F 909 .B94 ^opy 1 F 9ki9 .B94 Copy 1 MANY DRINKS ARE STIMULATING Ghirardelli's Ground Chocolate is IX\'l(i()l\'.\TIX(i. A S'I'I .M ll-.\\"'P lii'nccs \(iii up t'dr a sliin-t piM-iinl .-iiul thru i-c-Mciinii srts in A sliiimlanl is injiii-idiis l(i heallli. i'liil wlicii you arc imiL'-oraK'tl you never siitTc-r Troiu any si'i-idus liafuihil crt'eets aflci-wai'ds. GHIRARDELLI S GROUND CHOCOLATE is a st-ii'nl ilic lilciulin^;' nf the cocua licaii and thi' Iics1 uradi' (if sui,''ar. pciwdercd ver\' line. A drlicidus llavcu- and dain1\' aniniM will ariiusi- yiiur a|i]ic'lili> and pli'ase ynii GHIRARDELLI S GROUND CHOCOLATE is iiiadi' in a niiniite \\i:li hut milk. !-^cdd n]]]y in lii'Vini'l ii-all\' sealrd tills. THE D. GHIRARDELLI CO., San Erancisco ALASKA is a lai'i;i' IriTifdry and iloctcn's an' iidt always easy to i-i-ar-li. Iji'ssi'M llir idiaiii'e df nrrd- iiiir im-diral atti'Utldu liy i-.xcrcisinii' r;irr in tin- sclrrtidii of xnni' r■,'•! H'lll"' <■ Kundr >^X ,v THEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSMIL Boats for Service SHALLOW DRAFT RIVER BOATS, Specially adapted for rapid shallow streams. The Prospector's Friend. SEE OUR DORIES, 16x25 ft. FAST RUNABOUTS 18 ft., 12 Miles and 25 ft., 18 Miles Per Hour. TUG BOATS. MARINE and STATIONARY ENGINES, 2 and 4 Cycle Type. DOAK HEAVY DUTY MARINE ENGINES For Hardest of Service. Large Stock of LAUNCH SUPPLIES and BOAT FITTINGS. Bacine Boat & Auto Co. '>32 FIRST A\'E. SOUTH SEATTLE, WASH. / i lTHEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSmiL SF^RING BEDS BATH BAR GENERAL MERCHANDISE Wortman's Koadhouse P, MAtiXUSON, l'i-.>p. Accommodations for 100 People. ,rrT ti.i ^-n-.y-wT»r »t 4 t -f^-t~> r^ Stables for 100 Head of Horses. -'0 MILES FROJNI \ ALDEZ Do" Houses. -^f ""-' ^""' "f ''^^ Summit Pile Driver Roadhouse UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT 1 r Accommodations for 35 People. Private Rooms for Ladies. Excellent Dining Room Service. Can Stable 48 Head of Horses. Hot and Cold Water in Stables. Warm Building for Campers. || J| \\=D\ |l 1| II. A Hates &4.00 per Day . HAI)LKV.»^J()II\ M()K( Props. [;an BYLER'S First Stage Station from Fairbanks' Twenty Miles from Town COMFORT 87 ft THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL THE NUGGET JEWELRY HOUSE OF THE NORTH J . L . SALE lieadiu'!' Jeweler FAIJ{J}AXKS xVLASKA The Horseshoe First and Cushman ^ t \ ^1 ^" Hf ^ THE lIor.SESHOE CORNER HOYT S KELLY FAIRBANKS ALASKA ss ^ Vashon College and Academy BUIiTON, WASHINGTON A Boarding School on Puget Sound, between Se- attle and Tacoma. Lower School, Academic, Music and Commercial Departments. For Boys, Young Men and \'oung Women. Students may enter at any time. Military Training and Discipline. Write for catalogue. W. G. PARKES, Pres. To visit the school take steamer at N. P. Dock, Tacoma TANAN-fl \\'rli«*(fr, I. a \ frdsul, Jimn cle Fuca C'lgars Old ltiirlM-(> HoiirlHiii, Mt. Vernon Kye The Tancina Saloon Catu ill Connecliun T.OUENTZlilN & POZ. Proprietois A riace to 3Ieet Yoiir Fricnils iMioiU' Nn. (J FAIRBANKS ^ I F9D9 xr ISIiANDAIiZ: iMiiti.if.s civei- sevi n liundred rtc-ret; will! \vat(n-fr«i':i on three landlocked liarbors at the south t-'i'i of Lopez Island, one 'tf the t'ainons San Juan *:i't>'ip RUDYARD KIPLING SAYS: "VICTORIA HAS THE FINEST CLIMATE IN THE WORLD." on American soil, due east of Victoria, has the same marvelous climate. Warm winters, cool summers, perpetual spring, glorious scenery, health in every breath. THE SEATTLE "POST-INTELLIGENCER" said, editorially; 'The site is ideal. It has all the natural facilities of water, beach 11 nd woodlands." Tracts Are Selling Rapidly. Buy Now. Pay $5.00 Monthly, If You Wish. Islandale is au Ideal lioiue foi children. No dangerous animals, no poisonous snakes. ISIiANSAIiE lias nearly three miles ol shore front reserved for the common use of all land own- ers.. You can hunt the world over without finding a better climate, finer fruits, more fertile soil or a more beautiful place for a homf or camp. Ask for post cards, LOPEZ IMPROVEIVIENT CO., OWNERS, 217 Central Bldg-., Seattle, VTash. Health.Profit Pleasurc.sce -r2lnoT Co HOTEL BUTLER First Glass, but Moderate ALASKAN Headquarters COR. SECOND AVE. AND JAMES ST. Seattle, Wask W. C. RING, MANAGER METROPOLITAN PRESS PRINTERS OF THIS PUBLICATION — are equipped to handle large edition work — blank books — steamship and railroad folders — stationery of every description — out-of-town orders given especial attention. Seattle .\ letter of entiuiry will bring you an estimate of cost of any contemplated printed matter. !— A F^ '■'^"' ' ' I -■ « mt; r r^.ff JTHEVALDFZ-FAIRBANKSTRAILI "^f^ •V THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL Illustrated u ith 10(1 Photot^raphs. CONTENTS COVER DESIGN "The Northern Lights" (Photograph copyi-ishl by Geo. C. Cantwi-U, Valrlez. Plates hy Maring A.- Blake, Seattle.) FRONTISPIECE "Sprin.,^ an.! Summer at Fairbanks" THE "GREAT COUNTRY" II, ,n. Walter E. Clark, (^v. .,f Alaska ALASKA'S MOST VITAL NEED Jud-e James Wickersham, Dele-ate to Congress from Alaska THE HUILDINC^, OF THE VALDF.Z-FAIRBAKNS TRAIL.— Major W. P. Ricliardson, U. S. A., Pres. Alaska Road Commisslmi. ALASKA STEAMSHIP SERVICE. VALDEZ, 'FHE GATEWAY' 'I'O AN EMPIRE. THE STom OF A GREAT HIGHWAY'. FAIRBANKS, THE ME'IROPOLIS. THE PROSPECTS OF A RAILROAD INTO. THE INTERIOR. PLACER MINING IN THE TANANA, 'I H E QUARTZ OF THE TANANA VALLEY F. F. Keeker THE QUARTZ OUTLOOK FROM AN ASSAYER'S STANDPOINT L. M. Drury THE AGRICULTURAL POSSIBILITIES OF IN'FERIOR AI^ASKA.— C. C. Geor.t'cson. Special Agent in Ch;irge of Alaska Iinestigations. FURS, FEA'EHERS AND FINS Geo. C. Cantwell THE SALMON TRAIL. CHENA, HOT SPRINGS AND TIIF TANANA V'ALLEY. ALASKA COMMERCE. THE INNOKO AND IDI'I AROD DISTRICTS. ALASKA'S POS'FAL SERVICE J,,hn P. Clum, Former Postal Inspector of Alaska MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. EDITORS NOTK. — Owing to delays in the drafting of the maps tliat are a part of this volume the work appears later in the year than was at first intended. Particular pains lias lioen taken that nothing should appear in the book that is not absolutely aeeurate. The greater portion of sjiaee is given to pliotographle reproduetions. as actual pi. tares are the truest descriptions of any sei-tion of emintry. Tin- maioritv of tlie pliotngi-aphs iLsed are summer scenes, as Ihey are more typical of Alaska than tlie manv snow scenes that are usually used in books regarding the territory. It lias been impossible to give credit for every photograpli that appears and thanks is here given for tlie use of photographs from tlie following artists: Huev and Robin.son. Fairbanks; Nowell. Nome and Seattle: Hunt and Canlwell, Valdez. Published by THE ALASKA PUBLISHING CO. SEC. F., CENTRAL BUILDING, SEAT II.F. FAIRBANKS, ALASKA. ■M 3 ^ ^ ft THEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSTRML in •"''1 a,-^ Tanana Valley Railroad Co. STATION OK THE TAXANA VALLIOV R. R. AT FAIRBANKS Three T rams Daily BE'rW'KKN i Fairbanks and The Creeks To C'heiia, Kstcr, Happy, l^'ldor.-ulo, Knoiiu-cr, ( Joldstrcaiii. Pedro. Donic. N'aiill, Littlt- l-'jidorado, Cliataiiika and Clcaiy Cri'cks PASSKXGKH AM) FHFJaUT STACiES orFJiATKD liV THE COMPAW COXXIX'T WITH ALL TILIIXS. FALCON JOSLIN PllESIDKXT A. P. TYSON (;knfiiat. man ac^eu THEVALDEZ-FAIRBANK5MIL y^m^k^^ Nordale Hotel Fairbanks, Alaska ^Modern in Eal«*rM In Dtiitrs. Windows and Other Knililiim ^lati-rial Ollli'i- and Mill: WuliTrnint. het. fSi-iiad\\ii> and Alaska Ave. DIRECTORS EDMUND SMITH. Pies. W. M. FINKWL. Vice-Pres. and Manager. C. E. BUNNELL, Sec'.v and Treasurer. C. S. WILLS, Board Director. .1. PRANK BIRDSELL, Board Director. VALDEZ ALASKA Smith's Gun Store I.XTERIOR VIEW GL'NS, Ammunition, Hardware, Crockery, Bar Glass- ware, Stoves and Ranges, Harness and Saddlery, Victor Piionographs. Agents Brunswick-Balks Collender Co., National Cash Registers, Angle Lamps. Creek and Mail Orders promptly attended to. FAIRBANKS, ALASKA Bo.x 325. Phone 85. Community Advertising C hambers of Commerce and Commercial Bodies Organized and Placed in Working Order Advertising Campaigns Planned and Conducted in Any Part of the United States or Canada Pamphlets and Booklets Compiled and Published for Commercial Organizations, Communities, Banks and Large Business Institutions No Contracts Closed By Mail ADDRESS HALLOCK C. BUNDY Promoter of Publicity SEC. F.. CENTRAL BUILDING, SEATTLE THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL r "There is a Reason' why wei^a^e done over $20, 000 per year the past tl^ree years with Alaska people. Strict attention to details. Sterling integrity. Handling only the best in materials. No garment delivered unless it's perfect. Goods priced right. Es- tablished here twenty years. We have experience and the know how. "JUST KNOW US" # IRVING S CANNON 2 I 1 COLUMBIA STREET SEATTLE. WASH. Don't prospect — Tab this address and make us a call when in .'^eatllr. ' / HE Canned Goods you ^ can always depend o?i — HAPPY HOME brand- the favorite of discriminating housekeepers all over the Northwest Each can guaranteed by Schwahacher Bros. &f Co., hn. Seattle Henry Disston o Sons, Inc. PHILADELPHIA. U. S. A. Saws - Knives Files Saw Tools PACIFIC COAST BRANCHES SEATTLE. WN. PORTLAND, ORE. SPOKANE. WN. X'ANCOrVFR, i-r r ,ci/^ rf ^-ff ,' THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL I 1R|^^ MILLS' DRY GOODS, NOTIONS, WOMEN'S READ'i-TO-WEAR, WOMEN'S FURNISHING GOODS. Wc aim to supply ihc wants of woman in every particular, carry an extensive slock, and sell dependable !:oocls .it noii-competitivc prices. Our prices compare favorably willi those of out- side bouses. FAIRBANKS. ALASKA N. ^^ Office 821 BROADWAY. Store Room IHIRD .^VE. AND CUSHMAN ST. Biggest Dry Goods and Women^s Ready-to- Wear House in the Biggest Territory of the United States I:.veiyllung a Woman Needs When She Needs II WE SERVE THE PEOPLE OF OUR COM- MUNITY AS THE^' ARE SERVED IN TH^: EASTERN ST^'LE CENTERS. CARPETS, RUGS, LINOLEUMS, HOUSE FURNISHINGS, BLANKETS, COMFORTERS. SHOES, MILLINERY. i i l^jjij^H ^BSfi. . ; .^^^"'^881 Sl'lJIXt; ANIl sr.MMKK F.UKBANKS, XANANA VAI.I.KV, ALASKA nscH "Till \iiUle!e-FalrbankH Trail" THE "GREAT COUNTRY" By HON. WALTER E. CLARK, Governor of Alaska liaiilsliips. It L'i)Lintr\-, with T is inipdssihii' til spi'ak of Alaskii uitliiiut a ^^ ^__ prodij^al iiuiul^ciicc in tW ^Bl superlatives. VV i t li i n I' ^1 little more than a dec- ade this vast northern ^^3f''"^P''^^ '^■'^ been con- ^y verteil from a wilder- ness into a district \\ here the comforts and even the luxuries of civilization decidedl;>' o\erbalance p i o n e e r nas become a white man's all that that implies. The "Great Countr}," as the Eskimo in un- witting prophecy named the territorj- washed by the Bering Sea, has indeed merited its appellation; it is great in a far more ample sense than that implied in the Innuit designation. W'ith its gold production steadily holding up; with its rapidly de\eloping commerce and local industry; its enor- mous deposits of copper and coal ; its splendid system of government roads; its adequate cable service, and its chain of lighthouses along the coast, Alaska merits every proud boast made in its favor. In gold output alone the territory ha^ more than justified its purchase by the far-sighted Seward. Its contribution in gold to the United States mint alone amounts to more than 17 times its pur- chase price. The copper and coal de- posits and tlie other fundamental re- sources bared to the world by the hard\' pioneer of the North, are of such gi- gantic proportions that it is impossible to measure their \alue in ordinary terms of speech. That copper is destined to become as potent a slogan of Alaska as gold has been, is the opinion of many of our shrewdest commerciid prophets. It is not at all an exaggerated forecast in this connection to assert that Alaska will soon proxe to be the world's greatest storehouse of copper. The wealth and promise of Alaska cannot, however, be entirely estimated in terms of ore production. Its pioneer age has been an ore age. 'I'hus far Alaskans have been too bus>- with gold to pay much attention to developing the country's other resources. It is, how- ever, certain that a countr> with an area one-liftli as large as that ot the L'niteil States and with resources pro- pc-rtioniitel}- varied, will not long con- fine its entire energies to mining. Alaska possesses in prodigal sup|il\ those essen- di Phtli h F. II. Stwfll lion. Waller K. I'laik. tials of human activitw — coal, timber, and unlimited water power for manu- facturing; fisheries and mines, and, to no inconsiderable extent, .aralile soil. Opportunity in this virgin land where these sources of vast wealth ha\e as \et been practicail) untoucheil, is too exiilent to need comment. For the application of the conserva- tionist's creed, Alaska offers an unde- spoiled field. Profiting b\ our experi- ence in this connection in the States, we ma\ develop this northern territory with a clearer vision as to the needs of future generations. We may get better high- ways, and get them more quickly. VV'c may build railroads without surrendering \aluable land grants. We may prevent monopidy in the establishment of mines. And we may carry on the lumbering in- dustry without the gross waste and de- forestation which has too frequently characterized lumbering operations in the States. A forecast of Alaska's future, predi- cated upon the territory's phenomenal development in the past, can only be outlined in the most glowing terms. Of material progress there can be no doubt. As to its social and political trends there is more rcom for speculation. It is a vast countr\- ; it will have many problems to solve and its men will have many grave issues to decide. 1 hat these decisions w'ill for the most part directly and materiall) aid toward the proper upbuilding of this "Great Country" is assured b\- the character of its people — a virile, courageous and ener- getic breed of men. W -,!■ Map Showing Compaialivo Sizi- of .Maska and the United Status THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAH Ij "tS^H^^ Photo by P. S. Hunt Where the Trail Meets the Sen — Vnldez Harbor Photo by Huey The River Fioiit, Fairbanks :3r -r^flT JHEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL ALASKA'S MOST VITAL NEED By JUDGE JAMES WICKERSHAM, Delegate to Congress from Alaska 'LASKA is at that critical stage of its growth where the turlherance of its ciiminercial j^reatness, and the liarmonious activity ot its people is dependent upon the establishment of some form of autonomy. Those details if icfiislation designed to encourage and safeguard the inhabitants of the terri- tory in the pursuit of interests accordant with the common welfare cannot be satisfactorih' decreed by a congress whose members are, and have always been, patently unfamiliar with the peculiar needs and conditions of our vast North- ern domain. Only men who have lived in the territory', who have adequate first- hand knowledge concerning the country, who are familiar with its urgent needs and appreciate its critical situations, are qualified to frame just legislative meas- ures applicable to Alaska. For forty years Alaska's development has been re- tarded and handicapped b\ the inade- quate legislative measures imposed by a congress sitting thousands of miles out- side its boundaries. The National As- sembly has been particularly dilatory in regard to Alaskan affairs, and it will one day be the shame of the United States tliat its interests in its northern frontier territory was of such grossh' negligent character. With a white population of 50,(X)0, The constitution of the United States should be extended to its northern ter- ritory. An organic law should lie; framed providing for an elective terri- torial legislature, consisting of the usual upper and lower houses, with a limiteii membership and with its powers care- full) limited so that no territorial indebt- edness could be incurred nor county gov- ernment inaugurated ; with a fixed limit on its powers of taxation, and such otiier restrictions as woulii insure the territory a sufficient though inexpensive form of self government. Alaska, in a wortl. should be treated as all other American with dozens of permanently established territories have been treated in the past. towns and witii a variety of well-de- lined industries no longer directiv de- pendent upon the depth of the local gold pockets, Alask:i has reached the point where some form of self government i^ not only justified, but imperative. Complete territorial government is the most \ital ne<-d of Alaska toda\'. The pioneers of the North have as much right to autonomy as h;;\e the alien races of the Philippines and Porto Rico, who have their own legisla- ti\e assemblies with members elected by their own people. \Vh\ should thi-; privilege be denied to the most charac- teristicalK' American of all our terri- In no section of the United States proper, or in the world, for that matter, is there a finer democrac\ than that which obtains in the average Alaska communitN'. NoAvhere is there exempli- fietl a finer sense of justice and fair dealing than that to be found in the daily intercourse of these northern fron- tiersmen. Alaskans do not make much acclaim regarding democracy They practice it instinctively. Just as there are a great man\ cur- rent misconceptions about Alaska's phys- ical conditions, so there are many mis- taken notions entertained by outsiders regarding the moral and intellectual caliber of its citizenship. This is to be ascribed chiefly to the influence of a pop- ular type of fiction dealing with the North, in which the worst element of the territory has been given undue prom- inence, in which the criminal and the "bad man" has been represented as the typical Alaskan. To disabuse tiie pubii.- of this erroneous conception, it may be stated that widely respected men who have had a lifelong experience in min- ing camps and frontier settlements agree that they have never seen elsewhere the high qualities of manhood usually found in Alaskan communities. It is the con- sensus of opinion among men qualified to judge, that these men are the most law-abiding people in the world. It is because of the intelligent, per- sistent struggles of self-respecting me i of this stamp that the development of Alaska has been so marvelously advanced within the past ten years; that it has been so much more rapidh' opened up than was the case with former terri- tories, despite every handicap the\' have had to overcome. It has been stated that ten per cent of the white Alaskans of today are college-bred men. Certain- l\ their intelligence is above the average. Their energy and courage is proverbial. Iheir n-anhood of the broadest gauge. Ihey ileserve more encouragement in their pioneer activities than they have thus far been accorded at the h.inds of the Congressional boih. llMiiliiiK H<'avy l,o:iiis on Governmont P.iiilt Higliwiiy.s in .Maska. 11 '^^-ff THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANK5 TRAIL Irt^^^ ^m .;.. -■/ ^'jf^!^^ ^ '"^ riiot.i l.y p. S. Hunt \':ililoz-l"aili)aTiltv,n .Ma.inr \V. I'. Richardson, t" impnrlani and expensive of I be liridges erect (id by the Commission, in 19(i(i, at an original cost of about $20.(ioii.oii. This bridge spanned the Tazlina River, a dan- gerous glacier stream, and it was not possible to leplace the p(U'tion carried away during the summer. This period of rain was followed, after a brief period, by an early winter, and some of the work- ing parties were driven from the field on account of deep snow about three weeks earlier than would usually happen. Discouraging as were these unusual conditions, in a country where the work- ing season is extremely short at best, mention of them here is made only as a matter of justice to the Board in relation to the cost of the work. It was impossi- ble to accomplish as much as had been hoped for, and the loss to the Board by destructive floods and the increased cost of new work, with the delays incident thereto, will i)robably amount to at least $75,000.00, or more than 20 per cent of the estimated cost. However, a great deal of imporiani work was completed. The entiie route was gone over, with the exception of about seventeen miles, in disconnected sections, most of which, however, are passable, but which had to be left unim- liroved on account of the approaching winter. These unimproved sections em- brace a section between Tonsina and Copper Center, — very soft, — some short stretches of swamp between Copi)er Cen- ter and Gulkana and seven miles over what is known as the Dome on Ihe lower Delta. Summer Travel Travel on foot and horseback was con- tinuous over the route during the past summer, and two droves of cattle and a drove of l.oOO sheep were taken over. The "going" was bad. on accoi'nt of the heavy rains and new work in progress, as might be exi)ected. till near the close of the season. It became generall.v known before the beginning of the season's work, that as ai)propriation of $:{5(I.imi(| had been made by Congress for the construction o;' mili- tary and post roads in the Territory, and I hat 'he plans of the Roail Commission were to expend Ihe principal ])art of this amount in improving this overland route foi- summer travel by wheeled vehicles .Mnska Ro:iii i misMnn's Team iirni .-^,i.i]'.r ti \:iM>z LI ^ft MVALDEZ-FAIPBANK5TRAII and to push the worl< as rapidly as ijos- sible This intoriuation, being freely dis- cussed and reflected upon, became con- verted presently into the apparent belief, in many persons' minds, that the road was already completed with the opening of summer and snould be in good condi- tion for travel. This curious fact might be interjjreted into an indirect compli- ment, in the first instance, to the capacity of the Board for accomplishing things, but it resulted later in much needless abuse of the road and criticism of the Commission's methods; notably, though unex|>ectedly so, in the case of some members of the Signal Corps engaged on the work of improving the military tele- graph line along the route. The people who have spent some time in Alaska thoroughly understand the conditions in respect to this work, but to prevent a wrong impression in the minds of others it seems necessary to again repeat here that the roads and trails so far con- structed in the Territory are, with few- exceptions, of a pioneer character, and their value should be measured against the conditions of a few years ago, which still exist over a greater part of the Ter- ritory, rather than in comparison with what are now known as ".good" roads in ihe slates. The Valdez-Fairbanks road has not been constructed with a view to heavy traffic in snnmier, nor for the comfort- able use of automobiles. This will be appreciated when it is explained that the whole amount spent on the road, includ- ing location and maintenance, since its beginning as a dog team trail, for both summer and winter travel, is approxi- mately $650,000, excluding cut-offs for winter travel only, or about $1,700 per mile. In sections of rock and gravel side-hills cuts the construction of a pas- sable route for wheels meant necessarily Ihe building of a substantial road, but in many long stretches the surface ma- terial is the only natural soil of the locality, with pole or brush corduroy un- derneath to give support in swampy places. Such sections naturally become cut u)) and muddy with much traffic in rainy weather, which condition is made worse on account of the narrowness of the road, which was necessary for rea- sons of economy. Present State of Development The present state of the road is a de- velopment in response to the needs of the country, as far as possible, with the funds at the disposal of the Commission. The needs have been: first, a trail over which mail could be safely transported by dog team or single horse sled in winter and for foot passengers and pack animals in sunmier, with the bridging of dangerous streams and impassable swamps; second, a double or four horse sled road for mail, passenger and ex- jiress traffic in \vinter; and third, the present condition of the road for general light wheeled traffic in summer. The next step in its development will be, if funds become available, to widen it throughout, improve the grades, increase and jjerfect the drainage by further ditch- ing, with additional culverts where neces- sary to carry off the water. Good drain- age, a most important factor in all road construction, is nowhere more necessary than on the one here described. All this work can now be done rapidly and at reasonable cost, and a really excellent country road completed in a few years, which will require only a small annual expenditure thereafter for repair and maintenance. This route (about 285 miles in length, omitting a few cut-offs for winter travel only), extends from the open port of Valdez to the very heart of Alaska, at Fairbanks, connecting there in summer with the navigable waters of the Tanana and Yukon basins, and during the closed season of navi,gation with the winter mail trails to the North and Westward. It connects directly, or through branch loutes. all the military posts in Alaska, except one. and the military telegrajih line follows it nearly the whole distance Irom Valdez to St. Michael, or more than 1.000 miles, including the winter exten- sion from Fairbanks. The re-building of this line with a double line of wire from Valdez as far as Fairbanks was com- pleted this season in excellent shape, and the expense and difficulty of line main- tenance will be simple matters in future compared to what they have been in pre- vious years. The Tanana valley, now the most ac- tive mining section of Alaska, will be the home of a permanent i)opulation. It is expected that a summer mail service will be established over the route at an earlv date and the travel and traffic of all kinds will increase as facilities are im- proved, and w-ill continue for all time to come. Demand for Additional Roads Important branch roads, connecting with the main route, are beginning to be demanded. Principal of these is a con- necting road between the mouth of the Chitna river, where the Copper River rail- road turns easterly up the valley of the Chitna, and a point on the wagon road near Copper Center. This road it is proposed to construct next season. Other important and much needed branches are to the Valdez Creek district from some point on the main road not yet deter- mined, and from Paxson's to Slate Creek. While this main route has received the princii)al attention and the bulk of the expenditure during the season just closed, other parts of the Territory have not been neglected. All roads and trails pre- viously constructed by the Board have been kept in repair, and extensions made where\er necessary and funds were avail- able. Road Mileage The largest part of the season's work has been in the general nature of im provement and conversion of road here- tofore classified as "winter sled" into the class of wagon road above described and the improvement of trail into sled road. Accordingly, the princiijel increase in mileage has been of wagon road, with a small reduction of trail as heretofore re- ported. The total mileage under dif- ferent heads is given below, with com- l)arison of the totals at the close of last season : 190S 1909 Miles Miles Wagon road _ 717.89 451.92 Winter sled road 421.00 .'?9G.90 Trail .._ 20:3.56 255.07 Trail staked, permanent (iron stakes) 257.00 Trail staked, temporary. winter 190S-09 ...."._ 070.00 A number of roads, notably, the Haines- Chilkat. Eagle-^^orty Mile. Circle-Birch Creek and Rampart-Minook roads, were completed in so far as conditions of traf- fic at this time justify. The Sewai'd Peninsula (Nome District) is fairly well provided with the most necessary "roads. with one or two exceptions, and the system is in a good state of repair. The same may be said of Ihe local roads in the immediate vicinity of Fairbanks. Some impi-ovement was made on the win- ter extension of the mail route from Fail-banks westward, and where it had been found necessary to place guide stakes for protection to w-inter travelers through the treeless and exposed sections along Ihe coast of Bering Sea and on Ihe Seward Peninsula, this staking was made permanent by Ihe setting of iron stakes with small tnetal flags. It was not deemed advisable to attempt any work on the winter trail from Knik. at llie head of Cook Inlet, aci-oss the Atlantic range lo the Kuskokwim and p^siiS? THE VALDE7-FAIRBANK5.TRA1I Corstnictinji \\*ork on Thompson's Pass Innoko. of which a reconnoissance was made in the late winter of 1907-08. The best results from Us construction will not come until after the Alaska Central Railroad shall have been extended as far as Knik. at the head of the inlet, and until some further developments take place in the Kuskokwim and Innoko dis- tricts . These conditions have, partially at least, been fulfilled during the past year. The Alaska Central has been re- organized, through a receivership, and has extended its track about 20 miles dur- ing the past season, with plans, I under- stand, for further extension in the near future: and. on the other hand, the In- noko mining district, near the other, or Yukon, end of the i)roposed route, has become, during the late summer and fall, the objective point of one of the largest "stampedes" since I he one to Fairbanks five years ago. The particular find which l)roduced the excitement was made on a iributary of a small river flowing into the Iimoko, hitherto almost miknown, even to old residents of I he Territory, and given on one map as the Hydelotna, but com- monly called Ihe Iditarod. Re|)orts com- ing out at this time indicate that the movement is still in progress and that the "strike" is rich and of considerable extent. The natural outlet to the Coast for this region is via the tipper Kuskok- wim valley and over Rainy Pass to the head of Cook Inlet, and it is hoped that the funds may be available for some work on the proposed trail next season. There is a growing need for a con- tinuation liy land of the winter mail road below Fort Gibbon, the section of it as far down as Kaltag being now, for the most part, on the river ice. Such con- tinuation wovild naturally be on the south side of the Yukon and could be carried via the Innoko. joining the Cook Inlet route Ironi there to Kaltag. From the last-named place there exists a great need of a good wa.gon and sled road for both summer and winter trail to the coast of Bering Sea at llnalaska or St. Michael. With the development of the Kuskokwim, there will also come the need of a road between the river and the Yukon. All these last -mentioned routes are important, as general lines of travel and communication are needed for the development of the Territory. To provide for the necessary funds for carrying on the work in a systematic way in future, some further means will, it is thought, have to be devised, and some modifications made in the laws re- lating to road construction in Alaska. .4s heretofore explained, the special ap- propriation of last winter was for the purpose of completing the Valdez-Fair- banks route through for wheeled traffic in summer, and for the improvement and extension of certain other routes having value for military and postal uses, as well as for general travel, the work to extend over two seasons if necessary. The sum was sufficient for the i)uri)ose named, only for the extraordinary conditions of weather and consequent increased cost and loss by flood as noted in the earlier part of this report. Xo further appro- priation can, therefore, be asked at the coming sessicm of Congress through this channel, unless the Committee shoiijd consider it proi)er, under the circum- i-lances. to approve a small emergency fund estimated to compensate for the damage sustained through floods. It is thought proper for me to state here that the members of the Road Com- mission were in no way responsible for, nor connected with, the nujvemeni in- augurated on the Pacific Coast last win- ter in the interest of increased api)ro- priations from Congress, and asking for $1,000,000 at the last session. This movement, while well intended, was somewhat ill advised at that time, in my opinion, and resulted in some con- fusion in the minds of members of the Senate and Hou.se of Representatives who were striving to put through the appro- priations which had been asked for by the Board and approved by the Secre- tary of War. To add to the confusion, the committee in charge of the move- ment took the name of the Alaska Road Committee, which, to many persons meant the tame as our Board, Some further activity is exi)ected along the same lines the coming winter, and while the Board cannot fail to appreciate the sentiment of approval of its work which evidently lies behind Ihe movement, it is hoped that, for the best interests of the work, the movement will be confined to such approval and to a support of the Board's recommendations, instead of exhausted in the effort to get separate or increased appropriations. f^flT THP VALDEZ- FAIRBANKS TRAI I Suggestions for Revenue for Road Construction Tin- [i(iiior liceiist", trade aiul occupa- tion lax has yielded about $110,000 a year to the wagon road and trail portion of the Alaska fund. I reconiniend that this tax law be amended to include dredges, telegraph and telephone lines and some small lines of business which were ai)parently overlooked, but for which there seems to exist no special reason for exemption. It is furtlier recommended that a flat tax be placed on salmon canneries In addition to the present tax of 4 cents per case, exeni])- tion from which tax is now obtained llirough the distribution of fry from lialcheries: also, that a tax of $.5.00 iier annum l)i' placed upon all quartz and placer claims, not patented, and a small lax upon each ton of coal and copper mined in the Territory. It is believed that these additional taxes may be placed without becoming burdensome, and that I he natural resources be thus made to aid in its general development. In addition to the above it is sug- gested that an amendment to the mining law in Alaska be offered providing that any claim owner may, if he so elect, pay into the AIa.ska F'und for the benefit of the road and trail construction the sum of $100.00, which sum shall be in lien of all assessment work, recorders' fees and tax, as above provided, upon any claim tor the current year. The proposition of paying a certain sum to the road and trail fund, in lieu of assessment work, has frequently been discussed in recent years and has been brought before Con- gress in the form of a bill, but has not heretofore found favor, for the reason that the iJrovision made it manda- tory instead of optional. To the proposi- tion in the form now suggested I can see no jjossible objection. The matter will rest entirely with the owner of the claim and if he shall think that his prop- erty will be more benefited by contribut- ing to the iraijrovement of the road lead- ing to it, he will avail himself of the provision, while the effect upon the em- ployment of labor will merely be the transfer of u certain amount of work from mines to roads and trails. It is be- lieved that Ibis provision will meet with general faxor and be productive of good results. In the closing paragraph of my report of la.^t year I stated that "the time is apiiroaching. it is thought, when the lo- cal roads in the different sections may be turned over for maintenance and exten- sion to local authorities, leaving only the main Irunk line in the hand of the Road Commission," and suggesting a local board of road sui)ervisors to have charge in (-onnection with the application of the per capita local road law. Experience of I he past season does not argue any near aptiroach of the suggested change, to the advantage of the Territory, rather the contrary. Good results from the operation of this local law have been obtained only where the board of road commission- ers has voluntarily given assistance in the matter, furnish- ing overseers in some instaiices and suiiervkiing the work. The allerna- tive to the suggestion of last year is the board of road commissioners to designate the overseers in all cases and lo supervise the expenditures of money and labor under this law, in con- nection with this other work, and I recommend (he law be amended to this effect. There is little doubt that the best results and, I believe, the most satisfactory in nearly all cases, will be obtained by having the entire work under one direction. This should continue until i.uch lime as Congress shall decide to grant some form of local self govern- ]nent lo the Territory, including a gen- eral legislative body, which would natur- ally be expected to take charge of, and be responsible for, such local improve- ments. Without expressing an opinion here as lo when this might be done with advantage to the Territory, it seems in-oper to state that until the time the development of the Territory along this liariicular line can be more systematically advanced, and the greatest good done to the whole people, by having the work combined as above indicated. Railroad Needed Of ecpial imporlance with the wa.^on road construction in giving impetus and si ability lo the development of the Ter- ritory is the construction of one or more lines of railway. Reference to the sub- .lect has been made by me in former re- ports of the Road Commission, and sev- eral reports and memoranda have been submitted to the Secretary of War con- cerning the progress made by various roads attempting or proposing to build in different sections of the Territory .The following quotations are made from one of these memoranda: "Wagon roads in certain places and pack and sled trails across the country are necessary for the development of Alaska (and are considered elsewhere), whether railroads are constructed or not, and will always be an aid to sections where traffic is not sufficient to .iustify railroad construction, but it can no longer be doubled by those familiar with the district and that the one great need is a railroad connection between the interior of the district and an open port the year lound." The subject was resolved into two luiucipal proi)ositions: "1. Is liiere evidence at hand in thf devoloiHnents which have taken place in the interior of Alaska during the recent years and in the present outlook to jus- tify the belief that its mineral deposits are of an extent and value to give em- ployment I'oi- an indefinite lime and yield ad<'(|uale returns, and are the conditions wilh ri'spi'ct lo I he climate and soil sucli as lo insure a permancnl while popula- tion? "2. Are the difficulties and expense of transportation attendant upon the devel- opment of the resources of the interior country sufficiently great to justify the government in giving supjiort to the rail- road construction?" Evidence in support of I he first projiosi- tion has been accumulating, since the memorandum was submitted, to such an extent thai I think the affirmative view will no longer be questioaed. In resjiect 10 the second proposition, the statement then made is here repeated in substance: that the freight rates across the country are practically prohibitive except for short dislances, even with the aid of such wagon roads as have been const rucled. But even above the question of freight costs is the need of communication with the outside world; means of travel and speedy transportation during the long period of closed navigation, in order lo make a beginning in the substantial de- velopment of such a region and give en- couragement to private enterprise. fJenerally when this subject has been brought before Congress in the past, one or more representatives of some lUMvate enterprise have appeared before the com- mittees in opposition and have stoutly asserted that the said enterprise has pre- pared to build a railroad into .Alaska without assistance from the govenimenl. and seemed to have the impression that their (proposed) road was the only one needed lor the Territory's develoi)ment. An unbiased inquiry in the progress of these various enterprises during the last few years and in the situation as it ex- ists today will show that little advance has been made towards the fulfilment of such assertions, as far as the needs of the country at large are concerned, which needs do not always lie along the lines, as heretofore stated, where private enter- |)rise, naturally seeking early and safe returns, is most likely to make invesl- ment; and which inquiry will a!so show that several millions of dollars, drawn from the investors in different parts of the world have been needlessly wast- ed through various causes, such as a lack of lu'oper information in advance, conflicting local interests in resiiect of terminals and townsites and selfish ends of ambitious promoters. This is not in- tended as a reflection ui)on any person now actively engaged in the work of constructing any road in the Territory, nut it can scarcely be doubted that this former wastage, in the event of any par- ticular road being put through to the point where it will be on a payin.g basis, which then becomes a part of the obliga- tions of the road for which the traffic and resources of Ihe Territory musi pay. 11 would, therefore, in my opinion, be far heller if the government would lake the matter in hand and utilize these resources if neces- sary, to guarantee the interest on bonds of actual construction, along lines thai will aid in general deveIo|)- inent of the Terri- tory: not interfer- ing with, but giving aid rather, if de- sired, under proper restrictions, lo any bona fide enterprise. IC ^r^^Pf i THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL m ALASKA STEAMSHIP SERVICE A Commerce of $60,000,000 a Year Is Dependent Upon Vessels Plying Alaska Waters N erroneous inipres- — , ^ I \ 1 sion is prevalent in '( — ^ u many quarters re- ^' J \\J .tiartiinjj Alaskan steamsliip service. It seems to be tlu' general o p i n ion that Alaskan ports are but infrequent- 1\ and irregular- ly served with boats from the outside. The fact is that during the past jear 740 vessels entered these ports and 675 cleared for outside points. The southern and south- eastern coast of the territory has a dozen ports of call, where a weekly and fort- nightlv steamship schedule is main- tained all the year roimd. During the summer season the ports along the Seat- tle-Skagwa\- route are served nearly every day by vessels plying from Seattle and Vancouver. Four companies operate steamers be- tween American and Canadian ports and Alaska: the Alaska Steamship Com- pan\-. the I'acific Coast Steamship Com- pany, the Alaska Coast Company and the Canadian Pacific S. S. Company. The Pacific Coast Company plies fortnightly during the winter and week- 1\- during the summer, between Seattle and Skagwa\. A fleet of five fast and well equipped vessels is maintained on this service. During the summer e\- cursion season steamers are run to the glaciers and other points of interest. This companv also operates one steamer a month to Nome during the summer. 1 he Alaska Steamship Compan\ maintains weekly service between Se- attle and Skagway in summer and a twelve-day schedule in winter. A steam- er is sent to Nome ever\ ten d;i\s in summer. This company has a splen- did fleet of fifteen ships. Three boats are sent to the Prince William Sound district on regular runs .all the \ear rounil, the \oyage to Cordova taking five da\s, to \'aldez six da\s and to Seward a week. Two fast \essels are also operated to Southeastern Alaska through the Inside Passage. The Alaska Coast Compan\ pro vides a bi-monthly schedule to South- eastern and Southwestern Alaskan po^rts with its two papssenger boats. In addi- tion it has a number of freight boats that do not carry passengers. The Canadian company plies between Vancouver and Alaska, running three boats on a ten-da.\- schedule in summer and a fortnightly service in winter. Hoats running to Southeastern Alas- k.-! go up through the Inside Passage to Skagway, touching at Ketchikan, Wrangell and Juneau regularly; occa- sionally at other ports in that district. The through voyage consumes about five da\s in all seasons. Southwestern Alaska is reached di- rect by steamers touching at Cordova, Valilez and Seward in a vo\age lasting from five to eight da\s. This region is also reached vi;i Juneau and the In- side Passage from Seattle b\' three oi four boats each month in from ten to tweUe da\- runs. Hoats run westward from Juneau, touching at Sitka, Yaku- tat Bay, Cordova, Valdez, Orca and Seward. At V'aldez connections are made for Cooks Inlet and Unalaska through Kodiak, once every month. In the sum- mer these boats go to Bristol Hay. Sew- aril Peninsula p(;ints are reached direct only during the open season of four inonths — June to October. Between 400 and 500 American ves- sels enter and clear from Alaskan ports every year, and an average number of 300 vessels ply between foreign points. Combined tonnage will approximate 600,000 to 700,000 tons. The tonnage for all vessels entering Alaskan ports last year (1909) was 615,126 tons. Maritime commerce along the Alas- kan coast has been greatl\' stimulated b\ the erection of a chain of lighthouses, 24 in number. The southeastern coast is particularly well provided with bea- cons, making the sea traffic safe. The erection of these lights has materially aided in building up the annual com- merce of $60,000,000 carried on by Alaska with the outside world. Property Alnska Tiiast Co. .-<. .-<. .NUKTHWKSTKHN. Property Alaska Stpaniship Co. :^ THE VALDEZ-FA1RBANK5TML I'lniio liy p. S. Hunt. lingiaving by Western lOn.yraving Cd. Pack Tiain Leaving foi- the Intciiiir. Tlie Tillionm Club. Valdez. Automobile in Front of Seattle Hotel, VaUlez. Valdez Fire Department. Residence Street in A'aldez. Looking North\ve.st from City Hall. THE METROPOLITAN ULEXDH WITH TIHC FKONTIKR AT VALDEZ. IS T?^ I IHI: VALDEZ-FAIRBANKSMII. I j^^ i VALDEZ, THE GATEWAY TO AN EMPIRE Where the Trail Meets the Sea It coast tancc is 83 miles town, thus the trail into AI.DEZ, a substan- tial, prosperous, up- to-date toAvn at the head of V'aldez Ba\ , by \irtue of its su- perior fieonraphical situation, is the nat- ural South Alaskan f;atevva\' to the vast interior of the ter- ritory, north ot an\ other esseninj; b\ that di>- the interior. It h:; ^ I.SOO, aside passing back a bona tide population of from the man\ transients and forth between the sea and the in- terior \alle\s. It is the starting: point on the winter route to the Tanr.na, Nome, Innoko, K(j\ukuk, \':ddez Creek and Slate Creek mining; districts. It is the headquarters of the Orr and Ken- ned\ stage lines to Fairbanks and wa\ points. It is the principal port of call of the large deep-water vessels plying between Seattle and South- western Alaska, as well as being the hume port of the fleet of small craft pl\ing tin- waters of Prince William Sound. It is the distributing point for all mail matter for the interior or westwaril points. 1 he go\ernment recog- nized \'aldez as the logical entry port to the back coun- try when it made this port the sea terminus of the 500 mile road built thro'Ugh tlv,' interior to Fairb.-.nks and the \'ukon by its militar\- de partment. This selection wa made onl\ after exhaustive investigations of other possi ble routes and gatewa\s. X'ahlez is furthermore th ■ coast headquarters of the di^ trict court of the Third judi cial district of Alask;: : the headquarters for the govern ment cable an\ Of the great mineral resources con- tiguous to Valdez, in the interior ot Alaska, much has been written, but the half has not been told. The countr\ has been but superHciall\ explored, but al- ready- great bodies of ore of high values in copper and gold, and alluvial depos- its containing gold and platinum have been uncovered. Large areas of coun- try remain unscratched, presenting an inviting Held for the prospector. And Valdez is the logical entrance to this rich region. It is onl\- a question of time before the "rails will meet the sails," thus insuring the permanence, prominence and prosperity of this town. Valdez is equipped with such modern public utilities as electric lights, tele- phones ami water system. The public schools of V^aldez are excellent. The medical profession is represented by four able and reliable physicians and sur- geons, who are ampl\- able to cope with the small amount of sickness developed among the remarkably healthy resi- dents of Valdez. The legal profession has more than :". dozen representatives. The town boasts two well equip- ped hospitals, the Valdez and (jood Samaritan. Lodges represented here are the AL'isons, Elks, Moose and Arctic Brotherhood. Naturally in a population, composed in the c;!rl\ da\s chietlv of men, and of men from all parts of the States, if not of the world, of all classes of societ\, there arose the same desire to form asso- ciations, societies, or circles of congeni.il companions a-; would influence people else- where. L'ntil within the past .\ear there was no authorit>- to institute a AL-isonic Lodge, but toda\ there is a large and thriving lodge of Masons in \'aldez. The Arctic Broth- erhood has for years had a camp of many members in \'aldez. The Elks have an r.i w jH^flT THEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSMIL organization with a goodly nicnilu'i^hip. Probably tlie most uniiiiic, certainly the largest, most active anil influential, social organization ot X'aldez, or this section of Alaska, is the Order of Alas- kan Moose, which has from its organiza- tion in 1900 taken within the fold some hundreds of the pioneers, prospectors and miners, business and professional men of this region. It has its own lodge build- ing, or "tent," — a large log structure, with its walls within hung with curios- ities and relics of Alaskan origin, with ample reading room provided with dozens of current magazines and periodicals, with piano and dancing floor. The town of X'aldez was incorporateil upon an onler from Judge Hrown of the United States District Court. It is governed by seven councilmen elected an- nually. The officials of Val- dez are: Mayor, L. Archi- bald ; councilmen, Ed. Wood, W. M. Finical, Anton Carl- son, Thos. Cobb, Dr. F. \l. Ho\le and Gust Djarf ; clerk, Henry W. Miller; city treas- urer, E. B. Wheat ; city mar- shal, A. F. Hoffman; cit\ physician. Dr. E. M. Boyle; numicipal judge, Jas. H. Murra\ . The business firms of \ al- dez are among the most en- terprising and progressive commercial houses in Alaska, or of any other country for that matter. The broad gauge activities and co-opera- tion of these establishments, their modern methods and the absence of the petty bick- erings that too often handi cap the progress of new com- munities has been perhaps more than any other thing rh,i« h c.u responsible for the commer- cial prosperity of this gatewa}' to the interior. The leading business firms of V-'aldez are: The Valdez Bank & Mercantile Co. and S. Blum & Co., bankers and merchants; J. G. S[i\iler, Danz Bros., T. E. Dougherty, and Chas. Adier, mer- chants; Love-Whitle\ Co. and Frye- Bruhn Co., wholesale and retail meat dealers; the White Co.; Valdez Dock Co., coal, hay and grain dealers; Copper River Lumber Co. and Pacific Coast & Norway Packing Co., lumber dealers; Alaska Construction Co., Alaska Water, Light & Telephone Co., Copper River Draying Co., Valdez Transfer Co., Owl Drug Co., Red Cross Drug Co., Alaska Drug Co., Tod ^Vinter, jeweler; C- C. Rudolph, paints, oils, etc. ; \':ddez Bak- ery, Valdez Real Estate Agenc\-, St. l'",lias hotel, Seattle hotel, Valdez hotel, i'lioenix hotel, the Copper Block, Albemaile ami Southern, rooming houses. Hand's Cafe, Curley's Cafe, Senate Restaurant. Chaffee's. Waffle Houes P. S. Hunt and (leo. C. Cant- well, photographers; Ingram & Bush, cigar dealers; Northern Steam Laundry. The erection of a fine binlding for official use and the housing of its splen- ■o7 \':ilii.z Hal)".!- Ii\ .Mc..iiili,i;ht. (lid steam fire engine and pumping plant b\' the town, is characteristic of the Val- dez civic :Jpirit and gives an indication of the communit\'s proper self-valuation. It possesses, besides a $6,000 steam hre engine, a hand engine and two chem- icals, and has an luiusualK alert fire de- partment. I he hc;iil(|uarters of the co.ist di\ i- sio'O of the L'nited States District Cotnt for the third judicial division have al- ways been at Valdez. Here there is a commodious court house, providing am- ple office room for the court, the judge, marshal, district attorney, clerk, and L'nited States commissioners and re- corder, and in connection with the court building a large jail building. 20 rile first real session of the coiu't for the administration of justice, with all the concomitant officers present, was held by the Hon. Jas. Wickersham, late judge of the third division of said court, and now our well-knoAvn ilelegate to Con- gress from Alaska. It is needless to say that the presence of the court at Valdez as a permanent feature has been, and ever will be, a strong factor in the upbuilding of the town :;nd cause extended recognition of the central ity of its location. The town itself is flanked tc the westward by an over- flow of population, who, on what was formerly a military ie^er\ ation, ha\e built a town as large as Valdez proper. The residents of this section thus far i)a\' no taxes in the town, but ha\e the ad- \antages of fire protection, lighting, and police protection Irom the United States dep- uty marshals. Steps are now ill progress to bring about the annexation of this portion of the tout!, which would make for a great advance in the pn:sperit\- and public spirit of \'aldez. By arrangement with the proper officials in the depart- ments at Washington, the school children of the reser- \atioii enjo\ the use of the IMiblic school building at Val- dez, and the two districts to- gether employ four teachers. Across V^aldez Bay, some three or four miles from Val- dez, stands Fort Liscum, with the usual quota of buildings and the other acces- sories of an active army post. This is at present a two-company post, garrison- ed by a portion of the Twen- tj-secotul L'nited States In- fantr\-, and under the com- mand i/f Capt. Stritzinger, with the necessary compleirent of officers. The trail out of V'aldez to the inter- ior, up to Fairbanks, provides the one big pa>-roll of the territory. While many of the supplies sent in o\er the V'aldez-Fairbanks trail are bought outside of Alaska, still the bulk of them are purchased from the Valdez mercantile establishments, and all the freight mone\- is paid out at this port. Valdez is the suppl\ emporium for all the interland points to which it pro- vides entrance. All the camps need provisions and supplies of many kinds, nails and ma- chinery. In all the larger towns, more particularl}-, arises the demand for the THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKSIML Knri Lisciirii, Near Valiii'z. Camp iif ("laU-na Hay Miiiinij; Co. Three fiiaiits. Kiii^lits Island. Valdoz Power riant. Solomon's Gukli. cuniforts and luxuries of the States. Winter ami summer these demands must be met h\ the enterprising merchants. In summer ri\er na\igation on the '1 u- kun and Tanana Rivers especiall) fur- nishes transpurtatiim adequate prohablN for the immediate necessities and de mands of the residents; but tiiere always arises in winter special demand for main articles and goods. These can onl\ be supplied from Valdez. It is no unusual sij^lit, winter after winter, to see lonu sled trains carrying as many as ()()0 case- of eggs, carefully bo.\ed, sacked, and packed to resist freezing. Trains oi machiner\-, of iron pipe, of telegraph w ires, of innumerable unexpected article-- pass through Valdez over the trail. .More than a thousand tons of hay luul grain alone are taken hence over the mountains to supply the road-houses, sta- tions, camps, and sled trains, each year. Consider the ccst and value of this trans- portation at from ten cents to thirt\ , )itt\ cents, and more, and even to a dol- lar a pound at times to Fairbanks! Con- sider the 500 and more horses along the trail; the hundreds of men freighting supplies; the miners and prospectors car- rying provisions, tools, powder, etc., to their mines. Consider the sawmill and electric light plants of the Lasterl> placers on the Nizina, the sawmill, shop-^ and telephone plant on tlie Gre\- copper properties in the Kotsina. Consider the entire steamboat, boilers, engines, tim- bers and complement complete, sledded from X'aldez to the Copper River to be there set up. All these varieties of freight amount to thousands of tons the \ear: but are reckoneil here by the cost the pound. The whole of Prince William sound has been a business dependency of Val- dez. To supply the mines and lo-gging c:;mps, villages and settlements general 1\ throughout the sound, a fleet of small craft plying out of V^aldez has for years been very active, carrying both freigiit and passengers. During 1907, the height of the copper excitement, this fleet numbered as high as sixty power boats. \'aldcz is the commercial heart of tin- great copper mining districts of South- western Alaska. It is generall> conced- ed that the copper mines of the Copper Ri\er and Prince William sound will ultimately make more profits than all the placer mining, all the fisheries and all the forests of Alaska taken together, great as these other resources are. Cop per is becoming the slogan of Alaska, rivaling in potenc; that of gcdil. Some commercial propluts have gone so far as to predict that Alaska will become the greatest store-house of copper that the world has ever known. Among the more important dcvelop- ■J^^Sus* I" 111- v*«i|>|jcr Ui\ I T Luiiil»--r i'*>. Iiitcrftir /. School ChilJreii. mcnt projects having the mining of this ore as ohject, in tlie general vicinit\' of Vakle/., the following mining companies may be named : Seattle Alaska Copper Co.; l>atouche Extension Mining Co. ; Reynolds Alaska Development Co. ; Beatson's Bonanza, the largest copper mine on the Pacific Coast of North America; Latouche Copper Mining Co.; and Latouche Ishunl Copper Mining Co. Ihese companies are all located on La- touche Island, twelve miles long and four miles wide, and, according to pres- ent indications, liolding at least four- fifths of all the copper ore which will he mined in the whole of Prince William Sound. On Knights Lsland, the scene of great excitement in the rush of 1907, the following companies are now operat- ing: the Hrm of Jas. Harvey; Egan and Hogan; Chas. T. Rua and Co.; Valen- tine and Brown; The Happy Jack Min- ing Co.; Knights Island Alaska Copper Co.; IWentieth Century Mining Co.; Knights Island Copper Mining Co., and the Kni^ihts island Consolidated Mining Co. ( )n the ni:iin land, ranging along tile coast, arc lo hr tound the following min- ing linns: The Ellemar .Mine; (lalena Hay .Mining Co.; Standard Copper Co.; lyandlock Ha)' Copper .Mining Co.; the Threemen .Mining Cit. ; S. A. ilemple's hiin; C'hi^na .Mining and DeNciopment Co.; Peter Steinmet/, Co.; .ind the Re\ - nidils-Alaska Development C , on either side, the mountain peaks rise in sharp saw-toothed shapes and the blue glaciers among them contrast strongly with the snow caps above. The gur- gling of the swift waters of the glacier streams is heard even in the coldest weather. This is the bleakest and most exposed portion of the road and a storm is more apt to be encountered here than at any other place on the trip. At times when it is perfectl\- calm in the valleys, here on the heights a furious wind may be raging, whirling the snow hither and thither; uncovering the rocks in places a"d in other places drifting and piling it high. But right at the summit is a road- house, built low to the ground and stning enough to withstand the hea\ iest winds. .Much of the time during the winter the snow nearly c and the entrance is made by going down stairs through the roof. The grade going down the far side of the pass is much more gradual and heasily loaded sleds are brought up it with ease. At the foot of the pass, seven miles beyond the summit road- house is Ptarmigan Drop, where travel- ers can get accommodations, if necessary, before going eight miles further t(j Bea\er Dam. BEAVF.R DAM. From the Drop to Bea\er Dam the roadway is excellent. Part of the way it follows along the beautiful Stewart River Canyon and is a gradual incline to ;',n altitude of 1 ,.?00 feet. The trail remains at about this level all the way tn (lulkana, 128 miles from N'alile/. Th:- Saina telegraph station has been moved to Heaver Dam, which makes it one of the more important stopping places on the line. The roadhouse here is ver\ comfortable and homelike. Its living room is one of the meeting places of the old trailers, and around the big stove any evening can be heard many interest- ing stories of experiences in far and wide Alaska, about the times when the trails were simpl\ the frozen river beds and mountain r:;nges the guide posts. Beaver Dam is one of the ( )rr Stage stations and is well equipped for the ac- commodation of guests and their horses or dogs. Nels Jepson has been the popu- lar proprietor sinse l')08. .Mr. Jepson is Ph.n *, P. S. Hu .I'-l.ri .M.<'(ar\'s (I.inlt-n, t'lipji't t',iiti-i. .Mask; 25 ITHEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSMIL m an old timer of the earlier days of the trail. He came to Alaska with Capt. Abercrombie in 1900 and helped mark the base line for the trail to Eagle with Capt. Burnell during 1902 and 1903. Before going into the roadhouse business he was a miner on Slate Creek. Mrs. Jppson helps conduct the hotel. 'J"he 'leikhell station is nine nu'les be- yi.iul, where there is a comfortable road- house. Ihere are also roadhouses locat- ed at lacoma, si.\ miles along the jour- ne\ and at Earnestine, the same distance finther on. Then comes Kings (Glacier House) after another ten miles travel. GLACIER HOUSE. The Glacier House is a comfortable hostlery run by Mr. and Mrs. Braxton. The traveler can obtain warm meals or lunches there at any time of the da\' or night. Acconnnodations can be had for (ift\ people and the traveler will make no mistake in marking this place down tor an over-night stop. Special accom- modations can be had for ladies. Tonsina is se\en miles beyond. The roadhouse there is one of the largest on the trail. Here is located a postoffice, telegraph station, and general store. 'J'his is the junction point of the trail leading to the entire country lying to the eastward of Copper River, in which is situated the immense copper deposits which are now famous for their values, and also the Nizina placer country. WAYSIDE INN. Crossing the M'onsina River the trail leads over the new route established the past summer, and after traveling eleven miles the Wayside Inn i> reached. 'Ellis roadside is conducted by Paul Hansel and the "kids." Paul says it is a good place to "take life eas\." He has warm meals ready at all hcjurs for the man\ travelers who make it a point to stop with him. COPPER CENTER. A few miles further the trail drops down into the famous Copper River \'al- ley. Here is where the most successful agricultural oner.-iticjns in the entire ter- ritory are carried on. ( )\ er fifty home- steads have been located and the chief Government Agricultural Station, which has been established for some time, car- ries on experimental farming upon an extensive scale during the summer. 'Elie town of Copper Center is situated at the confluence of the Klutena and Copper Rivers. The latter stream is navigable for light draft boats to this point and it is expected thi'.t the Copper River & Northwestern Railroad Company will eventually operate a line of steamers upon it. The distance is only about 170 miles from Cordova. Copper Center is the distributing point for a large section of countr\-, including the V'aldei^ Creek mining camps. A postoffice has been established here since 1901. 'Ehere is a tri-weekly mail service during the winter and a weekly mail service during the summer months. Ehe United States Signal Corps has its main supply- station at Copper Center for the Valdez-Eairbanks telegraph line. Ehe only telegraph station on the line between Valdez and Fairbanks is located here, where money car. be telegraphed from or money received by wire. 'Ehere is under consideration the es- tablishment of a wagon road between Copper Center and the terminus of the Copper River & Northwestern Railway. 'Ehe distance is only 44 miles, and a pre- liminary survey has already been made. Ringuald Blix is the leading business man of the community. He has been postmaster since the establishment of the postoffice in 1901. Besides being the proprietor of a general merchandise store and landlord of the Hotel Hol- iiian, he is United States Commissioner and :i Notary Pulilic. He came from Minneapolis, Minn., to Valdez in 1898, .anil then to the Copper River V'alley, where he located the first homestead and raised the first \egetables ever grown in the district. He is the pioneer trader and roadhouse man between Valdez and Fairbanks. From Copper Center can be seen a grand view of the .active volcano "Wran- gle." Also Mounts Sanford, Drum and Hlackhurn are in plain \iew ; all moun- tains over 1,1,000 feet high, I he sublime beauty .'uul graiuleui" ot Alaska are in her mountains. Ehe fact that Alaska has the highest mountain on the continent north ot .Mexico, .Mt. McKinley, 20,,'iO(J feet in elevation, and so big in lateral size, so massive that the observer fails to realize its height, is of itself interesting in a scenic point of view. But Mt. McKinley is only one of a great many Alaska mountains that lift their srioyy -covered heads into the clovids. On a clear day from Pedro Dome, the heart of the Fairbanks mining district, one may see across the 'Eanana Valley in the Alaska Range, half a dozen snow suir- mits, which do^not appear to be of much less elevation than Mt. McKinley. 1 i the VVrangel Moinitains there are S.SOl) square miles in which there are more than twenty' snow-covered peaks 12,000 feet (jr more in heiglit. HO TEE HOEMAN. Ehe Hotel Holman is run on a regu- lar hotel plan, and the traveler can heri' find solid comfort and convenience. It is well furnished and in the main living room is always kept an assortment of the latest magazines and many metropolitan ilaily papers fnmi the United States. 'Ehe dining room service is very good, and sleeping accommodations e.xcellent. Rates are low considering the high cost of transportation of provisions to the y alley. You can be very well taken care of here for $4.00 per day. Before leaving Copper Center it will be yycirth your while and a smile to drop oyer to the Copper Center Club and meet Charles Cowell. \'ou will find him yery genial and he can furnish you yy ith any information you wish to know regarding the Copper Center Valley. COPPER CENTER HOTEL. The Copper Center Hotel is situated upon the m.ain government trail tyvo miles the other side of the town. It is the only frame madhouse between \'al- dez and Fairbanks and is i^ne of the finest buildings in that section of .Alaska. About .-I year .ago the hotel yy as burne,] doyy u aiul has since been relnult at an evpense of $15,000. 'Ehere are tyyenty one private bed moms. These are well tuiiiisheil and contain spring beils, an unknown luxury for roadhouses in Alaska luitil the last tew vein's. A mod- ern bath is one ot the features (.t the establishment. 1 he bunk rooms, which are used when lliere are too many' guests to ;iccommodate with priv.'ite rooms, are large and comfortable. Ehe main living mum is a big sunny ap.'irtment, furnished with rugs and rocking chairs. The hotel is noted for its splendid meals. 1 he house is an ideal resting place and the tired traveler Imils a hearty welcome always awaiting lilm upon arrival. He c;',n have a nie:il or lunch served him at :niv hour. Ihe whole .atmosphere of the place is to please. 'Ehe barns and stables are roomy and warm, and the traveler is assured that his Ikuscs or dogs are as well provided for in their way as himself. A farm is cultivated during the sumniei' and the truck garden is one of the finest pro- duced along the entire length of the higliwav. John McCreaiy t^' Sons are pro- prietors and have been living at this point for seven years. Mr. McCreary, Sr., was formerly in the mail service, having carried the mail over this part nf the trail during the first years of the service to the 'Eanana by this route, iiesitles the hotel business, he is engaged, in freighting during the winter months. He is one of the typical Alaska pioneers and the st:imp of man that builds up the country . DR^" CREEK. Dry Creek is sixteen miles beyond Copper Center and is one of the smaller homelike places along the line. Here will be seen cr.'ws, pigs, and chickens. 'Ehat means fresh milk and butter and THEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSmil 'nm: eggs for tlic table. Wliat more can the hungry traveler demanil in an "ice and snow bound wilderness?" Then there are fresh vegetables from last summer's garden, which are carefully housed so that they are preserved in excellent con- dition all winter. The traveler will make no mistake in stopping over at Dry Creek. J. Lawrence and wife have homesteaded the place and expect to call it home for sometime to come. \'ou will find them very congenial and accnmnin dating. GULKANA. At (lulkana is located a first-class roailhouse, store, postoffice, and tele- graph station. It is quite a settlement and close at hand is an Iruh'an \ illage, which lends picturesqueness to the neigh- borhood. The Alaska native is al\\a\s interesting. Like the red man of the western states he revels in bright colors. Here is the jiuiction point ot tlu: (Jovernment trails, one leading to the northwest to Kagle Cit\ on the ^ ukon, over which the V'aldez-Kagle mail is carried, while the Fairbanks trail bears ofi slightl\ to the westv\ard. Here, too, is where the V'aldez Creek-Susitna River trail leaves the (jovernment trail, going to the new placer diggings in the region known as the X'aldez Creek district. C. 1^. Hoyt is proprietor of the road house; also merchant and dealer in furs. This is the supply point for quite an area of territory adjacent. The road- house is one of the Orr Stage stations and is known as one of the largest and best equipped between the termini ol the Valdez-Kairhanks trail. SOUKDOl CIL Twenty-tour miles nearer I'airbanks is Sourdough, as it is known by the old- timers. Mrs. N. Yager is owner and manager of the roadhouse, and the neat- ness and comfort of the interior shows a woman's care. Floors carefidly carpet- ed; sofas and rocking chairs cushioned; white curtains at the windows; excellent beds in private apartments, all proclaim careful care and consideration for the patrons of the place. And the meals are worth a paragraph by itself. Mrs. Yager's reputation for line cooking is heralded up anil down the length of the trail. The big com- bined kitchen and dining room is a model of neatness — well, once you have en- joyed a meal at Sourdough \()u will never thereafter pass the place by. Ol R HOMK. ( )ur Home comes next. 1()() miles out from \'alde/.. The roadhouse is rightly named — our home for everybody — that is, you are made very much at home in this comfortable establishment. Ihe meals are tine and the beds excellent. There are also warm stables for stock and 26 head of horses can be housed. Mrs. AL \l. Birch is the present pro- prietor of the place and under her man- agement the house is becoming a very popular stopping place. MEIER'S. The roadw:'.y along this section of the tiail makes a climb to 2,750 feet above sea level and Meier's roadhouse is locat- ed among the hills, near the border of a mountain lake. This point is the com- mencement of a very rugged section of countrv. It is broken by abrupt val- leys, glacier and mountain streams. There are a number of creeks in the vicinitv that give indications of being good placer ground. Some little pros- pecting has been done, but as \et it is almost a virgin held itn gold hunters. Moose and caribou are plentiful back from the trail and it is a great fishing countrv. The streams are filled with mountain trout and gravling. The riKidhouse is a large low struc- ture with all of the rooms on the ground Hoor. It is well furnished and can ac- commodate about fifty people comfort- ablv. Mr. C. j. .Meier is the owner of the njadhouse and has homesteaded the place. It is a surprise to man\ people that (luring the summer months he is en- gaged in farming. Even at this .altitude ha\ anil vegetables mature. One season he sold :;f;l,300 worth of h.ay ofi of the land. Timothy and red top varieties are grown. Last year he cured five tons of ha\' anil raised three tons of vegetables. A stn will, w Ithin a short time, make quite a mining communitv. Hoth copper and gold pros- pects are found in the immediate neigh- borhood, (julkana Creek carries much pay gravel and would make an excellant hvdraulic proposition. Travelers are agreeably surprised at the appointments of the Paxson Road- house. Its walls inside are sealed and papered. The rooms are large and sun- 27 ny. It contains man\ private bed rooms furnished with spring beds. This is the usual overnight stop for travelers going inhind, as it is best to start over the Delta Summit in the morning, as it is 18 miles to the next stopping place, and most of the distance is above timber line. 'I!he Delta Summit is one of the scetiic features of the trip. The trail follows a swift mountain stream for a number of miles, and on either side are the rugged mountain tops. YOST'S. The roadhouse at Yost is built right on the hank of the Delta River at one of the most exposed portions of the win- ter trail, but at the place where it is most needed. At night the big light that is hung outside the door can be seen for a long distance by the travelers coming from F:u'rbanks, and is a welcome beacon in stormy weather. The winter trail is upon the river ice for ten miles bevond ^ ost s. It is a treacherous stream and is often covered with overflows for miles in places during the colder part of the season. Travelers with low built sUvK are apt to have considerable diflicultv in keeping their loads drv over this section. I iitil the Alaska Road Commission com- pletes the roadway from V Ost's to Casey's Cash, the next stop, this portion of the vvav will cause cimslderable anx- ietv. The roadhouse at ^ ost is conducted this season bv Mr. and .Mrs. H. L. Stull, tornierly of the Phoeniv Dining Room at \ aide/. Well cooked food and comfort- •■dilc quarters are furnished the gue.sts. Ml ■R'S. Miller's is located upon the fine road- w av on the road to Donnellv's. It is conducted by W'ilson .Miller, and is one of the popular stopping places. Its ap- pointments are: private rooms for 16 people ; sleeping quarters for 65 people ; well inside the house; heated stables. DONNELLY'S. Upon the banks of the Delta and in the heart of the big game country, the Donnelly roadhouse has maintained its reputation for being one of the best places at which to stop on the trail. .Mr. R. E. Shanklin is the proprietor. For some time he was steward an the ^ ukon steamboat .Monarch, luid his reputation .as a provider of good me:ds is well known. Donnellv is headquarters for the hunters. Ihe roadhouse is open the year around. From here the trail to Rich.irdson commences. GORDO.N'S. Gordon's Roadhouse is 16 miles be- yond Donnellv s. It is also in the big game district and H. E. Gordon, the proprietor, is the possessor of some of the F?s ^m^ THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANK5 TRAIL PhiUci by Cant well. Freighting Outfits BeginiiinR the Climb Over Thompson's Pass. Plioto by Robinson. On the Trail — Great Sport When the Weather Is Clear. 2S THEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSTRAII y^M lnv}:est black be;ir skins seen in tin- tcrri- tiiiy. He is a famous hunter ami a cla\ spent with liini in the hills is a 5;reat day's sport. WASHBURN HOUSK. This hotel is at Washburn (Little Delta) and is conducted by Mrs. Carrie Stoner. Kverythiny; is as comfortable as a woman can make it, anil the meaK are unsurpassed. 'Ihere is a postofHce located here. Automobiles from Fair- banks c;ime within a few miles of this point ill the early part of last winter. SULLIVAN'S. J. v.. Sulli\an and wife coiiiluct this big establishment, 8fa miles from Fair- banks. It is the acme of roadlumsc com- fort; spacious rooms, big wood stoves, and e\er\thin^ that pleases the traveler after traveling in the cold. .Mrs. Sulli- van conducts the dining room and the meals arc par excellent. OV'ERLAND. Overland is 54 miles from Fairbanks. Accommodations can be had for 4U peo- ple. Vincent & .^L^tthews arc pro- prietors. SALCHAKET POST. Arri\ing at Munson's Roadhouse at the Salchaket Trading Post, the best of good cheer awaits the traveler. Coming out of the timber across the river from •he post in the evening, the gleam of electric lights greets him in the distance. Immediately the stage stops in front of the place a helping hand is extended to assist him to alight. Inside all is warm, and bright and comfortable. Here is conductcil a 24-hoiir service. Meals can be had at any time and no matter the hour, da)' or night, there is always some- one there to extend a hearty welcome. The hotel is under the management of Oscar (jardner and wife. Both are ex- perienced hands at caring for the Alaska traveling public. .Mr. Gardner is con- sidered one of the best roadhouse men in the territory. Mrs. (lardner is an ex- cellent cook. An overnight stop here means solid comfort, with some luxuries thrown in. Private rooms are provided for forty people. Hot and cold water is l'lMU.)HlM|ili nt' Mouiltil SlKMp. T^iUeii Ni':n- I imiiielly' supplied. Each room is electric lighted and contains good furniture, including spring beds. The Salchakat Trading Post carries a complete line of gctieral merch.andise, which supplies a large Indian settlement near by and also many pro.spectors with provisions and clothing. Shallow draft steamboats can come within a short dis- tance of the post, at a phice on the Sal- chakat Rixer called .Munson's Landing. Freight can be billeil through from the "outside " direct to this point. There is always on hand at the store a large assortment of Indian curios. The Indians that li\e at Salchakat are indus- trious and sober and their beati and moose skin work is among the best pro- duced in Alaska. Every year a large amount of their «ork is taken to Fair- banks, where it finds an excellent market. \Vm. F. -Munson is the proprietor of b(;th the hotel :ind store. He has been located here for five years and enjoys the respect and confidence of hosts of friends. He is also well known in the fur trade. The old travelers over the Valdez-Fairbanks trail always look for- ward with pleasure to their sojourn at .Munson's. There they know that the\ can always get the best the land atiforils in the wa.\ of eatables and drinkables, be- sides meeting a number of well-known faces. Munson's place is indeed a trail luxury. There is a fourth-class post- Traveling Into the Interior <.>ver the Summer U'rinl. 29 office here and a telegraph station is close at hand. At the post is a relay station for the Orr Stage Company. Oold prospectors have been in the Salchakat \icinity for some years, and while there has not been an\- large strikes made, considerable money has been taken out of the ground. The gold-bearing streams are Caribou, No (jrub and Port- age Creeks. The latter stream shows good hydraulic possibilities. It is an excellent territory for the pnjspector, close to a source of supply. PILE DRIVER. Pile Driver or the .^O-mile house is I,^ miles the other side of Munson's. I he place has been enlarged and greatly impro\ed this season and is under the new management of H. A. Hadley and John Morgan, both experienced road- house men. Mrs. Hadley is in charge of the dining room service, which is one of the best on the trip to Fairbanks. Good beds can be had for 35 people and private apartments for ladies. Ri-.tes are $4.00 per da\. The stables here will house 48 head of stock and are heated. Both hot and cold water is obtainable. There is a govern- ment ferr\- operated across the Chena Slough at this point for the summer travel. JOHNSON'S. Johnson's place is 18 miles from Fair- banks. It is a well equipped trail house and .?5 people can be cared for here. It has been established four years and is one of the Kennedy Stage stations. Mr. and .Mrs. J. Johnson conduct the roadhouse and furnish their guests with first-class meals. The\ raise their own garden during the summer and have fresh vegetables the entire winter. There is a -teamboat landing at the Pile Driver and iiiiisiderable summer travel passes that wa\-. BYLER'S COMFORT. As the town of F"airbanks draws near, 20 miles out, is Byler's Roadhouse. This t ' ft THEVALDEZ-FAIRRANKSTPAII -wrw m Scenes In Valdez, Fairbanks and Alony the Trail. 30 -Enaraving by Maring & Blake Sta Lli'arh at Xonn' is one ot tlic (ildcst I'stablislmu-nts on the trail. It is the first Orr Static Station and a popular stoppintr place tor the tra\elin}: publii.-. John B\ ler is the pro- prietor. F.AIRBANKS-.NO.Mi; TR.AII.. 1 he Kairbanks-Tanana Trail, be- tween Fairbanks and Tanana ( Fort Gib- bon ) follows the road to Kster Creek ten miles and then extends northwest down the Tan;'.na \alley '^0 miles to Hot Sprinf^s, keeping: within a short distance of the Tanana River most of the way. Good roadhouses are located at Ester, Ohio Creek, .Minto, Tolovana, on the way. There are two {iood hotels at Hot Springs. From there to Tanana is a dis- tance of 37 miles. There are roadhouses between the two points at Sulli\an Creek, Fish Lake, and Long Lake. At Tanana are a number of good hotels and rooming houses. 1 his is i,ne of the best highways in the territory and good stages are run as far as Tanana. FVom Tanana trails go to Rampart and points along the Yukon northwest, the Koykokuk district, ami all points down the ^'ukon clear tO' St. .Michaels. 'Ihe principal points along the \'ukon are Kokrines, .Molozi, Nulato, Lewis, Louden, Kaltag, An\ik, Holy Cross, and Russian Mission. F'rom Lewis, Nulato and Kaltag trails go to the Innoko and Iditi'.rod districts. At Kaltag the mail trail leaves the ^ ukon and crosses a 90 mile portage to L nalaklik, on Norton Sound, and then follows around the sound to Nome, on the Seward Penin- sula. In making the trip over the ice from Fairbanks to Nome the traveler will c<,\er a dist;;nce of nearl\ 80(1 miles. ,A journey b\ dog team to Nome is a very intere'iting experience'. In moderate weather and with a good team the jour- ne\ can be made with little hardship. Beside the towns along the route there are a number of Indian villages, wood chopper's ;;nd mail cabins, and good shel- ter can be had on an average of every ten iriles. It is not necessar\ to carr>- pro- visions, as a roadhouse can be reached every night of the journey. 'I he big double mail dog teams go over the trail twice each week ;;nd usually keep it in good condition. But traveling down the ^'uk(;'n ill the winter entails some hard work, as in some places the trail will be drifted full of snow after a storm and the traveler must "mush" ahead of the dogs and "break trail" for them. A trip down the Yukon in the winter should not be attempted b\ any one who is not used to traveling long distances aft, as there is always more or less walking to be done, either for the purpose of "breaking trail" or for the purpose of keeping warm. Exercise is more im- portant than heav\- clothing. In fact, the clothing should be light so as not to tire one. There is a fascination about the won- derful ^ ukon River, even when it is ice bound. Its banks are high and the great cuts and mars in them show where the ice Hows and high waters of each spring ha\e gashed and ground into their sides, cutting deeper each "break-up" and carrying awa\- the timber that grows close to the stream. For ages untold it has flowed through its two thousand miles of water way, now changing its course here, now^ there, inundating wide valleys one year and the next following close to its deep channels. Ever master of a broad land unmarred b\ the hand of the white man, while the seasons came and went uncounted, it ministered to the needs of the moose and the caribou, the bear and the lynx, the fox and the wolf, and the few Indians that paddled their canoes upon its surface. The only sound to break the stiUnes was the clash of the ice in the spring, the surging of th'- waters in the summer, the wind in the forests, the call of the moose or the cry of the wolf. During the past few \ears the bellow of the steamboat whistle has broken the usual stillness along the river: trading posts and towns have appeared upon its banks ; the native house of the Siwasli and the Igleo of the Eskimo have been replaced by the log cabin. Big game has slunk far back into the timber and only comes to the edge of the broad water in the still of the night, cautiously and seldom. ALASKA ROAD CO.MMISSION. 'The Alaska Road Commission is a militar\- board empowered to construct 31 militar\ roads and post roads, bridges and trails in Alaska. An annual ap- propriation is made by Congress for this WDtk. .Major \V. 1'. Richardson is pres- ident of the board. 'The work of the Alaska Road Commission was authorized in 19()S, upon the recommendation of Major Richardson, who was familiar with conditions in Alaska, and realized the great need and \alue of roads for the territorv. 'The work of the Alaska Road Com- mission is in those parts of Alaska where roads will be most helpful to the people that are developing the country. As the centers of industrial endeavor arc on Seward Peninsula, the ^ ukon \'alley, the lanana \'alle\. Southern and South- eastern Alaska, it is in these places an effort is being made by the Government to improve transportation facilities. As the most important road in Alaska is the overland route between \'alde/. and Fairbanks, this road has been put in as good condition as available funds will permit. 'This is the mail route from the Alaska seaboard to the interior. WASHINCrTON-ALASKA CABLE AND 'TELEGRAPH. The iiiilitar\ branch of the United States (jovernment has established a tele- graphic service in Alaska which covers most industrial centers and promising mining camps. This s\stem consists of 2.^24 miles of submarine cable, I ,-W.i miles of land lines, and 879 miles of wireless. 'The cable line is from Seattle to Sitka, Sitka to \'alde/, \'aldez to Seward, with bninches from \'aldez to Liscum and from Sitka to Juneau, H.-iines and Skagwa\. From Cape Fan- shaw on this branch there is another branch line to W'rangel. Hadle> and Ketchik.;n. 'Ihe cable connects with the Land line at \'aldez : thence there is a double land line to Ciulkana, where it branches, one line going to Eagle and the other to F'airbanks, Fort Gibbon, stations on the ^'ukon, down to St. Michael. Between St. Michael and Nome there is a gap of 1 19 miles, which is connected In wireless. The Go\ern- ment is now building a double line be- tween Gulkana and Fairbanks. ITHEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSTRAIL In this system tlicre arc fifty-two tele- graph offices and twelve cable offices, of whiili tuent\ are money transfer offices. DiiritiL' \ear l''()8, 9(),52l commercial dispatches and ,i7,S0| official dispatches were handled. The receipts of this line amounted to $206,888.85. The Gov- ernment business was hanilled to the value of $144,641.12. The United States Arm\ has wireless stations in Northern and Central Alaska at Nome, Safety, St. Michael, Fort (jibbon. Cir- cle, Ei^bert and Fairbanks, and has planned to establish stations at Kotlik, at the inoiitli of the ^ iikon. Holy Cross, Fort \ ukon, Bettles on the Kokukuk. and Steel Creek in the Fortyniile Ri\er country. Stations have recently been constructed at Wrangel and Petersburj^ in Southeastern Alaska. Ihe United States Navy has wireless stations at Sitka and Cordova, and the United Wireless, a commercial conipanv , has stations at Katalla, Juneau, and Ketchikan. The wireless is \ery successful in Alaska and is used as an auxiliary of the land system. During the winter there are frequent breaks in the land wires, caused b\- storms and heavy snows, which heretofore have caused dela\s in the transmission of telegraphic messages. During the past winter there was very little if any delay, as the wireless was used to cover the distances where the land wires were out of order. A mes- sage may now be sent from Seattle to Nome b\ the United States Wireless System. This message would be trans- mitted from the Burnside to Fort Wor- den, to Tatoosh, to Sitka, to Cordova, ,ind from Cordova to St. Michael, or from Cordova to Fairbanks or Fort Gib- bon, and thence to Nome. The air line distance from Fort (lihbon to Nome is 40.? miles. I he intervening countr\- is mountainous, but this fact does not in- terfere with the transmission of wireless messages. The land system has tele- graph stations at an average distance of system is a part of the military plans of about twent\-five miles. The gre:;t con- the United States and is under the direct venience of this system and the arrange- supervision and management of the nient of telegraph stations is shown by Signal Corps, this service has been one the large amount of business handled. of the most potent and useful factors in While the Alaska cable and telegrapl the development of Alaska. Tables of Distances between Valdez and Fairbanks, Alaska, Via U. S. Mail Route, Ed. S. Orr & Company Stage Line. Dist. Miles from Fair- banks 364 354 344 340 333 325 31« 310 :i04 294 287 280 271 262 254 246 236 224 212 198 192 190 174 156 146 144 131 119 103 86 77 63 54 43 ;!() 20 18 9 STATIONS Dist. bet. Sta. *tValdez Camp Comfort 10 *Wortmans 10 *Thonu)son's Pass 4 Ptariiiigan Drop 7 Boaver Dam 8 *Teikh(Ml 9 Tacoma Road House 6 Earnestine 6 Khiss (Glacier House) 10 *tTonsina 7 Wa.vside Inn 11 Willow Creek 5 *tCopper Center 9 Tazlina 8 Dry Creek 8 *tGulkana 10 Poplar Grove 12 Sourdough 12 tOur Home (Hogan's Tel. Sta.) 14 Abbotts 6 Meiers 2 *Paxson's 16 *Yost's 18 Casey's Cache ' 10 Miller's 2 Rapids 13 ♦Donnelly's 12 Gordon's 16 Sullivan's , 17 Tent Road House 9 *tWashburn Martin's (Little Delia) 14 Overland 9 *Salchaket 11 30 Mile House 13 Byler's 10 Johnson's 2 9 Mile House 9 *tFairbanks 9 iuts prefixed \vi(h a * are jiostoffices. and those Price of Meals Eleva- tion $1.00 1.0(1 l.iin 1.(10 1.00 1.00 1.0(1 1.00 l.uo 1.0(1 1.(1(1 1.(1(1 1.(1(1 1.(1(1 1.00 2,00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.5(1 1.50 1.00 10 160 256 2.714 1,685 1,300 1.215 1.800 1,175 l.:!9(l 1.0(15 1.(190 1,490 1.350 2,750 3,000 2,500 2.000 1.700 900 750 600 Dist. from Valdez Miles 10 20 24 31 39 48 54 60 70 77 88 93 102 110 118 128 140 152 166 172 174 190 208 218 220 233 245 261 278 287 301 310 321 334 344 346 355 364 with t are felegrai)h offices. Miinsnn's Road house. V;i Idez-Fairhanks Trail. JHEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSTRAII >1 irf FAIRBANKS THE METROPOLIS The Tanana Valley Contains 50,000 Square Miles of Territory. Fairbanks Is Its Commercial Center and Also the Largest Town in Alaska |HEN arc ym !j;"'iiiL; back?" 'That is nearly al\\a\s tlu- rirst qiK'stion that one Tananite asks another wlien tliey meet an\\\liere upon tlie "outside. " W'lix (h) tliey nearl) al- ways jio back ? To tlie uninitiated — t.) people who ha\e never been in tlie in- terior of Alaska — it is hard to explain. The fact that they are rich or poor, makes little difference. There is some- thing — a strength — in that wonderful Tanana Valley, where are the greatest placer mines in Alaska and thousands of acres of exceptionall\" fertile agricultural land, that is more congenial to strong men than any other place. The town of Fairbanks has the atmosphere of the frontier ami most of the adv'antages of a metropolitan city. The combination is wholesome. The opportunities for abilit) and industry marvelous. "But the long, cold winters?" Yes, the winters are long and the weather is \ery cold part of the time. Hut real men don't mind that. The air is dry and when the sun shines it is a climate to glory in — and work in. \'ou have heard of the millions of gold that ha\e been mined in the Tarana. And the summers. Such summers! The long days; the clear, bracing air; the life on the rivers; the activities of the mining camps; the movements of the pack trains; and the wonderful growth of gardens and grain Helds in the long sunlit hours. And Fairbanks is the dynamo of the valley. This is not a eulogy, but a fact story of the development of a small portion of the northern wonderland of latent wealth. The Tanana Valley has a permanent population of not less than 16,00(J peo- ple and the town of Fairbanks averages (),()00 of this population. What do you think of a communit}' of that size that pa\s out over a quarter of a million tlol- lars per season for freight traffic alone? Navigation in the interior of Alaska is open from about the 20th of May un- til October 15th, and all merchandise from the States must be shipped during that period. Naturally this is a very hus\' season and two-thirds of all the business for the year is transacted with- in these months. There are a number oi merchants who only transact business during the summer months and spend their winters in the States. Also many mining men and their families are only in the Tanana during the summer. But a great many leave after the freeze-up, preferring to go out over the Valdez- :□ Soitif t)f the l*iii..ils uf llie. K Ue|iaitnu'nl, THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL 1f1^- The Starters in the Greatest Marathon Race Ever Hold in Alaska Fairbanks, July 4th, 11)09. "Won by Sullivan. Time ^^ Hours :>0 Minutes Scene on Cushman Street. Fairbanks. July 4th. THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TPAII ^ :s "*!!"Kg| ^ :^ ^ :^ ^s: :^ Suimner at Fairbanks. Kplscopal Hospital and Mission. First I-oad of Quartz Ore KroiiRjit to Citi- zi'iis' Stamp Mill. Kairbanlis I'liblic Library. Hinlvley's Dairy. 'Tfl^Vt'- Fairbanks Trail than by the more cir- cuitous river route. This is considered a pleasure trip by many, and year after year tlie same people leave for the out- side that wa)' and return by the same route before the break-up. Even in the summer months the trail is used b\ some. Five luindrcd people went o\er the tiail last September. But notwith- standinn the many who do not spend the winter "inside," the difference in the summer and winter population is nut very apparent, as man\' prospectors spend their winters in Fairbanks who are out ill the hills durin<; the summer. THK TANANA VALLEY. The lenfith of the Fanana Valley in a direct line is about 400 miles long, but following the river by its crooks and turns it is nearly 1,000 miles. The val- ley proper is from ten to fift\- miles wide, but including the table lands on either side and the entire water shed lying be- tween north latitude si.\ty-tvvo and six- ty-four is an area of over 100,000 square miles. This immense section of coun- try- is rich in mineral, agriculture and timber lands. Comparatively a small portion of its creeks have been prospected and agriculture is in its infancy, al- though one hundred and fifty home- steads have been taken up near Fair- banks and a government e.xperimental station has been established within a few miles i;f the town. A few years more and farming will become one of the staple industries of the valley. All kinds of vegetables and hay mature excellently and sell at prices that bring big wages for the labor of producing them. Grain is also grown and much of it has full\ matured and ripened. 'I'he gold mines (if the Tanana ha\e produced nearh' >4,000,00(). The Tanana River empties into the Yukon at Tanana (Fort Gibbon). It is navigable for fi\e hundred miles. The Alaska Range girds the valley on the v\cst and to the north Mt. McKinle\- rears its lofty summit. Ihese highlands are the home of big game. Herds of caribou cross the foot hills e\ery fall. Moose and bear are plentiful and among the higher altitudes the mountain sheep is found. Of the fur-bearing animals there are lynx, fox, wolverine and wolves. The smaller game are ptarmi- gan, rabbits, grouse below the timber line, and many kinds of water fowl in season. 'Fhe lakes and streams in the valle\' contain many varieties of trout and greyling. 'File climatic conditions are not as ex- treme as is generally supposed. Fhe mean summer temperature is about fift\ degrees above zero ; the mean winter temperature about five degrees below zero. ■"^ Hnmn of L. 1.,. .lames. Residonn- of W. II. Kellopg. Interior Hr. Myers' Home. Hesidenre of lliii'y McDonald. Kesidenco of Harry Cribb. >^ .^ -f o THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL intt^iior Tanana FAIRBANKS. CluMia is twi) huiulred miles from the moutli of the Tanana River. At this point the heavy draft steamers dis- charge their freight. Fairbanks is situ- ated on an arm of the river ten miles above Chena and only small, light-draft steamers, especially constructed for the purpose, come to its water front. Fairbanks is an incorporated tmvn, and is governed bj- a mayor and city council. As much interest is taken in local politics as in any live town in the Middle West. The intelligence of its busine.ss men is above the average and the\' are wide awake commerciall\'. Fairbanks has four large general mer- chandise establishments, seven exclusive wholesale houses, eight retail groceries, five dry goods stores, six clothing stores, six hardware and machinery houses, four drug stores, cold-storage plants, book and stationery stores and numerous other places of business. There is an excellent bar association. The physicians and dentists are graduates from the best co'l- legcs in the United States. The city has an excellent water sys- tem, which is kept open for frre protec- tion the entire year by means of steam pipes laid along the ground next to the water mains. There are two steam heating and electric lighting plants with sufficient capacities to supply heat and light to all of the business houses and most of the residences within the city limits. A telephone system covers the city and co^nnects with the towns and mining plants at differeiu creeks. The cit\' has splendid public schools and a fine librarv. 'Fhe moral tone of Club. Fairbanks. the community is extremely good for the frontier. The churches are Catholic, Kpiscopal, Presbyterian, Methodist and Christian Science. These denominations all have comfortable buildings in which they conduct services. Two'- modern hos- pitals are conducted by the Catholic and Episcopal churches. There is a Masonic and an Odd Fel- lows lodge, an aerie of Eagles, a camp of the Arctic Hrotherhood and a Har- monic Society. There is one theatre, two public halls and a pavilion. The Tanana Club is a strong social organi- zation of tlie business men and miners. There are two daily papers published in Fairbanks. The\' are up-to-date in every particular and their appearance is an excellent indication of the progress- iveness of the people. Telegraphic news is brought over the United States tele- graph lines from the cable station at Val- dez. There is also a wireless telegraph station in the city. The Miner's Bulle- tin is a weekly devoted to union labor and has quite a large circidation among the empl(j\ed miners. The Alaska Churchman is a monthl)' magazine is- sued by the Episcopal Church and is sent to all parts of the United States and to many foreign countries. Fairbanks is well proud of her hotels. Such hostel ries as the Nordale, Pioneer, Third Avenue and the Shaw House are a credit to an\- town the size of Fair- banks. Three banking houses conduct a large and conservative banking business. They handle most of the gold that is mined in the valle\" and furnish exchange on the leading banking houses in all parts of the world. THE SEASONS. Now comes the winter, which creeps in graduall)' as the days grow shorter. By October still water has frozen and November sees the rivers solid enough for the winter traffic. After the heavy snowstorms of the early part of the season the still, clear weather of the Tanana winter settles down. It is a beautiful winter. There is little wind and the air is drv. The days are short; 111 llio :ibove pliotograjili, taken at No. 17 Goldstreani. are: Judge Wiekersliam, Major (ien. Bell, L. L. James. Major Richardson, Stephen Birch, W. H. Parsons, Falcon Joslln. K. E. Kellogg". Huey M<-I>onald. T^a Montagne, Mrs. Francis J. Heney, Mrs. Gen. Bell, Mrs. W. H. Parsons, Mrs. U I-. James — Photo by Huey. 3^Si3^ -'-■^ -? Ft THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRML 'n 4-r _i in Dfceinber tluTt- are only six iir scvpii hours of sunli^;lit; the rush of tile CurUiig oil lie ill P'roiit - joungstcrs. Then after the new year comes Feb- ruary, March and the break-up. In April the ice tumbles down the river and the smell of the green birch is in the air and the wonderful color schemes of the spring comes with the longer days. The* valley awakes to sterner things. Hundreds of winter travelers come into the town. Sleds are stowed away for the summer and the pack trains and heavy freight outfits take their place. The Tanana V^ailej Rail- road increa.ses its daily train schedule and life is very much like the mining Officers Kairlianks Aerie, V. O. 1908. centers of California, Colorado and the Black Hills country. The clean-ups of the winter mining (lumps are in full swing at the different creeks and every da\' brings thousands of dollars worth of precious metal to the local banks. The big summer plants commence operations, furnishing work for hundreds of men at good wages. Prosperity permeates the very atmos- phere. A little later the first steamboats of the Northern Navigation Compan\- and the .North American Trading & Trans- portation CiiUipany come up the Tanana from the ^"ukon. These boats carry the early freight from the "outside" that has been shipped b\ the White Pass Route via Dawson, and the cargoes are mostl)' fresh garden truck, fruit, eggs and meats. Shortl)' afterwards the heavier draft steamers from the lower Yukon begin to discharge their freight at Chena, the most of which is afterwards brought up to Fairbanks b\ the lighter draft steamers. Thereafter for three months, da>' and night, the silence of the river is broken b\ the bellow of the steamboat whistles and a traffic of some -;4,(MI0,()()I) worth of merchandise, which is annualh con.uimed in the Tan- ana Valley, is hurried by the "Salmon 'Frail" to Fairbanks, Chena, Hot Springs and other points along the river. 'File independent boats, such as the Minneapolis, the Julia B., the W'hite Seal, the Martha Clow, the Tanana, etc., make a number of trips each sum- mer with merchandise and passengers to the Innoko, Iditarod. Koyukuk, Upper 'I'anana and Kantishr.a. All this, in con- junction with the small motor boats and other small craft, make the life upon the river the most important thing in the development of the new country. To the stranger a summer spent in 37 the T"an;;na is very interesting. '1 here he will meet men from all parts of the world, a cosmopolitan population of a high order of intelligence. Miners and business men who have mined and traf- liced in South Africa, South America, Australia and in the big mining centers of the United States and Canada. And most of them will tell him that Alaska is the greatest field of endeavor for men of big ideas and who are not afraid to work, of any place on earth. (^ut on the creeks will be seen the biggest placer mining plants in the world. Sixty horse power boilers and J2.000 mack Fox .Skin, the Property of .\lie .Stein. ilouble drum hoists are m<.stl> used and at some of the claims pay dirt is hoisted up from two hundred-foot levels. At many of the plants the huge self dump- ers carry the dirt dircctl\' to the sluice bo\es and clean-ups are made two and three times a week. As many as one hundred men are cmplnvcd in scmic nf the plants. THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL -XiMliTson's Drug Store. I>ave Court! \iininMil,il,. Roliert T.:i\'er>'"s Grocerj'. One (if the Leadins Wliolesale Grocers. MACHINERY. iiiiiMMo^iil: HAMILTON JKSKELLDGD Li. K. l*rulzman's l^uiLior t:ilc)n (Hie ol' Fairbank'.s l.arge.st 1 ii.stitutlon.s. FAIRBANKS, AL.VSKA — A Ml U HORN CITY. THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL 'tl-^- ■12L PROSPECT OF A RAILROAD TO INTERIOR Resources Sufficient to Induce Investment of Capital HAT lack of trans- portation more than any other agencj' is responsible in rc- tardinfj the develop- ment of Alaska, is concedeJ by any one at all familiar with Northern affairs. For the lack of proper transporta- tion facilities the jjreater portion of an empire of mineral resources lies dor- mant of industry. Kvery Congressional committee, ever y ^(uernment official, indeed even the cas- ual visitor to Alaska, as clearly as the resident, sees the urg- ent necessity of building railroads to promote the territory's proper growth. In the interior of Alaska the great cost of moving freight by team from points on navigable waters, together with the difficult\- and uncertainty of moving it at all, constitutes the main obstacle to the growth and development of the district. The cost, when it can be done at all, ranges from one dollar with first-class wagon roads to ten dol- lars a mile for each ton on trails and streams. For this reas a trunk line from the tidewater on the South c J'lCTORIAL. S'JMJKV I'l.AiJKi; ilL.M.NG IN TANAXA, Zngravtnf ir \L,,,n, S/ Bhiir Pi-oiicity rniciii Mining Co., 17 Golfistream. T^. T.. Jiimes owner; Geo. La Montagne layman. AVinter diimp.s on No. H Below Diinu'. Jiilm JO. llcilnigreen owner, ("artier In action on No. 16 GoUlstream. Aulert il Co.. owners. Baltory of Points, untler- arounil, I'nioii Mining Co, Mining untlerground, No. 3 Above Fairbanks, Meehan & Larson owners. 40 -^v ft THEVALDEZ-FAIRBANKSMIL PLACER MINING IN THE TANANA District Has Produced Nearly $50,000,000 in Gold in Seven Years I ) miali has hecii u rit- tcii lefiardini: the I'laicr Mines ot tlic Tanana \'alle\, tliat \cr\ little space is ^i\eii to tile subject here. I here ha\e been se\en \eais of active mining in the valley. DHiring this short period, despite the difficulty of getting machinery on the placer ground, the total gold product of the district has amounted to nearly $S(),0()(),()()(). Com- paratively a small portion of the placer area has been prospected. The most valuable deposits so far have been found in the vicinity of Fairbanks, and in most, cases the pa.\' streak is deep beneath the surface. There has been comparatively little open-cut mining done. Most of the work has been done b\ drifting. .Mines are operated where a shaft as deep as 180 feet is sunk to reach the pa\ streak. On Chatanika Ri\er there is a shaft .^5 feet deep. 'Ibis shaft cuts several auriferous gravel strata, and prospecting is under way to determine if any of these strata contain sufficient pay to be profitably operated. It is obvious that old channel deposits of auriferous gravel, lying :'.t a depth of from twenty feet to 1 80 feet beneath the surface of the earth, require much time and labor in prospecting. The miners who hunt for these pa>' streaks have courage and faith in the country. The principal producing creeks in the Fairbanks District are Clear\ , Fairbatiks, Fster, Dome, Goldstre.".m. Pedro, \'ault, Little Eldorado and P^ngineer. 'Fhere are a large number of streams of lesser importance at present, but further pros- pecting may place them in the list of large producers. Clear\ Creek has produced more gold than any other stream in Alas- ka. The \ ield from this stream is prob- abl> 5t; 1 0,000.1 100, aiul the stream is only seven mdes long. Possibl\ (loldstream is the most prom- ising of all these creeks, as it is forty miles long. Only a small section of it has been prospected, but there are indica- tions of a continuous pa\' streak. Should this pa\ streak prove to be continuous the entire length of the stream it will un- (juestionably be the biggest producer of the gold-bearing creeks in the North- land. Import.int discoveries recently made in the Hot Springs .Mining District, 100 miles west of Fairbanks, indicate that a large (|u;uitit> of gold will come from this region next season and during many succeeding \ears. The gold-bearing streams of this district are Sullivan. Thanksgiving, (jlen. Eureka and Baker. Operations have been under wav for some time to mine the gold in Glen and Eureka Creeks, but Sullivan Creek is a (Continued on Page 56.) 'f^irl'i Phottt tr Htitf Winter Dumps. Cloldslream .Vul>crt & Voegtiln Propert.v. Ni>. l.i in Koreground. Placer Groiiml on Engineer Creek, Property of Cascadcn & Jann'son. Part of Owl .\ssociatlon, Engineer Creek. Sam Hagan's Plant. 41 THE VALDEZ-FAIRBANKS TRAIL p T THE QUARTZ OF THE TANANA VALLEY I K invariable ruK- has been that p 1 a c c i mining lias been s\iL'ceede(l by iiuart/ niining and the pni- ■ liiction may be ex- pected til increase, rather than dimin- ish. * * * Th- history of the Klon- dike is too brief \ et for any theor\ to work out. and in the Tanana we are in the ver\ infancy oi the industry. You may stand tomorrow on Pedro Dome and know that from within n circle whose radius is 10 miles has cunie one- third of all the placer gold produced in the United States since l'?04." These words, written two years ago, by Frank W. Hawkins, gold-dust ex- pert of the Washington-Alaska Hank of Fairbanks, probably the best informed man on the subject of Tanana placer gold and its production, true at that time are even more significant at this da\' when twent\ millions more haw- been added t