The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-11-13
The Discovery of
the Klondike
CONTINUED from Page -

should have turned into on leaving
the Yukon. The east side OF the w.
kon along that part OF the river Is
bad polling, so that all up-river boat
men hug the west shore, which Is the
Opposite one from the Klondike side.
So, when their goal, the hills now
known as Dome range, was neared,
they were on the opposite side Of the
Yukon, where the polling is good, and
failed to see the mouth OF the Klon-
dixie. which was hidden by wooded is
lands. Here was an error in judg-
ment. When they finally crossed over
to the east sid they had passed the
mouth of the Klondike; and, instead
Of dropping down, they continued up
stream and pulled into the Indian
river. the first tributary south of the
Klondike.
Hart and Hansen Miss the Bio Strike.
The boat was taken up the Indian
river to the mouth of Quartz creek
and left there. Both Hart and Han
sen could see before this that they
were south of where they wished to
go-that they were on the south slope
OF the moose pasture. So they began
packing their outfit up the valley of
Quartz creek. On coming to it's Sec
ond tributary, since known as Little
Blanche creek, they headed up that
valley which runs from the south side
OF the Dome range, as the easiest way
10 reach the north side. Unfortun-
ately. at a place near the mouth OF
Little Blanche creek where they
camped, a coarse gold prospect was
found in shallow ground. 1t was the
first native gold Hart had ever seen
and he told McDougall years after, at
looked good to u.s." There they stay
ed, washing out gold, until a shortage
OF provisions should compel a return
to Forty-mile.
Although Hart still had the map, it
had ceased to pull him along. Several
times he suggested going over the
range to the north side, but Hansen
always demurred, arguing that they
ought to stay at work and wash out
enough gold to buy their outfit for
next year. They never knew how
much gold they washed out that sum-
mer. having no scales with which to
weigh it, but they guessed the total
at $4,000. Had they gone five miles
further, just across the Dome range
10 the nnrthnrn c1pna thaxy 4u,n,,ll hoo
found Eldorado creek, world wide
fame and a million dollars to the 500
foot claim. When most OF their food
had disappeared, and the remainder
was nearing an end, and when the
frosty nights limited at winters swift
approach, and their raiment was a
time-worn joke. they took the back
track for Forty-mile.
They arrived there, agreed on a
crafty plan, namely, to tell no one
about their diggings and to expend
their joint capital so as to put in a
year of prospecting in the moose
pasture.
The best-laid plans of mice and nell
Gang aft agley.
1t seldom falls to the lot of man.
however, to miscalculate by so wide
a margin as did Hart and Hansen. If
they had agreed to go on a 81, 900, 900
spree, the plan would not have gone
awry, for that is about what happen
Just how it occurred is, OF course,
hazy, but Hart remembers
Carmack was there. Anyway,
when their exhilaration had passed,
they had splashed their dab Of dust
into the channels of trade and where
It came from was no secret.
George Carmack Discovers the kIon.
dixie.
George Carmack, assisted by his
Indian brothers in law, supplied
town with moose meat; which
hey obtained as has been said in the
moose pasture. Hence, when Car
and family went to the moose
the next spring, they had
Dick, pan and shovel with them. Also
he same spring Bob Henderson be-
ran prospecting on the north slope of
pasture and found pay diggings
IN a creek he named Gold Bottom.
Not until 1897 did Carmack take out
gold to convince the old-tim
RS that he actually had struck some
hing good in the moose pasture.
.Ihechakos were more credulous; they
believed the impossible-and found
rich.
Az q gold discoverer George Car
has a record that Is absolutely
lnique-it probably never will be
'eaten. For five years he ca npei
summer where the very spot
coupled by his tent was underlaid by /
ONE Of the richest gold gravel ever
ound. Following his discovery other
len found gold in plain sight on the
are bedrock of Big Skookum gulch,
bout 1000 feet from his camp. At
bout the same distance, on No.
bove Carmack's discovery claim,
hree pans Of gravel, averaging 31100 :
, the pan, were taken from a depth 1
{ one foot below the surface. Gold
ill, also but a few hundred feet dis :
mt from his camp ground, had q ;
Iring of claims averaging $500, 900 to +
1e claim. Year after wear ne camD-