- He dug down into the
icy gravel and thawed II away as he
looked for the rich pockets of gold
Within seven or eight years the cream
of the camp was skinned off and the
small miners left
Then came great companies with mil
Tons OF capital and the finest Of min
fng machinery They have been work
ing the low-grade ground OF the val
leys and have been washing down the
mountains to save the sprinkling of
gold dust left in them Great dredges.
which cost hundreds OF thousands of
dollars apiece, now do the labor Of hun
dreds of men, and rivers Of water. car
ried for miles in pipes over the country.
are dashed against the hills to get out !
the gold The age of machinery has !
replaced the age OF pure muscle and |
tnen. and Dawson suffers in conse- |
Once Had 10000 People
The Dawson of the past had at times /
more than 10000 citizens and in the re- |
gion about were more than $4,000 in !
habitants and the outlying districts !
one-third as much more With the /
gradual exhaustion of the gold the
population is decreasing and il IS only 1
a question of a few years when the /
precious metal Will all be carried away
And the chief reason for a city here will
have disappeared one Of the great
hopes of the people lies in the discovery |
of rich quartz mines or the mother lode
from which all this loose gold has |
been come. with this in view the hills
have been prospected in every d1rec-
fion. but so far no such finds has been
made
Is Rambling town.
The location of the city is just where
II started when gold was discovered.
The houses still cover the mouth OF the
valley of the Klondike river and the
east bank of the Yukon north Of where
that river runs in. They climb the sides
Of the hills and run far up the Klon-
like TO where the mountains of gravel |
lnflung by the dredge begin The ]
town is laid out like a checkerboard. !
7yith its streets crossing one another |
II right angles. The streets are wide;
hey have roadWays of solid Garth and
,idewaIks Of boards. The roads are !
smooth. and the traffic includes auto
mobiles and heavy draft wagons There {
re more than fifty automobiles in use '
md ESQ miles Of good country road has I
,een made by the government in the I
ALLEY nearby.
burned Down Several Times S
The town looks shabby when you a
irst enter it It has been burned down I
Eeveral times since the great rush. ! I
There are vacant lots here and there. 5
overed with the charred remains OF
he buildings Most of the stores are of
ne story, and log cabins of all sizes S
re intersperseC with frame houses as 7
as those in the larger /
owns in the states. Scores OF the T
ONES have little gardens about them. T
nd not a few have lighthouses, in which | t
egetables and flowers are raised under c
lass
Has Some PretentiOus Buildings. h
Dawson has some pretentions build s
,rs The administration offices Of the c
nixon Territory are in q frame struc- o
l1re bv a lawn as smooth and as well
ept as that Of the White House at
Washington 8
The residence of the governor is a II
reat frame mansion painted bright a
elbow 1t looks out upon the Yukon Il
liver. and its lawn has beds of beauti- Y
III flowers It has pansies twice the Il
lie of a dollar. sweet peas that grow n
} the height Of your shoulder, Cali u
1rnia peoples and other wonderful | Il
lowers Another large building is the f
ublic high school, and a third is that Il
hitch contains the post office and Gus &
pms house e
Lacks the Old Time Activity al
The Dawson of today has none Of the 1 e;
fe of the Dawson of the past II is ! "
ow Sunday school town with a dozen
Id churches. q city library, women'S "
ubs. sewing socities and afternoon p
as There are still some saloons. but II
n kinds of drinks. hard and soft. have m
Hen to IS cents a glass, and the pa | es
.tial bars where beer cost 50 bottle H