.s^ 
 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 .^' 
 
 1.0 
 
 1.1 
 
 11.25 
 
 U|2i 115 
 ut 92^ 12.2 
 
 £f U& 12.0 
 
 PhotogTijpliic 
 _,Sciencefc; 
 Corporation 
 
 A 
 
 
 39 WIST MAIN ITRIIT 
 
 WIUTIR.N.Y MSM 
 
 (7U) 171.4101 
 
 '^ 
 
4^ 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHIVI/ICiy/IH 
 Collecdon de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian instltuta for Historical Microraproduotiona / Institut Canadian da microraproductiona historiquaa 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couieur 
 
 I I Covers damaged/ 
 
 □ 
 
 □ 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 Couverture endommagAe 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaur^ et/ou pelliculie 
 
 I I Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 r~| Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes giographiquas en couieur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black!/ 
 Encre de couieur (i.e. autre que bieue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couieur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Relii avec d'autres docjments 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 Lareliure serrAe peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intirieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appeer within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties 
 lors d'une raitauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais. lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas 4t« fi;m«es. 
 
 Additional comments;/ 
 Commentaires supplAmentaires; 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm* le meiileur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a At* possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifi'<»/ 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger una 
 modificetion dans Is mithode normale de fiimage 
 sont indiqute ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 D 
 
 Pages de couieur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endnmmegAes 
 
 □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 Pages restauries et/ou pellicul46s 
 
 w I Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 ^ Pages dAcolorAes, tacheties ou piquAes 
 
 n~| Pages detached/ 
 
 Pages ditachAes 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of prir 
 
 Qualit* inigale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary materii 
 Comprend du matiriel suppl4mentaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 r~7I Showthrough/ 
 
 I I Quality of print varies/ 
 
 |~~| Includes supplementary material/ 
 
 |~~1 Only edition available/ 
 
 1 
 
 s 
 
 V 
 
 i 
 
 b 
 ri 
 n 
 n 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partieMement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 4t4 fllm4es i nouveau de fa9on A 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est film* au taux da reduction indiqu* ci-dessous. 
 
 
 10X 
 
 
 
 
 14X 
 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 
 22X 
 
 
 
 
 MX 
 
 
 
 
 MX 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 12X 1SX aOX MX MX 32X 
 
 
I 
 
 tails 
 t du 
 odWar 
 une 
 mage 
 
 Th« copy fllm«d h«r« Hm b««n r«produo«d thanks 
 to tha gonorosity of: 
 
 Library Division 
 
 Provincial Archivti of British Columbia 
 
 Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha bast quality 
 poaaibia consMaHng tha condition and legibility 
 of tha original copy and In keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 Original copies In printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover end ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the beck cover when appropriate. All 
 other origlnel copies ere filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a print«ii or illustrated Impres- 
 sinn, and ending on the lest pege with a printed 
 or illustroted impression. 
 
 The last recorded freme on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol ^»> (meening "CON- 
 TINUED"!, or the symbol ▼ (meaning "END'I, 
 v/hichever applies. 
 
 Meps. plates, cherts, etc., mey be filmed at 
 different reduction retios. Those too larga to be 
 entirely included in one exposure ere filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hend corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diegrems illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 L'exempieire fiimA fut reproduit grice A la 
 gAnArosIt* da: 
 
 Library Division 
 
 Provincial Archives of British Colnmbia 
 
 Las imeges suivantes ont *ti raproduites avac la 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de le condition et 
 de le nettet* de rexemplaira fiimA, et en 
 conformity evec les conditions du ccntrot de 
 filmege. 
 
 Les exempleires origineux dont le couvertura en 
 papier est ImprimAe sent filmAs en commen^ant 
 par le premier plet et en terminent soit par la 
 darnlAre pega qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'iliustretion. soit par le second 
 plat, salon le ces. Tous les eutres oxempleiies 
 origineux sent fiimis en commen^ant par la 
 pramlAre pege qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration at en terminent par 
 la derniAre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la 
 darnlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 ces: le symbols — ^ signifie "A 8UIVRE '. la 
 symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". 
 
 Les canes, plenches, tsbleaux, etc., peuvent Atre 
 filmAs A des taux da reduction diffirants. 
 Lorsqua la document est trop grand pour Atra 
 reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est filmi A pertir 
 de I'engle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, 
 et de heut en bas, an pranant la nombre 
 d'imeges nAcesseire. Les diagrammas suivants 
 iliustrant la mAthoda. 
 
 irrata 
 to 
 
 palura, 
 n A 
 
 1 I a 
 
 32X 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
V 
 

 
 
 
 l:,^.?-4- 
 
 
 
 
 
 •■ 
 
 ,,_ '•■ . * • * 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 
 ■ I 
 
 
 /; 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 *■ -r. 
 
 
 •%^ 
 
 . 
 
 *.-, 
 
 
 
 
 ; 
 
 « 
 
 • 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 ■*-* 
 
 • 
 
 * 
 
 •• 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 , • 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 . - *' 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' *^- - 
 
 •' * 
 
 
 
 > • * 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 t 
 
 •^ 
 
 . *" .- V" 
 
 
 
 .-' 
 
 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 » 
 
 • 
 
 
 S »•• 
 
 
 « , 
 
 V . ••* ^ .. 
 
 • 
 
 * 
 
 t ' *^ 
 
 
 '•» u ■ 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 • 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 ( • 1 • 
 
 
 
 -. 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 ■ ," . 
 
 
 1 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 i-/ 
 
 
 
 •I. 
 
 . • 
 
 
 « 
 
 
 
 1* 
 
 • ; • 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 '■} 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 ■> 
 
 
 
 N 
 
 
 tf 1 
 
 * * 
 
 
 
 « 
 
 
 'f 
 
 
 .V 
 
 
 «» 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 ♦•. 
 
 
 
 "^ . • 
 
 • ■* • i*. =. * ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 % 
 
 ..,«•<, 
 
 
 
 \ •> 
 
 Va' 
 
 I < < 
 
 &il 
 
 ♦.^ 
 
 fri 
 
 .'i< I ' * V ill 
 
 c^i «. 
 
 
 
 /. / 
 
TKjup 
 
 \ •■, ,; / '■' 
 
 I ,1 'in 
 
 i: < !i|. 1 1 
 
 V 
 
 I ,., 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 c3 
 
 
 
 
 * 
 
 ^^ 
 
 i ' 
 
 
 v*^'.. 
 
 
 '<: 
 
 
 tc • » 
 
 The Vancouver Routes to the Yukon 
 
 VaiHMUivor City the lU'st lN)iiit of 
 Departure for the Yukon. 
 
 Vancouvor is^ undoubtedly the best jMUut of departure 
 for the Yukon country, within which lie the worUl-famous 
 placer gold fields of the Klondike. Th«'i'e are. ujorcover, 
 elsewhere in the Yukon than in the Klondike district — and 
 all within the Dominion of Canada — ininK'UHe areas that 
 yet remain to be explored for gold, of which in most parts 
 of the Yukon, traces arc* found. 
 
 Two main reasons may be given why Vanrouver should 
 next Spring become, and afterwards continue to be. the 
 best point of departure for the Yukon region: First, \'iin- 
 couver is of all ports and commercial cities of any n<»tt' or 
 magnitude, nearest the Klondike gold fields. Seattle, which 
 is the nearest mercantile city in the United States to the 
 Yukon country in general, has lately been extravagantly 
 "boomed," in respect of its pretensions to bt' the best j>oint 
 of departure for the Klondike. Itut Seattle is some 200 
 miles scMith of Vanccniver, and accoidingly by so num'y 
 miles further from the Yukon. Greater still are the ditVer- 
 ences in time of n>acliing and distance from the Klondike, 
 as between San Francisco and Vanrouver, these diJTerences 
 all being in favcu* of the Canadian City, whence by steam 
 ships, ecpially rapid and oth<»r ecjually efUcient means of 
 transit, the Yukon can be reached in three days less time 
 and over a course shorter by some 800 miles than that by 
 any San Francisco route. What, however, clinches the 
 fact, that Vancouver will next Spring — before which time 
 
 Pwific N. W. History D'^ni 
 
 PROVINCIAL LlQf^ARy 
 VICTORIA, •. 0, 
 
Tio gold-soeker should set out for the Klondike — bocome ab- 
 «olut(*I;\' the best point of departure for the Yukon, is the 
 <'anadian I'acific Railway's close connection with Vancou- 
 ver, wliich is its I'aciflc Coast terminus. Hence Vancouver 
 •enjoys the enormous advantage of rail and steamship con- 
 nections of the speediest, safest and most comfortable char- 
 acter, first with other parts of Canada by the Canadian 
 l*acitic Kailway's own famous route; secondly with all parts 
 of the I'nited ^States bv the Canadian Pacific, and connected 
 international railroadn, and thirdly with the United King- 
 dom and the Continent of Europe, by means of fast Atlantic 
 steamship Hervi( es, the managers of which are ready to 
 make convenient passenger booking and freighting arrange- 
 ments in connection with the transcontinental and Pacific 
 ■Ocean services of the Canadian Pacific Railway. 
 
 Nor are the above connections with the other parts of 
 Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Euro- 
 pean Continent by any means all that specially favor Van- 
 couver as a point of departure for the Yukon. For it must 
 be noted that the tine ocean steamship service of the Can- 
 adian Pacific Railway Company can brng directly to Van- 
 couver from or via China or Japan, any would be Yukon 
 gold seekers, Rritish or otherwise, hailing from the Orient, 
 whilst the Canadian-Australian Steamship (Company's well 
 appointe<l mail steamers will bring direct to Vancouver a 
 host of other gold miners and pnispectors from Australia 
 and New Zealand. It is, therefore, no exaggeration to say 
 that the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian-Aus- 
 tralian Steamship Company can, with the aid of their re- 
 spective associated rail and steamship services, book and 
 i'ojivey (juickly and comf<»rtably to Vancouver, en route for 
 the Klondike and oflier parts of the Yukon, passengers and 
 freight from all Important centres in the world, and more 
 rspecinlly from English speaking lands. And when next 
 Spring multitudes of Yukon travellers arrive in Vancouver, 
 there will be ample provision made for their safe, rapid, 
 cheap and direct transport from Va?!Couver to the Yukon 
 l)y l*acific Coast steamship and railroad services. Thus 
 the Canadian Pacific Railway Company will either utilise 
 in Spring the longer, but all water route of the Pacific 
 •Ocean and the Yukon River, or more probably the muoh 
 
 V 
 
 u 
 
Bliortor, in part water, in part road, or railroad roiito, via 
 the Sticlvine Kiver and Glcnora or Telegrapli Creclc. The 
 great Canadian Hailroad Company proposes in Spring to 
 operate on i(s Ynkon service from \'ancouver four or more 
 swift and well appointed ocean steamships, wliilst it will 
 also phice on connecting inland rivers and waters a Heet 
 of freight and passenger steamboats. 
 
 The Slickine, or allCanadian route, described later in 
 this pamphlet, in Mr. Ogilvie's lertnre is, indeed, almost 
 certain to be the ronte most favon-d by the Canadian Pa- 
 cific Kailway Company and other N'a^iconver transport or- 
 ganisations, for by it the l.fiOll miles thai lie betw«'en Van- 
 oonv»'r and Dawson City shonhl be safely traviavable in the 
 Spring of next year in mu<'li less time than would at best 
 be occupied in travelling the Yukon Kivei- rout*', via St. 
 Michaels, the latter a course which is m(.;e thiin twice as 
 long. 
 
 The Stickine route possesses great advantages also over 
 travel to the Yukon by either the Whit»* Pass, the Chilkoot 
 Pass, or the Dalton Trail. The commencing point of all of 
 these routes can, however, be easily reached, if de-ircd, 
 from \'ancouv<'r, as the chief ocean steamers thetice bound 
 for the Yukcm, will disembark passengers at all important 
 points of entry for tin* Klondike country. .\s regai'ds the 
 Stickine nuite in particular, fine coasting steamers will next 
 Spring run betwe«'n Van<'ouver and Fort Wrangel at the 
 mouth of the Stickine, the whole of which river is a mivi- 
 gable Canadian waterway, although the Stickine riins for 
 a few miles above its mouth through Cnited States ter- 
 ritory. 
 
 The Stickine Hiver beiijg sluillow, passengers and freight 
 from Vancouver will, at Fort NVningel, be transferred to 
 well appointed light <lraught steamboats and conveyed up 
 the river for a distance of about ir»() miles to (Jlenora. or 
 to Ti'legraph <'reek, which is 12 miles higher np stream, the 
 depth of water at the tinu- deciding which of tlw two places 
 Is to be the point of transfer. At Olenora, or at Telegrajdi 
 Creek, a land journ<»y to Teslin Lake commences over an 
 easy grad<» of about 13t) nules. This journey will probably, 
 in the earlier Sj)ring, be made by stage conches, but later in 
 the year may bo taken, more easily and swiftly, by a rail 
 
load, for wliirli the surveys are already made. This will 
 iilni()8t certainly he operated by the Canadian Pacific Kail- 
 way Company. On Teslin Lake the Yukon traveller will 
 embark with IiIh freij?lit, aboard another Bteamer, which 
 will eonvey him and hiH outfit and Hupplies to the Hootalin- 
 qua Hiver. 80 miles distant, and thence via that river, the 
 Lewis and the Yukon rivers — all really one great waterway 
 — to his destination at Dawson City, distant only L'J5 miles 
 further. There should accordingly be no difliculty next 
 Spring in conveying passengers comfortably between Van- 
 couver and Klondike during seven months, in the Spring, 
 Summer and Autumn of each year, whereas at present (De- 
 cember, 1M)7), only the most robust and hardy can be deem- 
 ed aught but ill-advised in the extreme, if they even attempt 
 to nuike f<u' the Yuk<ni by any of the routes, which that by 
 the Stickine Rivei* will next year largely supersede. 
 
 The all-Canadian route by the Stickine River has more- 
 over yet another advantage worth noticing, that will proba- 
 bly commend itself to nmny northern gold-seekers. These 
 will, on arriving at Glenora or Telegraph Creek, where the 
 intermediate road or railroad journey of about 130 mileti 
 couunences, find themselves in Cassiar, a region, itself pos- 
 sessed of gold deposits, of which in all probability the rude 
 placer mining of the past has, in so vast a country, merely 
 disclosed a snmll portion. Heyond Ciissiar again is the 
 gohl-bejiring district of Omineca, from which last region 
 Chines*' miners have recently brought many thousand dol- 
 lars worth of gold dust. Ifritish and Canadian companies 
 aie already woi-king the gold gravels and other auriferous 
 de|M»sits of Omineca, and similarly extensive operation^ 
 will probably commen<'e in Cassiar next year, simultaneous- 
 ly with the construction of the proposed railroad of the 
 (^assiar Central Company. nenc<» Northern prospectors, 
 taking the ^'ancouver Stickine route will be able to find 
 alternativt* opportunities for remunerative labor nearer 
 home and in more genial regions, all situated within Brit- 
 ish Colum])ia itself. It should also be noted that Vancou- 
 ver will, as a result of its favorable geographical position, 
 be the last port of call for all Canadian and most American 
 ocean steamships, conveying passengers and freight to the 
 Yukon country. 
 
 V 
 
V 
 
 Vancouver the Best Oiitfltting* Point 
 
 for the Yukon. 
 
 Vancouver is, for several reasons, the best outfitting 
 point for the Yukon. It has first, tlie advautaj^e of being 
 a great Western Canadian trade emporium, wherein every 
 kind of Xortliern travelling, prospecting and mining equip- 
 ment ran be i)roeured at reasonable cost. As a Canadian 
 business citv, Vancouver has great advantages over any 
 United States trade centre, since even better supplies can 
 be obtained there and these, as a whole, more cheaply than 
 at points across the internal ional boundary, whilst goods 
 bought in Canada, on entering the Yukon, are subject to 
 no import duties, which duties are on the other hand ex- 
 acted on supplies bought in the United Stales to the ex- 
 tent of an average ad valorem levy of 30 per cent., which 
 would add a large sum to the cost of an adequate Yukon 
 outfit. 
 
 A careful comparison of the average prices in Vancou- 
 ver and United Stales towns of a suitable and complete 
 Yukon outfit, shows on the whole a difierence in favor of 
 Vancouver of about 20 per cent, in cheapness. Henc«' the 
 Yukon traveller will save much e.\])ense and some delay 
 and inconvenience by purchasing his outfit in Vanc(»uver 
 instead of in any Pacific C(uist or other city in the United 
 States. A'ancouver also possesses advantages over even 
 the cheai>est supply centres in the TTnited Kingdom, as it 
 can olTer Yukon stores and outtlls. free of customs duties, 
 and is, moreover, a city in which many outfit and supply 
 traders, themselves in some <'ases old Northern prospectors 
 or merchants, know far more exactly than can any English 
 or Scotch provider, the requirements of so exceptional a 
 country, as the Yukon. Hence British travellers for the 
 Klondike should, in order to save the cost of import duties, 
 as also the expense and trouble of transport over nearly 
 6,000 miles of sea and land, and in order also to secure out- 
 fits and supplies exactly suitable, punhase their supplies 
 in Vancouver, where Yukon clothing, hardware and pro- 
 visions, can also be specially packed and arranged for im- 
 mediate safe transport northwards. This last desideratum is, 
 
6 
 
 it may be udded, of very great importance, since in that Nor- 
 thern hind of much rain, snow and ice, exceptional care in 
 arrangement and in water-tight packing is absolntely need- 
 ed, unk'ws supplies that may be vitally recessary to a Yukon 
 traveller, aio to be placed at grave risk of being made use- 
 less, or even worse than useless in the case, for example, 
 of certain easily i)erishable food supplies. These points 
 cannot be too strongly noted and made a basis of action 
 by the prudent Yukon traveller. He will find no ditticulty 
 in the choice of goods and of reliable outfitters in Vancou- 
 ver, where many keen competitors of long experience and 
 special knowledge are ready to cater for his wants and are 
 even now, in expectation of a great Spring trade with Nor- 
 thern ])ros])ectors, procuring exceptionally large and choice 
 supplies. 
 
 VaiH'oiivcvr as a Place of Kesi<lciice 
 for Wivt^s ami Families. 
 
 Some married Yukon prospectors will naturally prefer, 
 at least until Dawson and other Klondike towns shall be- 
 come further advanced in development, to obtain homes for 
 their wives and families in some more Southern Canadian 
 city, tiiau which none belter, nor more pleasant and con- 
 venient can well be chosen than Vancouver, which enjoys 
 a climate similar to that of England, and affords also good 
 social advantages. Vancouver is in addition, equipped 
 with i\ generally excellent public educational system, in- 
 cluding many graded schools and a High School, second to 
 none in Western Canada, and has also churches and relig- 
 ious organisations, representing all the leading denomina- 
 tions and ]>hases of thought, to which worshippers are re- 
 spectively attached. 
 
 The cost of living is moderate; rents are reasonable while 
 the water supply is both ample in quantity and unsurpass- 
 ed in (juality. In all respects Vancouver is one of the most 
 healthy and desirable towns in which a family can make 
 its home. 
 
Vaiicoiivc^r i\h a Centre of British 
 Columbia Mining* Activity. 
 
 It should no( l:e oveilooke.l — aUhougli this pamphlet 
 mainly disciissos Vaiirouvers coiiiu'ctioii with the Yukon 
 — that any who wish to engage in ^old or silver mining 
 in Hi'itish Columbia itself, cannot do b 'tter than set out 
 for A'ancouver and thence dire-t th«'ir inijuiries r^d per- 
 soutil investi^jations of the wonderfui niineml resources of 
 Canada's ra<ilic I'rovince. No regi.m cm earth is appar- 
 ently richer than Bi'itish ('ohnnbia in gold and silver, cop- 
 per, lead and iron. Whether it I e desired to a<c<'rtain the 
 facts and possibilities of the ^old gravels of Cariboo, ('as- 
 slai- or the Omineca count rv or those of the copper gold 
 mining districts of Hossland aid Bnundary Creek; the sil- 
 ver-lead ores of the Slocan, Nelson, Lardeau and Illecille- 
 waet; the free gold deposits of Lillo(»et, and the North Head 
 distiict, (»r the copper-gold, silver-gohl, and free gold depos- 
 its of tin* Coast and Island regi<Mi of British Columbia, all 
 these points can be well as«'ertained at. a«id the districts 
 tln'mselves conveniently rcaclu^l from N'ancouver, which 
 is destined to become the Denver of British Columbia ! 
 
 As showing the supericu" advantages which Vancouver 
 oIT<'rs ov<'r other jdaces a^ an outtitting point, attcntimi is 
 directed to the following invoice of an out til purchas •<! in 
 fcScattle by a miner who r»*rently left f<u* the Yukon. It was 
 supplied by one of the largest outtitting companies in Seat- 
 tle. The amount charged for the clothing was :ij571.})~>; for 
 the groceries, !jp54.tH), or a total cost for the outfit of 11^1110.55. 
 The invoice was giveji to a h^ailing <M;t fitting firm in Van- 
 couver with a r<'<iue8t that it be duplicated. This was done 
 and the cost was: For clothing, ^.T.MO, or |12.S5 less than 
 the Seattle charge. The bill for the groceries was |l9.fit), 
 or #5 less than the sum «liarge<l in Seattle, showing a total 
 saving of ^17.8.") (eijual to over 14 per cent) by purchasing 
 in Vancouver instead of Seattle. Add to this an average 
 duty of IW i>er cent., which goods bought in the Ignited 
 States will be snbject to on reaching the Yukon frontier, 
 and it will be seen that nearly 50 per cent, will be saved by 
 persons outfitting in the Canadian and not in the United 
 States pcfrt. 
 
8 
 
 CLOTHING 
 
 2 Suits Heavy Knit Underwear. 
 6 Pairs Double Foot Wool Socks. 
 
 1 Pair Double Foot Wool German Stock- 
 
 ings, Tufted Foot. 
 
 2 Blue Flannel Overshirts. 
 1 Heavy Woollen Sweater. 
 
 1 Suit Extra Heavy Mackinaw Coat and 
 Pants. 
 
 1 Pair Each Heavy WooHen Cloves and 
 
 Mittens. 
 
 2 I*air3 Wool Lined Lt'allicr Mil tons. 
 
 1 Pair Unliiird Leather Work Ulovca 
 1 Wind and Waterproof Duck <'oat, 
 Blanket Lined. 
 
 1 Pair Heavy Duck I'ants, Blanket Lined. 
 
 2 Pairs Heavy Hiveted Overalls. 
 2 Pairs Heavj Overalls Jumpers. 
 1 Pair 8 lb. Blankets, any Color. 
 
 1 Pair (1 lb. all Wool Blankets, Cirev. 
 
 1 Waterproof Oilskin Blanket. 
 
 1 Airtight Oilskin Bag, (for Tea, Sugar, 
 
 etc.) 
 1 Heavy Duck Tent, 8x10, Alaskan St vie. 
 1 Do/. Best (Quality Bandana ll.indkc r- 
 1 Pair Heavy Oiant Buckle Suspenders. 
 
 chiefs. 
 1 Heavy Scotch Wool Storni Cap. 
 1 Still Brim (Owbov Hat. 
 1 Pair High Cut, 2 "Buckle Rubber Shoes. 
 1 Pair llip Bubber Boots, (Pat. duck 
 
 kind.) 
 1 Pair Specially Made Prospectors' Sliocs. 
 Towels and Toilet and Laundry Soap. 
 6 Doz. .Mntches and Pocket Match Box. 
 Eye Protectors. 
 Buckskin tJold Bag. 
 Rubber Cement and llubber Patciiing. 
 
 6 
 
 Quartz Glass and Compass. 
 
 Darning Yarn, Needles, Linen Thread, 
 Buttons, etc. 
 
 Pocket Comb, mirror, toothbrush, etc. 
 
 Cost of the above, Seattle: $71.95 
 
 Cost of the above in Vancouver: ifaU.lO 
 
 Saving in Vancouver $12.85 
 
 OROCBRIFS 
 
 3()0 lbs. Best Flour. 
 LIO lbs. Best Su^ar Cured Bacon. 
 100 lbs. Small White Beans. 
 10 lbs. Oatiiiial. 
 20 lbs. Cornmeal. 
 20 lbs. Best Bice. 
 25 lbs. Best White Sugar. 
 20 lbs. (jood Cotlee in Can, 
 5 llts. Tea in Can. 
 16 lb. Cans Evapnr.itid Cream. 
 10 lbs. Baking Powder. 
 2 lbs. Baking Soda. 
 10 lbs. Table Salt. 
 20 lbs. Kvaporaled Potatoes. 
 10 lbs. Kvaporate«l Onions. 
 I lb. White Pepper, Ground. 
 i lb. Mustard. 
 
 I Pint Kxira Vinegar in Can. 
 20 Uis. Evaporate'l .\pples. 
 20 lbs. Kvaporaled Peaches. 
 Evaporated Prunes. 
 Split I'eas. 
 Dried Baisins. 
 CandUs. 
 Cost of the above in Seattle ..$54.00 
 Cost of the above in Vancouver 4'J.OO 
 
 20 1I)H. 
 10 lbs. 
 
 5 lbs. 
 
 5 lbs. 
 
 Saving in Vancouver ^6.00 
 
 Routes to the Yukon froiu Vancouver 
 
 No. 1. Till' All-rtiiiuiliaii Koiitci 
 
 l*ro('('c(lH from Vautouver by ocean steainer to Fort 
 Wnnij;<'l sit the mouth of the Stickine Jtiver, thence up the 
 river by Htcumbout, by the Glenora and Teslin Lake road 
 and by Teslin Lake and the IIoolalini|uu and Yukon rivers 
 to DawHon Ci<y. Distance, 1,G(M) miles. Will give in 
 Bprin;; easy and direct acccsH by ocean steamship, stage or 
 rail and river steamboat services, all interconnected. 
 
 No. *4, TUv White PiiMN Koiitct 
 
 Hy ocean steamer from Vancouver , to Skagway on Ihe 
 Lynn Canal, then over the mountain trail of the White Pass 
 to lakes H«'nnett and Tagish, thence by the Lewis and 
 Yuk'«m rivers to Dawson. Distance, 1,478 miles. 
 
 No. :i. The rhilkoot INinn Route t 
 
 Hy ocean steamer from Vancouver to Dyea, thence by 
 the (Miilkoot fass to Lake Liuderman, and by the lakes and 
 
 
9 
 
 Hvor eouises meiitioiK'd in lUmtv No. 2, and thence similar- 
 ly on to Dawson. Distance, about 1,475 miles. 
 
 No. 4. The llaltoii Trail Route: 
 
 i{.v ocean steamer from VancouviM- to Pyramid Harbor 
 in Chilkat Inlet, then makinj? by trail from the Coast to 
 Dallon's tradinjA post, a distance of 100 miles; thence 250 
 miles further to Fort Selkirk, and afterwards by that river 
 and ilie Yukon to Dawson (Mty. A favorite route for cattle 
 drivinj;-. Distanee. about l,:iSO miles. 
 
 No. 5. -The St. IVIielmels and Yukon River Route : 
 
 V>y ocean steamer from Vancouver to St. Michaels, at 
 the m<nHh of the Yukon, a distanee of over 2,000 miles; 
 thence by Yukon Uiver steamboats over a furth(»r lenj?tli 
 of nearly 1.70(» miles, to Dawson. This is an all-watu' 
 route and essentially a Summer one, the Lower Yidvon bo- 
 inj:: only navi^-able between mid .lune and mid September. 
 Distance, 4.:{0() miles. The Lower Yukon route is liable 
 to ;4reat delays throu^Mi river shall<>ws. imix'diuf? steam- 
 b<.:it travel. 
 
 Summary of Vaiiroiivcr's Advanta^vs 
 for Yukon Travi^llcM's. 
 
 These may be stated as fwllows. in proof of Vancouver's 
 preeminence; ovj'r any other Pacific Coast i)ort: 
 
 tl) Vancouver is within <'aim(la; conHe(|nently all sup- 
 l)lles purchased there pass into the Yukon territory without 
 examination by (/iistoms oltlcials, or subjection to an aver- 
 age import duty of :{() per cent. 
 
 t2) Vancouver is nuK h the nearest port to the Yukon 
 country. 
 
 {^) VanciMiver is the only Canadian port, having; cIoho 
 connections with the transcontinental lailvviiyH atid the 
 direct st«'ann»rs to the Yuk<ui teriit(M*y, passen;;«'rs end)ark- 
 ing at Vancouver, can step from the train directly on to the 
 Yukon steamer. 
 
 (4) Vancouver possesses \aviiv: outfitting coini)anies and 
 firms, which, during many years, have been engaged exten- 
 sivelj in fitting out and otherwise supplying the needs of 
 Northern miners and prospectors. 
 
10 
 
 (5) Vancouver is iu the case of maiTied men, speiially 
 pleasant and convenient, as a place of ressidonce and educa- 
 tion for wives and children, respectively, whom it will often 
 be thouj;lit advisable for a time at h'ast to refrain from 
 taking into the diilicult country and trying climate of the 
 Yukon. 
 
 As a result, those going to the Yukon will save time 
 and money and avoid no little inconvenience and even difll- 
 culty, which would otherwise be en<ountered, if they went 
 by any other route. They cannot, therefore, be too str(»ng- 
 ly ur};'ed in their own interest to book for the Yukon and 
 Dawson City via Vancouver, lieing careful to mention Van- 
 couver iu their applitation. 
 
 -«x— c '^^^•» • — 
 
 The Great Yukon District of Canada 
 
 I 
 
 About ten years ago Mr. William Ogilvie, F. R. G. S., 
 began the work of exploration of this great and, at that 
 time, almost unknown region. Mr. Ogilvie was sent there 
 by the Dominion OovernnuMit in connection with the survey 
 •which was to be made to determine the boundary line be- 
 tween Camida and Alaska in acccu-dance with the pro- 
 visions of the Treaty between (Jreat Britain and the United 
 States. The accuracy and e.xaclitude of his work in deter- 
 mining the p<»ints has b(>(>n shown by the fact that in the 
 long stretch of hundreds of miles thei-e has been only a 
 variation of a few feet between the line inarki'd out by Mr. 
 Ogilvie and tluit eslablished by the elaborate work of the 
 Ignited States Boundary Commission. 
 
 Since the com]>leti(m of his w(U'k in connection with the 
 d(*linii(ati<m of the Boundary Mr. Ogilvie has been engaged 
 iu general exploratory work of the vast Yukon region, in- 
 cluding i\w district now become so famous — the Klondike 
 gold llelds. No man has such a wide and complete know- 
 ledge of the whole district as Mr. Ogilvie, while the most 
 impli<Mt conlldeitce is placed in any statement he makes 
 'regarding it by the Cai adian Government and people, as is 
 also the caw in regard to the opinion held of him by the 
 hundreds of American miners who are now in that country. 
 
11 
 
 For tho past two years, while tliei'c has been no orj^auised 
 system of administration in the Yukon district, Mr. Ogilvie 
 has truly been ''tlie jj:uide, ])hilosopher and friend" of the 
 mine: s and prospectors who were there. He has been the 
 nrltiter of their disputes; lias surveyed their rlaims and his 
 decision lias been at cepted as linal in any <iuesHon wliich 
 arose. He has been constantly travclliii}:; over the district 
 and lias thus acquired such a thoroujih knowledjje of its re- 
 sources thnt anv statement made bv him is of tnnloubted au- 
 thoiity. 
 
 Mr. Ogilvie has lecently retui'ucd from his h)ng sojourn 
 in the far northern regions. O.i his way tliiough Hiitish 
 ('olumbia, a f(»w weeks ago, he assented to the re<iui'st that 
 he would deliver a lecture on ihe characteristics and re- 
 sources of a district which is now attracting attention all 
 over the world, aid the following report of his add ess will 
 doubtless be read with much interest, esiieciallv bv those 
 who are thinking to "temjjt fortune" by going to the "golden 
 Klondike" in the course of the next few months. 
 
 Mr. Ogilvie, in commencing his lecture, said: 
 
 Mr. Chaii-num. ladies and gentlemen: After the very 
 flattering inti'oduction given me by the chairnuin and your 
 very hearty recepti<m, 1 feel «'alled upon to nnike a few pre- 
 liminary renuirks in explanation (»f my position. I hsive 
 come totally unprepared, except for a few notes I made this 
 m(»rning, having, 1 may say, had to siuitch the time for the 
 purpose from my visitors, wluj wante«l to get information 
 from m«', but 1 have been abh» to <'ompile a few notes. You 
 know the general (explanation whieh is <»ften used by the 
 good lady of the house when she says that your visit is al- 
 together unt'Xpected and has taken her by surju'lHe, al- 
 though you know that she has not <»nly been good enough 
 to expect, but has also during the past few days been busy 
 nniking prepaiations for your comfort. However, you will 
 bee Hint 1 am not in that posit i«>n, but am really in th«> 
 ])osition in wlii<'h the good lady of the hojise professes to 
 be and is not. with this important ditfevence, that I can- 
 not "cook" that which 1 have to serve to you. 
 
 It you will kindly allow this to be understood and par- 
 don any shortcondngs, I will do my best to give you all the 
 information I can. and if you set* any fault pl(>ase attribute 
 
12 
 
 it to lliiH want of preparatiou. My hands are tied officially 
 and I am not able to disclose certain things until a certain 
 bluebook is published at Ottawa, which I hope will be early 
 next year. I must also say that never but once before have 
 I occupied a similar position to that in which I am placed 
 to-night, and (ui that occasion I acted as chairman. 
 
 Now, to make a commencement of the subject, we will 
 assume that we want to visit the Yukon country. I may 
 say, Mr. Chairnum, that I object to the use of the name 
 Klondike, because tliat is a small portion of the territory we 
 have np there in the Yukon region, in comparison with 
 which tin? area of the Klondike would not compan* any 
 more than my hand would with that blackboard, and nearly 
 all that vast stretch of country has yet to be prosjjected. 
 
 THE STICKINE KOUTE. 
 
 I will first introduce you to the several routes into this 
 great gold-bearing region which are now known. Leaving 
 this port by one of the steamers which run from here, 
 we make our way through the well-known Seymour Nar- 
 rows, taking care to time that passage to reach there at a 
 suitable stage of the water, for it is well known that no ship 
 can go through except at either high or low tide. In a few 
 days, according to the capacity of the steamer, we reach 
 Port Simpson, the most northerly seaport in British Colum- 
 bia or (.'anada on the Pacitic ocean. If we wish to make our 
 wav in in Hritish bottoms we can here take the river steam- 
 
 ft' 
 
 ers and ])roceed from Port Simpson to >Vrangel, it being 
 about 170 miles from the former point to the mouth of the 
 Stickine Hiver, i)roceeding up that river about 150 miles, or 
 perha|)s a litth» less distance, as will be proved when the 
 surveys are nuide for the proposed railway facilities. That 
 distance occupies iW hours or a little more. From the head 
 of the Slickine the road would follow through an midulat- 
 ing country which presents no obstacles to railway con- 
 struction, and for the greater part of the distance of 150 
 miles is pretty well covered with timber. I would mention, 
 however, that the natural food supply available for horses 
 will not be sufficient for any great number. It might be said 
 thn'f enough would be found for say 200 head, but any great 
 nuiliber would soon eat off what there is and it will be ne- 
 
 4 
 
1 
 
 13 
 
 cessarj that such arrangements shall be made as will ren- 
 der it possible for the natural supply to be increased by im- 
 porting sufticiont for any number over and above that. 
 
 Arrived at the head of Teslin Lake, we produce our 
 whipsaws and commence to get out lumber for our boats. 
 Now, whii)8awing has been said to be one of the inven- 
 tions of Satjui, and when two are doing that work it iw ne- 
 cessary for success that one shall push and the other shall 
 pull; but wlien, as is too often the case with the tenderfoot^ 
 both either pull or both push, there is likely to be some in- 
 (juiry from the man who is above what the other fellow is 
 doing, and there may be some complimentary language in- 
 dulged in, and the man below ask his jmrtner to come down 
 and have it out. And if the man below gets a grain of saw- 
 dust in his e^e during the ])rogress of the (piarrel there will 
 be quite a sulphurous atmosplu're for some time. Aft«'r a 
 while, tlumgh, in spite of these ditticulties, the boat will be 
 finally got ready and then commences tlM» trip «lown Teslin 
 Lake, which is SO miles long and bounded on both sides by 
 Iiigh mountains. This distance is, of course, only ns I have 
 been told. We arrive at the head of the Hootalimpia after 
 traversing the lake. This river is marked on the map as 
 being the Teslin, which is the Indian name for a tisli which 
 is caught in the lake. The lIo<»talin(|ua River is about 125 
 miles long, so we have a total distance from N'ancouver to 
 Dawson (Mty, by way of the Stickine, Teslin an<l llootalin- 
 qua route, of 1,1100 miles. At two points, one near the head 
 of the river and one (piite a distance below, there are ob- 
 stacles in the way of steamboat navigation at certain times 
 of the year during certain stages of the river. A few miles 
 below tlu» river broadens out into innumerable channels, un- 
 til at lust, at the lower end, it wid<'ns to two and a half 
 miles. If one of these channels wer<» deepened out, a suffi- 
 cient depth of water could be (jbtained to allow of a free 
 passage for a st<'amer drawing three or four feet without 
 difficulty. 
 
 TAKU INLKTKOTTTE. 
 
 I leave you now at the mouth of the Teslin and go back 
 to VVrangei, where we take an Ameri<'an boat to .luneau. 
 There has been, during the last few months, some talk in re- 
 gard to a proposed route by way of Taku Inlet. In 1804 and 
 
14 
 
 1^{)5 I WUH employed to go into that portion of the country. 
 Tiiku Inlet is woniething uboiit 18 miles long and leads up 
 to a gla<-iei* of much greater size and aft'ording considerably 
 more danger io boats than the much talked of Muir glacier 
 in Alaska. The ice is cast off in great avalanches and is 
 (onlinually breaking otl'. 1 have visited the Muir glacier 
 i\tn\ have never seen a breaking take place; whereas, in 
 Taku, where 1 remained for three weeks, I saw large bodies 
 of ice bleak away every day, and in every case a surge in 
 the water was created that is dangerous to boats even to 
 so great a distance as three mih»s away from the ghicier. 
 This Taku River extends for <»() miles. There are enormous 
 gravel bars whi<-h render it impossible for steamboats to 
 navigate it, all hough it is said that they might do so during 
 the months (jf June or »Iuly — or during the warm weathei. 
 Fi'om the forks we go up by the left-hand branch about 
 nine miles over to Tagish Lake. Along this route we meet 
 with no very great ditliculties and keep up about nine miles 
 going past the Silver Salmon Creek. In regard to this route, 
 however, I nuiy say that 1 have not examined any consider- 
 aiMe portion of it, but civil engineers are now exploring it, 
 and their rei^orts will, of course, be nuide public. From 
 the summit there will be no <littieulty in constructing a road 
 to tin? head of Teslin Lake. We have here, then, two 
 roa<ls — one of them oll'ering most perfect advantages with 
 the additional greater ime that it can be called an all-Can- 
 adian route if we choose to so name it. 
 
 
 OVER THE PASSES. 
 
 We go back again to the coast now, and proceed 100 
 miles above up to Skagway, where we And the celebrated 
 White Pass route. Fnnn tide water to the summit of the 
 White Tass is a distance of about 17 miles, four miles being 
 all through timber. Above that the valley breaks, and any 
 road will have to be constructed to lead along the hillside. 
 An elevation of 2,r>00 feet is reached at the summit of the 
 pnss. Ome on the summit the remainder of t? ? 85 miles 
 is tolerably level, but it is extremely rocky and the land is 
 of very little value. 
 
 We now go to the Dyea route, which has been used by 
 Ihe Indians for generations. It is evident that they knew 
 
15 
 
 their business in selecting it. The word Dyea is itself an 
 Indian one, meaning "pack" or "load'' — a very appropriate 
 name for the trail. From tide-water to the mouth of the 
 canyon it would be as easy to build a road as can well be 
 imagined, as easy almost as to construct one along one of 
 your city streets. From the mouth of the canyon to Sheep 
 Camp construction is more difficult; in fact it would ])roba- 
 bly be necessary to suspend the road by iron girders from 
 the sides of the cliffs. From Sheep Camp to the head of the 
 climb is yet more difficult, as all who have gone over the 
 road will heartily agree. It is very steep, and very, very 
 stony. From the summit to Lake Linderman there is a de- 
 cline of l,;i20 feet, and the road has been somewhat improv- 
 ed of late. Lake Linderman itself, the first lake, is about 
 four and a half miles long and between Lake Linderman and 
 Lake Lebarge there is a sandy ridg<' thn'e-ciuarters of a mile 
 long, which brings us to the end of the present Dyea route. 
 
 Lake Bennett, which is first encountered on what is 
 known as the Skagway route, is for the first half of its 
 length, narrow and comparatively shallow. The other end 
 of the lake is fully exposed to the strongest winds prevail- 
 ing in that district, which frequently get up a vei'v ugly sea, 
 decidedly dangerous for small boats, as I have myself ex- 
 perienced. Cariboo Crossing, which is about two and a 
 half miles long, brings us to Tagish Lake, which is about 17 
 miles long. Here the Mounted Police and the ('anadian 
 customs officers have been stationed. The geography of 
 Tagish Lake is already pretty well known, nor need any 
 special attention be given to Marsh Lake. 
 
 THROUGH (CANYONS AM) RAPIDS. 
 
 Twenty-five miles from Marsh Lake we come to the can- 
 yon, where the river is very swift and passes between al- 
 most perpendicular walls. Running the canyon is easily 
 practicable, provided the boat is kept in the very centre of 
 the stream. Do this and the boat rides through safely. If 
 not, she will be dashed against the side walls of basaltic 
 rock and pounded to pieces. In the middle of the canyon 
 which is about five-eighths of a mile long, is the basin — a 
 circular pool which it would be impossible for a man to 
 climb oiit of. At the foot of the canyon is a very large rapid 
 
16 
 
 through which the boat goes so fast that she dips, taking in 
 water unless the greatest care is shown. Should she get 
 into the eddy, man and boat will be thrown on the bank, 
 whether they will or no. Below the canyon there is anoth- 
 er rapid, which, however, offers no special obstacle to a man 
 wanting to go through, I have been through. 
 
 Below that is what is known as the White Horse rapid. 
 Now, you can run the White Horse rapid if you want to — at 
 least, you cjin try. I don't. I traced up 13 men who had 
 lost their lives in running this rapid in a single season, and, 
 thougli I cannot say so for certain, I believe that this must 
 have been a large proportion of those who made the at- 
 temi»t. Of course for those who want to do the daring deed 
 and talk about it afterwards, there is the White Horse rap- 
 id to be run. I don't do it, however. Below, at the Five 
 Fingers, the river is partially dammed by a conglomerate 
 rock standing like a pillar in the strt^am. Avoiding it, let 
 the boat go easy and all will be well. But see that the boat 
 doesn't dijj ov she will take in much more water than you 
 re(|uire. Below this there is another rapid, and then the 
 smooth and unhampered river, from which on <»verything is 
 all right. 
 
 THE DALTON TRAIL. 
 
 Of the DaKcm trail I know nothing by i>ersonal observa- 
 tion — only by report. I had an interview with Mr. Dalton, 
 after whom the trail is named, in 1896, and I have also talk- 
 •ed with Mr. McArthur, our surveyor, who has spent some 
 time in that district recently. Of course, the substance of 
 his report cannot be divulged at present. 
 
 The summit of this trail is about 45 miles from the coast 
 and 3,()(M) feet above the sea; the watershed is about 75 
 miles from the coast, and Dalton's trading post 100 miles 
 from the coast. Thence to the Pelly River is 200 miles fur- 
 ther. This route passes over a nice undulating plain, well 
 timbered in the valleys and with grass on the slopes, but 
 not enough to feed any great number of animals. The first 
 34 miles of the Dalton trail is in disputed territory, the rest 
 of it in Canada, just as is the case with the Dyea and Skag- 
 way trails. Now, for my part, I think that it is our duty as 
 Canadians to sink all political differences — ta let the fire of 
 patriotism consume all feelings that would tend to retard 
 
 t 
 
It 
 
^,- 
 
 -%: 
 
 v> 
 
 :^ 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 *j 
 
 •^ 
 
 ^11 
 
 r' 
 
 .J 
 
 rft\^ 
 
 } e 
 
 f^i 
 
 A 
 
 iu. 
 
 ^"J 
 
 
 ?as > 
 
 '?; 
 
 
 ^^j.-' 
 
 '^^'• 
 
 <s>> 
 
 -A 
 
 
 ^a 
 
 
 ^ N ir 
 
 ■v^ 
 
 r- 
 
 T 
 
 I 
 
 
 ' ^ 
 
 \x 
 
 -4 
 
 'S' 
 
 \ 
 
 ^1 
 
 '^^^- 
 
 > c^« 
 
 ^jX,-^ 
 
 o 
 
 .f 
 
 ^ffl 
 
 ^ <n tn in 
 # M ui «n 
 
 (r a U5 a ;^ -< < 
 2 5 S t "i:^ 
 
 i^ O W < < 
 
 t: s: o o o 
 
 f X - -^ d :J =f 
 
 1^- < f I X I I 
 
 ^ w S ♦; ri, •' £ 
 
 c^if 
 
 ,:; 
 
 V>'%. 
 
 
 (D 
 
 W,/^-' 
 
 «•/- 
 
 -•^l 
 
 / 
 
 ^V-' 
 
 !?s 
 
 en 
 
 .\_ 
 
 S 
 
 
 & 
 
 1i 
 
 "'^ 
 
 f 
 
 W^f? 
 

17 
 
 the acquisition of this most desirable line as an all-Canad- 
 ian route to the Yukon, so that we may enjoy as far as pos- 
 sible the benefits that region will bring if we use our rights 
 wisely and well. We have the best end of the Yukon Kiver 
 — that is certain. In going down the Yukon in a steamer 
 recently from Dawson, the first 140 miles was made without 
 any difficulty, and until we got below Circle City there was 
 no Trouble. But below that the steamer began to labor, the 
 water got shallower, and the steamers have often been de- 
 tained on sand bars for weeks. It is a common occurrence 
 to be delayed hours, and even days, on bars and on what is 
 known as the Yukon flats, just below Circle City. Not once 
 is there ditTiculty of this kind found in our part of the river, 
 but in the Alaska portion it is an every day occurrence for 
 a steamer to stick. I know of one steamer that stuck for 
 three weeks, another that was on a sand bank for four or 
 five days till another steamer came along and bunted her 
 otl", and then stuck on the same bar herself— and I don't 
 know how long she stayed there. 
 
 The navigation of the Yukon River in the upper part is 
 open from May till the middle of October, while at the 
 mouth it is not oi»en before the 1st of July, and navigation 
 does not last longer than the 1st of October — that is, only 
 from two and a half to three months — and it takes river 
 steamers fourteen, fifteen and sixteen days to get up the 
 river to Dawson. St. Michaels, the heachiuarters of the 
 river boats, is 80 miles from the mouth of the river, and only 
 in calm weather can the steamers cross that bit of open sea. 
 Of course, this route by way of St. Michaels with its river 
 difficulties is not our road. We have a right to navigate the 
 Yukon ; but, as I said before, it is not our route. 
 
 Now I will tell you the vessels that are engaged at pre- 
 sent navigating the Yukon. The Alaska Commercial Com- 
 pany have two large steamers, the Alice and the Bella, be- 
 sides smaller ones named the Margaret a>id the Victoria, 
 the last being named after Queen Victoria, as it was built 
 in the Diamond Jubilee year and launched about the tirae 
 of the Jubilee. There are also two other small steamers be- 
 longing to the company running at the mouth of the river. 
 The North American Transportation and Trading Company 
 have three steamers and contemplate putting on two more 
 next Summer. ^ 
 
18 
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 Next let me tell yon something about the history of the- 
 discovery of {^old in the Yukon. Early in the '70's an at- 
 tempt was made to get over to Teslin Lake by Cassiar min- 
 ers, who learned of (he existence of a large lake northward 
 from Cassiar. Several people tried, but unsuccessfully, and 
 returned disgusted. In September, 1872, two North of Ire- 
 land men, from County Antrim, named Harper and F. W. 
 Hart, with (ieo. W. Finch, who came from the vicinity of 
 Kingston; Andrew Kanselar, a (Jerman; and Sam. Wilkin- 
 son, an Englishman, left Manson CreeU to go on a prospect- 
 ing trij» down the Macken/.ie Uiv<'r. llaiper, because there 
 had iM'cn found gold on the Liard, which emi)ties into the- 
 Mackenzie, was under the imi>ressi»ni I hat there was gold on 
 the Jhu-keii/ie. He and his friends made their way down 
 to what is known as Half Way River. There they met a 
 party of men surveying- for the Canadian Pacific Railway, 
 and nnwiltingly heljied to drive a spike in our great high- 
 wax, because they gave their boat to the survey men to 
 make their way up the Peace Riv<'r. Harjjer and the others 
 packed their j)!'ovisions up the Half- Way River and over a 
 two or thr<'e mile portage io Ihe waters of the Nelson River, 
 down which they went until they found it safe for the pass- 
 age of canoes, where they made a cache and proceeded tO' 
 nuike three dug-oul canoes with which to descend the Nel- 
 son. 
 
 In 1M)1 I was sent by the Dominion Gov«'rinnent to ex- 
 amine the northeast ]i<u'ti«»n of the Province, and going in 
 th(» trail followed by Harjier, I saw (lie cache which Harper 
 had (ohi me about in 1SS7. Well, Harjx'r's party nuule their 
 wav down to tln» Liard Kiver, where (hev met two men nam- 
 ed .Mctiuestion and .Mayo. \Vill<ins(Mi (lelermiue<l to try his 
 luck on tlu> Liard, and left the others. Hai'per, Hart, the 
 (Jernwin an<l Finch went down the Mackenzie across to the 
 Peel and them-«' over to Hell's Kiver, an atHuent of the Por- 
 I'Upine, and (h>wn the INu'cupine jo Foi't Yuk<ui. There 
 ILirper saw an Indian who had som(> nativ(> copper which 
 he said came from \\'hit(> KiviM* and Harper determ.ned to 
 try for it. Harper, Hart and Finch went 4(M) miles to While 
 liiviM' in September, but did not l)n<l {\w coppcM*. Instead 
 tht.v found Honu' gold as the result of the search. They 
 
19 
 
 i 
 
 found DO gold ou the Mackenzie. The result of Harper's 
 prospecting he gave to me as follows: On the Nelson, no- 
 thing; on the Liard, colors; ou the Mackenzie, nothing; on 
 the Peel, fair prospects; on the Bell, nothing; on the Porcu- 
 pine, colors; and prospects everywhere on the Yukon. 
 
 Provisions giving out, they had to niake their way down 
 the river to St. Michaels. On his way back Harper saw an 
 Indian with some gold he said came from the Koyukiik. 
 
 ln(|uiry elicited from the Indian the jdace where he 
 found the gold, and Harper prospected there all Winter, but 
 found nothing. It is now kn(»wn where the Indian got t.ie 
 gold, which was not at the place he indicated. During the 
 Summer McCjuestion nuide his way up the Yukon and built 
 F(U't Keliance, about six and a half miles below the mouth 
 of the now f;im(»us Khmdike. In the following Summer 
 Harper joined him ther<' and they traded in ])artnership at 
 1h.ll port for manv years. The valh>v of the Klondike was 
 Iheii fiivorite hunting gi'ound, but they never prospected 
 there. iii;(! if Ihey had, in the Klondike itself, they would 
 have IdiMid nothing, ft»r it is a swift mountain stream which 
 has washed away all the liner sands and giavel; conse- 
 (pjently the gold wonhl sink out of sight, and in those days 
 no pi'osjM'ctiiig was done but on the bars in the rivers and 
 •creeks. 
 
 lUKCH (^iKKK AND FORTY MILK. 
 
 In 1SS2 gold was fcuind on the Stewart Uiver by two bro- 
 thers, by name lioswell, from the vicinity of Peterboro, On- 
 tario. At this time there were on!» about 'M) or 4() miners 
 in the district. A numln'r of Cassiar miners Inid discovered 
 the river from Lake Lebarge an<i had done considerable 
 prospecting, finding gold. On the St<»wart Uiver the bars 
 yielded tine g(dd in snnill quantities, in lS8(i Mr. Harper 
 established a trading post, and in (he same y(>ar stune pros- 
 ])ect(U*s found coarse gold at Foi'ty Mile. 
 
 'I'his l<M>k all (he miners up to Forty Mile, coarse gold 
 being what every ndner is looking for, and (he excKement 
 there <'on(inued (o draw them until 1S{)I, when g(»ld was 
 f«>und on Hirch CriM'k — 200 miles below Forty Mile. This 
 dist'overy was due (o a (Canadian missionary, Archdeacon 
 Macdomild, of Ft. Peel, (ravelling through the courilry from 
 Ti'naiui River, >Nhere he fouml a nugget. He reporled the 
 
20 
 
 find to some prospectors whom he met and gave them a de- 
 sci'iption of the place where he had made the find. A search 
 was made, but although the men could not from his descrip- 
 tion locate the spot — they found gold. 
 
 This, of course, boomed Birch Creek, and in 1891 every- 
 one at Forty Mile went down there. One or two creeks are 
 rich, but the best of them cannot b(?gin to compare with the 
 El Dorado or the Bonanza, the tributaries of the Klondike. 
 As an incident I may mention that one experienced man 
 told me that the Birch Creek diggings are only "Chinese 
 diggings'* compared with tli«^ later discoveries which have 
 attracted such attention to El Dorado and Bonanza. He 
 said he knew of one claim on El Dorado which he would not 
 give for the whole of the Birch Creek district. 
 
 Gold was found at the head of Forty Mile. Napoleon 
 Gulch, named after the Frenchman who located it, is rich in 
 nuggets. Franklin Gulch is pretty rich, as are also Davis^ 
 Mosipiito and Chicken creeks. The last named, discovered 
 in 1S{)(), was consideied very rich at the time, this being a 
 few weeks before the discovery of gold in El Dorado and 
 Bonanza. By the United States law a num is allowed ta 
 take up a claim 1,820 feet in length, and before any one 
 could get there the few who had discovered it had taken it 
 all up, so that everyone else was shut out. 
 
 For some time there was a doubt as to whether some of 
 the creeks upon which gohl was found were in Alaskan ter- 
 ritory, and in IS!M{ I was sent in by tlu' authorities to mark 
 the boundary line as I might Hud it necessary. Miller and 
 Glacier creeks join Sixty Mile, which runs into the Yukon 
 40 niilcH jibove. It was called Sixty Mih' because it was be- 
 lieved to be that dlstan<'e above Fort Heliance. In my sur- 
 vey of the line 1 found that these two cn'cks, which are the 
 richest, were in Canada. So far are they in ('anadian t«Tri- 
 tory tluit no doubt as to the location of the boundary lino 
 cjui alTect the (|u<*stlon, they being at least two miles east of 
 it. So that we can claim these two creeks, which are very 
 rich, without any doi|bt«.und in addition we can claim a 
 nir.i !» larger region which I will describe. 
 
•21 
 
 i 
 
 DISCOVERERS OF KLONDIKE. 
 
 The discovery of the gold on the Klondike, as it is call- 
 ed, although the proper name of the creek is an Indian one, 
 Thronda, was made by three men, Robert Henderson, Frank 
 Swanson and another one named Munson, who in July, 
 181)G, were prospecting on Indian Creek. They proceeded up 
 the creek without finding sutticient to satisfy them until 
 they reached Dominion Creek, and after prospecting there 
 they ciossed over the divide and found Cold Bottom, got 
 good prospects and went to work. 
 
 I'rovisions running short they decided to make their way 
 to Sixty Mile to obtain a fresh su})ply, and went up Indian 
 Creek to the Yukon to Sixty Mile, where Harper had estab- 
 lished a trading post. Striking upwards on Forty Mile they 
 came across a man, a CalUornian, who was tishing in com- 
 pany with two Indians. The Indians were Canadian In- 
 dians, or King George men, as they proudly called them- 
 selves. Now, one of the articles of the miner's rode of pro- 
 cinlure is that when he nmkes a discovery he shall lose no 
 time in proclaiming it, and the nnin felt bound to nuike the 
 prospectors acipiainted with the information that there was 
 rich i)ay to be got in Cold Hottom. The two Indians show- 
 (m1 a nuite to this creek, and from there they cro.ssed over 
 the high ridge to Honan/a. 
 
 From there to El Dorado is three miles, and they climb- 
 ed up over the lidge between it and Honanza, ami reaching 
 between Klondike and Indian creeks, they went down into 
 Gold llottom. Here they did half a day's prospecting, and 
 came ba<'k, striking into Bonanza about (en miles l>eyond, 
 where they took out from a little nook a pan which encour- 
 aged them to try further. In a few moments more they had 
 taken out |lli.7r». A discovery claim was located, and also 
 <uie above and one below for the tw<» Indians. 
 
 In .\ugnst, 1S!)(», the h'uder, generally known as Siwash 
 George, because he lived with the Indians, went down to 
 Forty Mile to get provisions, lie met several miners on his 
 way and told IIumu of his find, showing the 1111.75 which he 
 put up in an old Winchester cartridge. They would not be- 
 lieve him, his reputation for truth being somewhat below 
 par. The miners saiid he was the greatest liar this side of — 
 a great numy places. 
 
•>0 
 
 FIKHT FEVERISH RUSH. 
 
 They came to me finally and asked me my opinion , and I 
 pointed out to them that there was no (piestion about his 
 having- the 112.75 in gold; the only (piestiou was, therefore, 
 where he had goL it. He had not been up Miller or Glacier 
 Creek, nor Forty Mile. Then followed the excitement. 
 Boatload after boatload of men went u}) at once. Men who 
 had been drunk for weeks and weeks, in fact, were tumbled 
 into boats and taken up without being conscious that they 
 wer<» travelling. 
 
 One man who went up was so drunk that he did not 
 wake up to realisation that he was being taken by boat un- 
 til a third ol the journey had been accomplished, and he 
 (Mvns one of Hie vcrv best claims on the Klondike today. 
 The whole creek, a <iistance of about twenty miles, giving 
 in the neighborhood of 200 ^ claims, was staked in a few 
 weeks. El l)(U'ado Cieek, seven and a half or eight miles 
 long, providing SO claims, was staked in about the same 
 length of tinu'. 
 
 lioulder, Adams, and other gulches were prospected, and 
 gave good stirface showings, gold being found in the gravel 
 in the creeks. (Jood surface prospects nuiy betaken as an 
 indication of the existence of verv fair bedrock. It was in 
 December that the character of the diggings was establish- 
 ed. Twenty-one above discovery on Itonanza was the one 
 which first proved the value of the district. The owner of 
 this claim was in th(> habit of cleaning up a couple of tub- 
 fuls every night, and paying his workmen at the rate of a 
 dollar and a half an hour, ('laim No. r>, El Dorado, was the 
 next nota »Ie one, and here the pan of ^112 was taken out. 
 That was great. There was then a pan of even greater 
 amount on No. (». and they continued to run up every day, 
 and you who are down here know better of the excitement 
 there was than I, who was in and didn't s(>(> it. 
 
 The news went down to ('Ircle City, which emptied itself 
 at (Mice and canH> up to Dawson. The miners came up any 
 way they c(nild, at all hours of the day and night, some with 
 provisions and some without Hiipplies. On their arrival 
 they found that the whole of the creeks had been staked 
 months before. A good many Caiuullans who were in their 
 <alk out an<l out Anu'ricaus, came up to Canadian territory 
 
 V ^1 
 

 u 
 
 23 
 
 with a certain expectation of realising something out of this- 
 rich ground by reason of their nationality. One of them 
 particularly, on finding that he was too late, cursed his luck 
 and said that it was awfully strange that a man could not 
 get a footing in his own country. 
 
 "THREE INCH WHITE." 
 
 Another of these men who arrived too late, was an Irish- 
 man, and when he found he could not get a claim he went 
 up and down the creek, trying k) bully the owners into sell- 
 ing, boasting that he had a pull at Ottawa and threatened 
 to have the claims cut down from 500 to 250 feet. He came 
 along one day and otfered to wager that before August 1st 
 they would be reduced to 250 feet. One of the men to whom 
 he had made this otl'er came and asked me about it. I said 
 to him: "Do you gamble?'' His reply was: *'A little." 
 Then I told him that he was never surer of J|2,000 than he 
 would have been if he had taken that bet. 
 
 This ran to such an extent that I put up notices to the 
 effect that the length of the claims was regulated by the 
 act of the Parliament of Canada and that no change could 
 be made, except by that Parliament, and telling the miners 
 to take no notice of the threats that had been made. 
 
 Jim. White then adoi^ted another dodge, locating a fiac- 
 tion between [U\ and 157, thinking that by getting in between 
 be could force the owners to come to his tei'ins, forgetting 
 that the law of this country does not allow any man to play 
 the hog. For three or f(»ui' days this state of things kept 
 the nu'u in an uproar. I was making my survey, and get- 
 ting towards 'M\ and 'M; when I g<>l neai\ I delayed my o]*- 
 erations and w<'nt up toIUJ, finding there would be no frac- 
 tion, or, at least, an insignificant one of inclu's. 
 
 I took mv time, and in (he meantime the owner of 'M b<'- 
 came very uneasy, and White also. I set in a stake down 
 in the hollow until 1 saw how much fraction there was. I 
 found only a few inches. I was very te«lious with this por- 
 tion of the work, and the nuin who was with me seemed 1o 
 have (piite a difllculty in fixing tlu' stake. Then I went down 
 with the rtMuark that I would do that myself. I had nuidt^ 
 it a rul(« never to let anyone know wImmm- there was a frar 
 tiou until it was marked on the post. 
 
 ■ 
 
24 
 
 While I was standin}»- by the post Jim White came up to 
 inc. He had a long way to go down the creek, he said — and 
 lie did not want to wait any longer than was nece.^sary. 
 Well, I said, I can't tell vou inst vet exactly how much of a 
 fracticm it will be — but somerhing about three inches. That 
 is how Jim conies to be known now as "Three Inch White." 
 
 I/KOBABLE YIELD OF |75,000,000. 
 
 Bonanza and FA Dorado creeks afford between them 278 
 claims; the several aftluences will yield as nmnv more, ani 
 all of tlM'se claims aie good. I have no hesitation in saying 
 that ahoiit a hniidied of those on I'onanza will yield u])- 
 wards of .1i;:i(),0()().(M!(). Claim 30 below on El Dorado, will 
 yield a million in itself, and ten others will yield from a 
 hundred thousand dollars up. These two creeks will, I am 
 (luile confident, turn out from .100,000,000 to 175,000,000, 
 and I can sjifely say that there is no other region in the 
 world of the same extent that has afforded in the same 
 length of time so many homestakes — fortunes enabling the 
 owners (o go home and enjoy the remainder of their days — 
 considei ing the work that has to be done with very limited 
 facilities, the scarcity of provisions and of labor, and that 
 the crudest appliances only are as yet available. When If 
 tell y<ui that ((► jiroperly work each claim ten or twelve men 
 are HMpiii-ed and only 200 were available that season, it 
 will giv<' you an idea of the dittlculties which had to be con- 
 tended with. 
 
 On Bear Cn-ek, about seven or eight miles above that, 
 good claims have been found, and on Gold Bottom, Hunker, 
 Last Chance and Cripj>le creeks. On (^lold Bottom as high 
 jis ^15 to the pan has b<M'n tak«*ii, and on Hunker Creek the 
 same, and although we cannot say that they aire as rich as 
 El Dorado or Bonan/a, Ihey are richer than any other 
 crerOvs knctwn in that country. Then, .T) miles higher up 
 the Klondike, Too-Much-(iold Creek was found. It obtain 
 ed lis name from the fact that the Indians who discovered it 
 saw mira glistening at the bottom, and, thinking it was 
 gold, saitl there wuh "too much gold — more gold than 
 gravel." 
 
 A fact F am now going to state to you, and one that \n 
 ^'asily demons! rated, is that from Telegraph Creek north- 
 
25 
 
 ward to the boundary liue, we have in the Dominion of Can- 
 ada and in this rroviuee an area of from 550 to GOO miles in 
 length, and from 10 to 150 miles in width, over the whole of 
 which rich prospects have been found. We must have from 
 90,000 to 100,000 square miles, which, with proper care, ju- 
 dicious handling and better facilities for transportation of 
 food and utensils, will be the largest, as it is the richest, 
 gold held the world has ever known. You, Mr. Chairman, 
 may wish to extend that down to the boundary line — but 
 that, of course, I leave to you. 
 
 Stewart and Pelly, in the gold bearing :one, also give 
 promising indications. Everywhere good pay has been 
 found on the bars, and there is no reason why, when good 
 pa}' has been found on the bars, the results should not be 
 richer in the creeks. The Klondike was prospected for 40 
 miles up in 1887 without anything being found, and again m 
 1893 with a similar lack of result, but the difference is seen 
 when the right course is taken, and this was led up to by 
 Robert Henderson. This man is a born prospector, and you 
 could not persuade him to stay on even the richest claim on 
 Bon}\nza. He started uj) in a small boat to spend the Sum 
 mer and Winter on Stewart Kiver, prospecting. That is the 
 stuff the true prospector is nmde of, and I am proud to say 
 that he is a Canadian. 
 
 QUARTZ LEDGES. 
 
 In regard to quartz claims seven have already been lo- 
 cated in the vicinity of Forty Mile and Dawson, and there is 
 also a mountain of gold in the neighborhood bearing ore 
 yielding |5 to |7 a ton. The (luestion to be considered is 
 whether, with that return, it will pay to work it under the 
 peculiar conditions which exist, and the enormous freight 
 rates charged for the transportation of anything of that 
 kind. 
 
 About 4t) miles up the river two claims have been locat- 
 ed by an expert miner from the United Stales, who has had 
 considerable experience in Montana and other mineral 
 states, and he assured me that the extent of the lode is such 
 that these two claims are greater than any proposition in 
 the world, going from $3 to ^/ll a ton. On Bear <'reek a 
 quartz claim was located lawt Winter, and I drew up the 
 
26 
 
 ]>apers for the owner. He had to swear that he had found 
 jjold; he swore that he did, and the amount, if true, 
 will make it one of the most valuable propertieb that exists 
 in the country. 
 
 On Gold Bottom another claim has been located, and I 
 have made a test of the ore. I had no sieve 
 and had to employ a hand mortar, which you 
 who know anything of the work will understand would not 
 give the best results. The poorest result obtained, how- 
 over, was 1100 to the ton, while the richest was $1,000. Of 
 course 1 do not know what the extent of the claim is, but 
 the man who found it said that, from the rock exposed, the 
 dejiosit must be considerable in extent. He didn't know 
 whether the exposure was the result of a slide, but said that 
 it would be an easy matter to find the lode. About 30 miles 
 up the Klondike another claim w^as located, and the man 
 swore that it was rich, altl\ough he would not say how 
 rich. 
 
 MOTHER LODE UNFOUND. 
 
 On El Dorado and Bonanza the gold obtained on the 
 different benclies has about the same value, that is it has 
 about the same degree of fineness, and is worth about $16 
 per oz., and as you go down the creek this value decreases 
 
 to about 
 
 15.25. 
 
 From that point, however, it increases 
 
 again, and from this the inference appears to be plain that 
 the same lode runs right across the region that these creeks 
 cut through, which is proved still more surely by the fact 
 that the value increases as you strike Hunker, and in the 
 other direction Miller and Glacier. The nuggets found in 
 El Dorado show no evidence of having travelled any great 
 distance, and some I have are as rough as though they had 
 been hammered out of the mother lode. 
 
 The mother lode is yet to be found in the ridges between 
 the creeks, and when it is discovered it may be found to con- 
 sist of several large lodes or a succession of small ones that 
 nmy not pay to work. 
 
 On Stewart and Pelly rivers some prospecting has been 
 done and gold found, and on the Hootalinqua in 1895 good 
 pay was discovered and the richness of the gold increases 
 as work is continued further down. Some men, working 
 15 feet down, found coarse gold, when the water drove them 
 
27 
 
 out and they had to abandon the work and come out deter- 
 mined to return but they did not go back, as in the mean- 
 time the Klondike excitement knocked that place out. 
 
 Gold has been found at the head of Lake Lebarge, on the 
 stream flowing into the lake at this point; in fact there is 
 gold everywhere in this zone, which is 500 miles long by 150 
 wide. Prospects, too, are to be found on the Dalton trail 
 on the other side of the Yukon River. A man riding along 
 the Altsek trail was thrown from his horse and in falling 
 caught at the branch of a tree. As he drew himself up he 
 saw something shining on the rock which fixed his atten- 
 tion at once. He picked it up and found that it was gold. 
 Other excellent prospects have also been found along the 
 same creek. From these circumstances and discoveries it 
 may be assumed that in all this country there is gold, while 
 in this particular zone it is especially abundant. This 
 zone lies outside of the Rocky Mountains and distant from 
 them about 150 miles. 
 
 COAL, COPPER AND TLMRER. 
 
 Another product of the country that demands attention 
 is copper. It is doubtless to be found somewhere in that 
 district in great abundance, although the location of the 
 main deposit has yet to be discovered. Mr. Harper was 
 shown a large piece of puie copper in the possession of the 
 Indians — indeed I have seen it myself. It comes from the 
 vicinity of the White River somewhere— just where has yet 
 to be disclosed. Silver has also been found, and lead, while 
 to work our precious metals we have coal in abundance. It 
 is to be found in the Rocky mountains or, rathei*, Ihe ridge 
 of high mountains running parallel to them in the interior. 
 A deposit of coal in this range runs right through our terii- 
 tory. At two points near Forty Mile it also crops out, in 
 one place only about 40 feet from the River Yukon. Fur- 
 ther up the Yukon, on one of its many smaller feeders, at 
 Fifteen Mile Creek and on the head of the Thronda, there 
 are also outcroppings of coal. On the branches of the Stew- 
 art and on some of the five fingers of the Yukon, coal is also 
 exposed. In fact there is any amount of coal in the country 
 with which to work our minerals when we can get in the 
 necessary facilities. 
 
 I 
 
28 
 
 Regarding the surface of the country and the difficulties 
 -of prospecting I may say that passing down the river in a 
 boat one sees a succession of trees, ten, twelve, fourteen and 
 sixteen inches in diameter, and he naturally com?s to the 
 conclusion that it is a well timbered country. And so it 
 is, along the margin of the river. But let him land, and g > 
 inland and he will find the ground covered with what is 
 locally known as nigger grass. This is a coarse grass, 
 which each year is killed and falls, tangling in such a way 
 as to make pedestrian progress all but impossible, tripping 
 one u[) every few feet. It is, as might be imagined, a most 
 difficult thing to walk through this grass, great areas of 
 which are found all through the district. And where these 
 areas are found the miners avoid them as they would the 
 plague. 
 
 For the rest of th(» country the rocks aro covered with 
 one to two feet of moss — and underneath, the everlasting 
 ice. On this a scrubby growth of trees is found, extending 
 up to the mountains. It is this which appears to those 
 passing down the river in boats to be a continuation of the 
 good timber seen aloDg the banks. Timber that is fit for 
 anything is scarce, and we should husband it carefully. 
 Our timber has built Circle City. Our timber has served 
 all the purposes of the upper Yukon country. A large 
 amount of timber is required, and what we have we should 
 keep for our own us<', particularly as the ground has to be 
 burned to be worked. 
 
 Above the timber line you come to the bare rocks — the 
 crests bare save where clothed with a growth of lichen on 
 which the cariboo feed. There is no timber in the way 
 here — no moss and no brush. The miners, in travelling, 
 consequently keep as close to the top of the ridge as possi- 
 ble. 
 
 HOW THE MINERS PROSPECT. 
 
 Prospecting necessarily has to be reservi'd for the Win- 
 ter. First the moss has to be cleared away, and then the 
 muck — or decayed rubbish and vegetable matter. The fire 
 is applied to burn down to bedrock. The frost in the 
 ground gives way before the fire, ten, twelve, or perhaps 
 sixteen inches a day. The next day the fire has to be ap- 
 plied again, and so the work proceeds until the bedrock 
 
 h 
 

 29 
 
 is reached. It may be 20 feet or so below the surface, in 
 which case it is usually reached iu about 20 days. Through 
 this trees have been found in every position, as they hare 
 fallen and been preserved as sound as ever in the everlast- 
 ing ice. Having burned down to bedrock and found the 
 paystreak, you start drifting. 
 
 If you have a depth of 20 feet you may be able to go 
 down two feet and no further, and must put down another 
 drift. Very few people have the good fortune to succeed 
 with one shaft; prospecting holes as many as 20 or 30 must 
 be dug until you cut the whole valley across before you 
 find pay. The next man may strike it at the first hole. 
 
 To give you an instance: One man put down 11 holes 
 and didn't find anything, and yet other men had confidence 
 enough in the claim to pay |2,500 for a half interest in it, 
 knowing that the owner had put in 11 holes and found no- 
 thing, a fact which will go to prove the character of the 
 country. 
 
 After you have worked until April or May the water 
 begins to run, and the trouble is that the water accumu- 
 lates and you cannot work, as it puts out the fires which 
 have been used to thaw out and soften the ground. Then 
 the timber is prepared and the sluice boxes put in. 
 
 NOT ALL MILLIONAIRES. 
 
 In one clean up 80 pounds avoirdupois of gold was taken 
 out, or a total value of about 116,000. When you consider 
 that the securing of this amount took the united labors of 
 six men for three months, you can understand that there 
 is considerable cost connected with the operations. 
 
 One man, who owns a claim on El Dorado and one on 
 Bonanza, has sold out, so it is said, for a million dollars; 
 he went into the country a poor man with the intention 
 of raising sufficient money to pay off the mortgage on his 
 place. He has, I believe, not only done so, but paid off 
 those of all his neighbors. 
 
 Although these creeks are rich, and, as I have told you, 
 more men have made homestakes there than anywhere 
 else in the world, I do not wish you to look only on the 
 bright side of the picture.. An American from Seattle 
 came in in June, 1896, to the Forty Mile with his wife, with 
 
30 
 
 the intention of bettering his condition. They went out 
 again last July with |52,()fl0. I was well acquainted with 
 this man, a very decent, intelligent man. He told me one 
 day that if he could remain in this country from three to 
 five years and go out with .f5,0(H) he would consider him- 
 self lucky. He has gone oiit with $52,000, and after the 
 prospecting he has done, a little in the middle and at the 
 end of the claim, he believes that he has |500,000 there. 
 
 On the other hand, however, a Scotchman nanuHl Marks 
 has been in there for 11 years. I had known him well, 
 and once last Fall when he was sick T asked him how long 
 he had been mining. His repl}^ was 42 veavs — in all x>arts 
 of the world, except Australia. In reply to the ({ucstion as 
 to whether he had ever made his stake, he had never yet 
 made more than a living, and very often that was a scanty 
 one. This, of course, is the O])posite extreme. I could 
 quote scores of cases similar to that, so that I would not 
 have you look too much on the bright side. 
 
 There ar<» men in that country who are poor, and who 
 will remain so. It has not been their "luck," as they call 
 it, to strike it rich. But I may say that that country offers 
 to men of great fortitude and some intelligence and steadi- 
 ness an opportunity to make more money in a given time 
 than they possibly could make anywhere else. You have, 
 of course, a good deal to contend with; your patience will 
 be sorely tried, for the conditions are so unique that they 
 have surprised many who have gone in and they have left 
 in disgust. 
 
 SALOONS AND MINERS' MEETINGS. 
 
 When I was in that country fir«t, everything was well 
 regulated and orderly, the miners -attended to their busi- 
 ness; they did not know anyone, and if a man kept himself 
 pretty fair in his dealings there was no danger of trouble, 
 but a few years afterwards saloons came into vogue, and 
 many of the old miners stayed around them all day. The 
 saloon-keepers were their partners, and miners' meetings 
 began to be recognised, which were attended by the saloon- 
 keepers and the loafers. They carried things just to please 
 themselves, and great Injustice was sometimes the result. 
 As a consequence of these decisions miners' meetings came 
 
 i 
 
31 
 
 into disrepute, and as soon as the police tame in they were 
 looked upon as unnecessary. To furnish yon with an 
 instance: A tailor sued a barber for the sum of fifty cents, 
 which he claimed the latter owed him. The barber ob- 
 jected to paying the amount and a})pealed for a miners' 
 meeting, which decided that instead of thi? barber owing 
 the tailor 50 cents, the tailor must i)ay the barber |1. The 
 latter was naturally surprised at the result, and in answer 
 to the verdict of the meeting, he said rather than pay the 
 amount he would float down the river on a saw log and get 
 away. The men who formed the meeting were helpless; 
 they could not find anyone who would pay, and they knew 
 that as the Mounted Police were in there thei:* decision 
 would fall to the ground, and they had to admit themselves 
 beaten. 
 
 These and other instances completely knocked them out, 
 but perhaps the next case I will tell you of will show you 
 more plainly something of what was. tried to be done. In 
 the first place, after the discovery of Bonanza the miners all 
 staked claims, and of course some who failed to obtain 
 locations were disappointed, and a meeting was held at 
 which it was decided to resurvey the claims, staling they 
 were too long. They cut a rope, which it was alleged was 
 50 feet long, and sent men up to re-measure the claims. 
 They cut down some of the claims to 400 feet, to 350 feet 
 and even 800 feet, putting in new claims, which they located 
 themselves upon, it being, of course, desirable for their own 
 interests if they could manage it, to secure the intervening 
 space between claims like Ifi below, which were known to 
 be so rich. The result was confusion, the original owners 
 were shoved off their workings, no one knows where, to 
 work. 
 
 THE LAWS OF CANADA. 
 
 As the authorities took no action, some of the men came 
 to me. I said I had no authority and told them to go to 
 the ag(?ut. Tlkey said they had been to him and he would 
 not do anything, so at last I said if they would get up a pe- 
 tition and ask me to survey the claims I would undertake 
 to do it for them. I drew up the petition for them, and 
 enough of each side signed it to enable me ic, feel justified 
 in going to work. I surveyed the claims and threw out 
 
 i 
 

 32 
 
 those interpolated claims altogether, much to the disgust 
 of the miners who had called the meeting. Some of them 
 made dire threats and said they were going to hav( my 
 survey thrown out, but when I got up to where they were 
 I found they were very lamb-like. Finally a number of 
 them waited n])on me to see if they could not ])ut in a pro- 
 test against my decision to Ottawa. I said I would help 
 them all I could to enter that protest and would draw up 
 the i>etition and send it to Ottawa for them. I asked them 
 why they didn't go and see the agent, to which they replied 
 they knew he would do just as I said, and I replied that if 
 they went to Ottawa they would tind themselves even in a 
 worse position in that respect. After we had talked quite 
 a while I finally said to iliem: "Gentlemen, the worst fea- 
 ture of this case is the position in which you are your- 
 selves." They asked me what 1 meant, so I explained to 
 them that they had rendered themselves liable to punish- 
 ment for a misdeuiernor, th(» penalty for which was 
 a fine of Jj^.'^lU), imjtrisonment for three months or so. 
 and that they were also indictable for perjury, 
 which I explained to them was by Cana<lian law a very 
 serious crim<», which rendered them liable to fourteen years 
 in the i)enitentiary. They asked me why this was and I 
 went on to point them to the clause v/hich provides that 
 anyon(» who cuts down a stake is guilty oi misdemeanor, 
 and read them the penalty, telling them they had swept 
 away all the posts on A'\ claims, and if they came before me 
 I would both fine and imprison them. I then explained 
 their position in regard to the perjury they were guilty of 
 according to their certificate of record, and since then mii»- 
 eri»' meelings are past and done with. 
 
 We have in that nortli country a vast region comprising 
 from IM),()()() to 1 ()(>,()()() square miles of untold possibilities. 
 Rich deposits we know to exist, and all may be as rich. We 
 know now that there is sufficient to supfdy a poptilation of 
 100,000 iM'ople, and I look forward to seeing that number 
 of i)eople in that I'ouniry within the next ten years. It is 
 a vast inheritance. Let us use it as becomes (^anadiauB — 
 intelligently, liberai'y, and in tlK» way to advance our coun- 
 try, Canada. Tiet us use it as becomes the )ff-Hpring of the 
 Mother of Nations. 
 
 ,1 
 
1 
 
 J 
 

 For the Yukon ... 
 
 <^ 
 
 Vancouver 
 
 id tbc Deareet port; 
 
 the n cBt Outfitting place; an^ 
 tbc Starting point for all * 
 
 tbe Beet Voutee to the 
 
 • * • 
 
 KLONDIKE 
 
 See tbat )>onr tCichet rea^0 ^ 
 
 via Vancouver'^ 
 
 I*!-' '.It" ■ .navm 
 
 anb tbat ?our Safioaoe ie cbecdeb 
 
 "to Vancouver** 
 
 
 ^-r^TfW^^W^T* 
 
 V^^^^NMSTIQ 
 
 
 ■l««*««VCMTI«m." PNINTBIW.