Douglas Island news., 1919-01-31
GOLD DISCOVERIES
 OF AMERICA
Continued from page D


 that he should cast his eye to the northland, where rumor told him ! that untold wealth was hidden in the bowels of the earth, and for tunes in fur roamcd Che dense forests of spruce and cottonwood; where Che sea otter and its young floatcd un- molcsted upon the bosom of thc deep, and where crmne, mink and beaver were Co be had by the countless thou sands.
 But reaching that far-oG and uncxplorcd territory was Che qucs- . ton that confronted thc modern Ja- son. The Golden Fleece was his for the shearlng. but how to get Co Che harvest. Many were Che fresidc dis cusslons before the decision was made. Many were the plans adopted and abandoned and adopted again, before the adveuurer sailed on sloop or whaling vessel for the Eldorado of his hopes. Tho mighty valleys of the Yukon. the Koyukuk, Che White river the Copper, and the towering mountains were seductive possibili- ties for wealth that could not Doc overlooked.
 Late in che faIl of 1896 thc min ing world was electrified by that same magical influence that carved deep into the pages Of history the names of Carmock. Lindcman and others. Gold was discovered in AL aska. In the lonely cabins on the s.crras. in Che hamlcts of the sleepy east, in the busy Hobbies and corridors of the hotels of Inc great cities of the Atlantic seaboard, and even in Che commercial ccntcrs of Europe the thrilling slogan, Gold, " appealed Co an, and Che rush north began. The wealth which means ease and comfort Co the weary toilcr and the bauishmcnt of hunger and cold from cabin and tenement was Co be had for the digging and all alike were thrilled with Che tales of rich placer deposits.
 When the rush of gold seekers and their satellites struck the golden north but little was known of the topography of che country, and many pcrishcd who might otherwise have been had the trails been hlazed and Che road made plain. Several routes were feasible. but Che Cana dian one required the American miner and prospcctor Co pay tribute to Canada. and this was extremely distastcful Co the intrepid adventurcr of those times. Many explorations were made. Tho government sent out several scientific parties Co look mn an all-Amcrlcau route to thc in torior The most feasible one dis covered and the one that shows Che wisdom of the early explorer. was that through the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound into Port Valdez a laudlockcd harbor sut- 6cicnt in size and depth of water Go accommodate any number of vessels and with a temperature and depth ayailablc as a horbor thc year around. but tho farthcst point north in which these conditions were found From Valdez through Che Keystone canyon on che coastal range. through Che valley of the Conner. crossing Che main range ai Nantasta pass; thcnsc crossing the beadwaters of the Tanono Co Che Fortvmlle country. Co the hcadwaters of American creek, and down this stream Co Eagle. on the banks oi Che mighty Yukon. was the route select cd The entire breadth of the terri torv was thus travcrscd over .this line on an all-Americau route. which was the shortest through American territory by 25O miles, and extends through a section Of thc country that . is self-sustaining.
 over this route citizens Of the United States could travel at will without taxation or thc petty on- novances inflicted upon the gold seekers by the onicious representa- lives of the Canadian government. The route today for great part is bo same as that travcrsed in 1898 and 1899. with the exception oi branching on to Fairbanks. from which city to the coast at Cordovo It is now possible to ride in comfort . i'm autos. requiring hours where i'
 formerly took days
 This is the reason for Cordoyo and this is the reason why this city WilI hydrographically and geographically always be recognized by Che govern.
 ment as the most important route Ito the interior, saving days iI
 travel over that of any other and
 connecting the Panama river valley
 md the Yukon with the coast by
 one of the greatest thorougiores h the territory, stretching away oyer Ibm and dale. over towering noun
 tains. through deep chasms and past
 magnificent forests Of spruce and other timber
 The above route is sprinkled with ] roadhouscs, homlets. the primitive cabins Of the pioneer, who with hi'