KLONDYKE AS IT IS

Otago Witness, Volume 11, Issue 2280, 11 November 1897, Page 20

KLONDYKE AS IT IS

(By Our Wakatifu Correspondent.)

IV. THK HISTORY OF THE KI.OJJDTKR. "Klondyke" is a Corruption of the native - name "Thorn Duik," whioh means "Plenty Fish," and for many years the stream now called Kloutfyke has been the happy hunting ground for the salmon fisher. The first reports of gold existing in the river came from the Indians. Several prospecting expeditions were fitted out, but failed to hit on the right spot.

In the meantime the fisheries led to settle" ments upon the banks of the Yukon River. A township was formed at the juuotion of the -Forty-mile Creek with the Yukon, between 50 and 60 miles down stream from the mouth of the Klondyke. Fort Reliance was built a few i miles below the conflux of the Klondyke with the Yukon, and an English mission was settled I not f»r from the fort.

At the junction of the Sixty-mile Creek with the Yukon is Harper and Ladney-'s (tore, about 70 miles up stream from Klondyke, so that it may be said that tbe Upper Yukon ia tbe neighbourhood of the Klondike was no longer an unsettled place when the gold was first discovered there.

This happened in August 1887, or upwards of 10 years ago. . The discoverer - was a white man - named G. W. Cormack, married to an Indian woman, whole brother incited Cormack to prospect for gold,, which led lo the discovery. The first attempt. proved successful. ' With imperfect .appliances' and the difficulty of procuring provisions, .which interfered ' much with the work, . Cormack, his brother-in-law,', and another' Indian obtained 1200dol worth of gold in a week, and the rush was started: ' "

Many years previous to this gold had Joeen worked in

THE 1?OBTY MILE CHEEK,

but in quantities far behind that of Klondyke ; consequent)}' a rush set in to Bonanza Creek, co named by its discoverer'Cormack, and to all the adjacent' streams,' of which Eldoua and Bear C eeks are the principal ones, and for the past 10 years rushing and mining. hao been going on quietly, so that it would be a mistake to look upon the field now as a new one.

Iv addition to ihe early settlements mentioned there is Fort Cudihy, joining closely that of Forty-mile. These settlements, tak«>n together, indisputably indicate that thrfe must be a reason for their existence, for it ia not likely that any one would settle in those regions for the mere fun of the thing, nor is it likely that all these settlements were established -"for the benefit 6f the Indians, although, they appear to have advanced in their civilisation to tbe stage of European dress and boots, which latter are a i sure sign that their civilisation and. education are nearly complete. This is speaking of the Indians on the banks of the Yukon and noar it. The parts of the country remote from the river the wild man still roams in the full possession of his territory, which be seems disposed to defend against all invaders. It thus appears that Klondyke is anything but a new field, and it is also clear that the population hss gono on gradually' increasing from year to year. Two large .trading-com-panies — the Alaska Commercial 'Company' and tbe North-Western Transport itiob and Trading Company-— are .carrying on an extensive and no donbt lucrative trade. Both companies own their, own fleets of .large sea-going and river boats, and have large depots near Dawson City and at all the settlements aloDg the Yvifcoa River. ' .These companies have been in the trade for a number of years, and h»ve seen the place, and population grow before their very eyes ; in fact, they have carried thither the greater part of the population now upon the field, and. must thus have a fair estimate of the requirejneuts of the place and the capabilities of the trade. This, taken together with a water-way rigkti to the Klondyke River, and past it and up it, open for about three or four months in the year, and the fumong prices ruling on the field, would make it a libel on Yankee cuteness if these companies were supposed capable of letting their customers starve. For this reason

THE CHT OF STARVATION

may be considered to have been got up for some purpose the motive for which does not appear on the surface. Besides what has been said above oh the advance settlement in British Columbia, there are the illustrations in the American papers, which are neither few nor far between. They are mostly taken from photographs, and all thosa giving illustrations of the goldfields and gold workings show an open, level country gentlyundulating, bufc no steep, high, or rugged mountain close at hand. . The representations of several of the miners' huts show that they are fitted with machine-made pannelled doors, and teal glass windows mostly of two sashes. Thi« little item alone lets tbe cat oat of the bag an(J tells a£ale of comfort ana* close connection witfi. civilisation that is very convincing. _' * - I remember, when about 34-yeara ago, anaiaw upon the Arrow River put a single miserable s&sh of four panes in his hut. He was con* sidered mad, and TMany miner! came long distances to convince themselves of the onheard of and at that time incredible extravagance. < - " Things are so far advanced that they bare within rail of the Klondyke River "The Yukon Order of Pioneers," apparently a wellorganised body of miners, 20 of whom in their full regalia have been photographed outside what may be supposed to be their lodge building. Here is another proof that the Klcndrke

is no longer a new field or terra incognita, ' though it may he a terror in obher ref pacts. THE CLIMATE OF ALASKA AND NOETKEBN BRITISH COLUMBIA

is not the best in the summer months-. In the early part of the season it is exceedingly wet — heavy downpours are frequenb, and sometimes of long duration. The air and the ground are surcharged with moisture to such an extent as to cause much sickneis. In the fall of the year violent storms sweep over the country and make things very disagreeable, bat the period of the storm does not last very long. The winter, were it not for the intense cold, is really the most healthy and regular of weather, nor is locomotion per snow shoes at ordinary time 3at

»11 dangerouß or laborious. Swamp? and the greater number of the smaller rivers are frozen solid to their very bottom, so that it is possible to travel in almost any direction io straight lines.

" Snow very rarely falls to a greater depth than ISm or 2ft, and in the absence of wind the frost is not long in solidifying it. At any time, however, travelling about is practicable, and long journeys are made on the mow during winter.

In answer to questions I may reply :— Subscriber, Maniototo. — The distance from Victoria Vancouver to Innean, where you must

fib out and tttke the Chilcoot Pass for Klondyke,

is 618 miles, and the fare is — Cabin 50do?, . steerage 30dol. ■ These pi ices are charged by •the Pacific Coast Stettnthip Company's boats, i & comparatively new line vanning opposition to i the trading companies.

M 'Robert:— Klondyke, Davraon City, abd Djea are either not- marked, or, if so, not : named, upon most of the authoritative maps in i circulation, all' these p' acts being little known

■ un'il lately, «nd the American papers, which .give sketch maps' of the Yukon region, omit : degree! of longitude »nd latitude. If you

have a good atlas you may find the head waters of tbe Yukon marked without being named. If so, yon mar take the third river up stream from the Alatkan and British boundary as tbe Klondyko, and Damson City is at its

junction with the Yukon. Approximate latitude, 64 ; longitude, 140.