The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-03-01
DISCOVERY OF KLONDIKE
BY ONE Who WAS THERE
NEW AND PROBABLY CORRECT
VERSION OF GOLD FIND IN
FAR NORTH.

Following is doubtless the tru
story Of the discovery OF gol,
on the Klondike. The write
is A. l.. wills, of The Pas
Manitoba, who was mining recorder
for the Canadian government wher
the discovery was made The articl,
was published in the last issue of tn,
Engineering and Mining Journal
Press:
Mr.. Wanless at The Pas has
shown me the article re the Klondike
discovery written by Alex McComber
published in your issue OF December
., 1922, and has requested me to give
the proper version of the event AS |
happen to be the only Canadian gov
eminent official alive today who re-
sided at Forty Mile at the time of the
Klondike discovery and as my duties
as recorder acting for Captain Con-
stantine, the gold commissioners
brought me in direct contact with the
original stakers, l feel that / am COM
petent to state at first hand what ac-
tually occurred.
AfNAfAN Nv t7AAAAAAAAtaf I NsAA AAAA lNAAeNA
from suggesting to the readers OF
Mr.. McComber's narrative that they
forget ntoto II is ridiculously I'M
true and very misleading. / hold no
brief for either Bob Henderson or
George Carmack, but simply state the
facts so that the reader may judge
to whom to give credit.
IN the spring of 1896, Bob Hender-
son left Forty Mile with the prev-
ously avowed intention of prospecting
the upper tributaries of Indian river
especially Quartz creek Somewhere
up the Yukon river he fell in with
three newcomers namely. Swanson,
Munson and Dalton-and persuaded
them TO Join him. They journeyed up
Indian river. thence up Quartz and
from the head of this creek crossed
the divide into Goldbottom Here
they prospected and found little
gold, enough to encourage them to
remain. Running rather short of
food, Henderson. knowing he was in
the KlOndike watershed. decided he
would 80 to the mouth of the river.
where at that season the Indians
would be catching and drying salmon.
There he found not only the Indians
fishing but George Carmack, his
squaw, her brother. Skookum Jim. and
another Upper Yukon Indian. 'Tagish
Charlie, occupied IN the same pursuit.
They We're camped just below the
mouth of the river at the spot where
the klondiSe hotel was later built by
John Nelson in Dawson Henderson |
told Carmack of his find ON Goldbot- |
tom and advised and invited him to |
come and stake; he furthermore gave |
accurate instructions how Carmack |
was to reach the camp at Goldbottom /
telling him to go up the first tribl-
tary of the Klondike (afterward Ro-
nanza) until he came to the forks,
then continue up the left hand stream
about two miles, when he would come
to a small creek on the left Qatcr
known as p Pup. follow it up and
cross the divide at the head and that
he would then drop down where Hen
derson and his partners were working. \
"Carmack decided to accept Hen
derson's invitation. This was on Au-
gust 16, 1896, and he struck out for /
iOldbottom along with his Indian
On their way up the :
first tributary they did some panning, lC
and at point about 10 miles up the {
stream found some exposed high rim |
rock which yielded 81 or So in a few =
pans. CarmacS, instead of continuing =
ais journey to Goldbottom, only eight I
niles further on, and informing Hen +
lerson of his new find. returned i'm n
nediately to his camp at the mouth p
If the klondike and, leaving his COM Z
'anions, FASTENED alone to Forty Mile =
o record his claim. =
Il well remember the day. August :
s, that he came to the police bar "
acks and told the story of his discov- "
ny, to Captain Constantine, officer VA
commanding. who at that time was
ot only gold commissioner. but rep 81
esented all departments of the gov m
rnment Carmack asked to record his =,
iscovery claim. and named the creek ca
Bonanza. as was the privilege of the Id
He not having sufficient m
old dust to pay the recording fee of VI
10. the captain generously paid in 81
all for him and allowed him to keep
is little prospect wrapped in a small
iece of paper that he might show it
, the miners. For the first day of so NJ
tile excitement was created, mainly
ecause Carmack had no reputation
S either prospector or miner and OF
zen We're loath to believe that he had
July made a new discovery How
YER, the one feature that stood out i'm no
.vor of it being true was the char Sc
cter of the dust shown: it was en- ny
rely different in appearance to the I'M
old of Miller. Glacier Davis Frank ma
n. Napoleon or any of the other as
'eels known at that time Two or
lree men struck out for the new 90
ggings and were quickly followed bv &C.