The Cordova daily times., 1919-01-18

by the steamship, and the steamship
of those days, such as the Bertha, the
Excelsior, the Elihu Thompson and
the score of other smaller craft ply
ports with the palatial liners of the
PGcifc Steamship ompany-palatial
compared to the vessels designated
as steamers in the days of ninety
eight and ninety-nine.
When the great west was explored
/ and settled the true pioneer, hemmed
in by the waters of the mighty Paci-
fc cast about for new lands to eX-
plorc and hardships to conquer. What
more natural than that he should cast
his eyes to the northland, where ru-
NOR told him that untold wealth was
hidden in the bowels of the earth,
and fortunes in fur roamed the dense
forest sof spruce and cottonwood;
where the sea otter and its young
fioated unmole3ted upon the bosom of
the deep, and where ermine, mink
and beaver were to be had by the
countless thousands
BY reaching that far off and un-
explored territory was the question
that confronted the modern Jason
Tie Golden Fleece was his for the
or hut To he
est Many were the fireside discus
Sions before the decision was made.
Many were the plans adopted and
abandoned and adopted again. before
the adventurer sailed on sloop or
whaling vessel for the Eldorado OF
his hopes. The mighty valleys OF
the Yukon. the Koyukuk, the White
river. the Copper and the towering
mountains were seductive possibili-
ties for wealth that could not be
overlooked.
Late in the fall of 1896 the mining
world was electrified by that same
magical influence that carved deep
into the pages of history the name Of
Carmack. Lindeman and others Gold
was discovered in Alaska. In the
lonely cabins on the Sierras. in the
hamlets of the sleepy east. in the
busy lObieS and corridors of the no.
tells of the great cities of the Atlantic
H., al
ccnters of Europe the thrilling slo-
gen, Cold" appealed to all. and the
IGah north began. The wealth which
means ease and comfort to the weary
toiler, and the Punishment of hunger
and cold from cabin and tenement
was to be had for the digging, and
all alike were thrilled with the tales
of rich placer deposits.
When the rush of gold seekers and
tEeir satellites struck the golden
north but little was known of the to-
biography of the country. and many
perished who might otherwise have
been saved had the trails been blazed
sad the road made plain. Several
routes were feasible. but the Canad-
ian one required the American pros
poCtor and miner to pay tribute to
Canada. and this was extremely dis
tasteful to the intrepid adventures
of those times. Many explorations
were made. The government sent
out several scientific parties to look
Up an all-Amcrican route to the in
terror. The most feasible one dis
coyerde. and the one that shows the
wisdom of the early explorer was that
Prince William sound into Port Val
DEE. landlockcd harbor sufficient in
size and depth of water to acommo-
date any number of vessels and with
a temperature and depth available as
harbor the year round. but the far
thest point north in which these con
ditions were found. From Valdez
through keystone canyon on the
Coastal range. through the valley of
the Copper crossing the main range
at Mantasta pass; thence crossing
the headwaters of the Tanana to the
Forty-mile country, to the headwaters
of American creek, and down this
stream to Eagle, on the banks of the
mighty Yukon, was the route select
ed. The entire breadth of the terri
tory was thus traversed over this line
on an all-Amcrican route, which was
the shortest through American terri
tory by 25O miles, and extends
through a section of the country that
is selfsustaining.
Over this route citizens of the Uni
ted States could travel at will without
taxation or the petty annoyances In
flicted upon the gold seekers by the
officious representatives of the Cana
dan government, The route today
q Al,