Seward daily gateway., 1924-08-06
STRANGE THINGS DONE
 MEATH MIDNIGHT SUN
Story of How Two Pioneer Hotel Men of Embryonic Town
 Waited for Business

"There are strange things done
 in the midnight sun
 By the men who moil for gold;
 The Arctic trails have their
 secret tales e@t.t
 That would make your blood
 run cold" Service.
 It was during the summer of 1905 that a mining boom struck a certain locality in Southern Yukon border ing on the British Columbia line and during the next few months two towns sprang into existence, one in Yukon and the other in B. c. but separated by only three miles and both on the same body of water, a long, narrow lake known as Little Windy Arm. Companies made ap- plication for and were granted townsites and real estate boomed until corner lots were quoted in four figures. The Yukon town was boomed the strongest and in the short period of three or four months boasted a population of nearly 1000. But as there were score or more of what were touted to be valuable mining property" there would be sufficient population to make two prosperous towns.
 In those days in that locality there were but two industries, mining and drinking booze, and in order that the latter might be carried on with out undue effort on the part of the patrons, there was a saloon on every corner and, the blocks being short, corners were not far apart. As the two townsites were about equal dis tance from the mines employing the largest number of men, there was no reason why the saloon business should not flourish in both towns. The result was that six paint stores" were flourishing in the Yu- kon town by the time the boom in the B. c. town started and naturally the first buildings erected in the latter were so-called "hetels," of which there were two. Each was built of logs, contained a dozen or fifteen rooms, the largest and best being devoted to the sale of "gents' furnishings"
 The buildings being completed and the bars generously stocked, grand openings" were advertised and the two business industries were appropriately launched in the com mercial world although the popula- tion of the new town at that time did not exceed two dozen. And in less than three months the mines closed down and by fall the only two residents of the town were the two 'hotep 'proprietors, the others having initiated the action of the Arab who folded his tent and vam- oosed. But firm in the belief that the mines would resume operations the following spring and having their substance practically all in- vested in the buildings and stocks, the two remained and, with the clos ing of navigation and freezing of the lake, there was little hope for any winter travel as no trail by land and connecting the B. c. town with it's more prosperous rival in Yukon had at that time been constructed.
 One of the hotels was called the Wyntonia and the other the Belve- dere and they were separated by but two blocks. As neither proprietor had any family the result was that each was alone in his building with nothing to do but guard his property and ever and anon inulge in a "l'onesome," but of this they soon became weary, for without sociabil- F Fity and good fellowship, there was but little of either comfort or pleas ure in "'hitting 'er up. alone.
 Now, it so happened that there