Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Klondike

This is a vast area, sandwiched between two oceans: the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and this part of North America is called Alaska.The area of ​​this piece of land is not less than 1.5 million square kilometers. It is said that the emperor of Russia gave it to the United States out of his goodwill for the United States and his antipathy for Britain.From that day on, it was another step closer to the full realization of Monroe's famous theory: the whole of America belongs to the United States. The Yukon River flows through half of Canada and half of Alaska, and part of it is within the Arctic Circle, so no crops can be grown; then, in addition to the rich gold mines, it can also obtain greater benefits from this area ?This is unlikely.

However, let's not forget: Alaska (including its Baranoff Island, Admiral Island, Prince Degar Island and Aleutian Islands) has huge potential for coastal development, and there are many ports for ships to call: from Aga Sitka, the capital of Alaska, to San Michele, at the mouth of the Yukon, one of the longest rivers in the world. The 141st meridian was arbitrarily chosen as the dividing line between Alaska and the mighty Dominion.As for the southern boundary, it is inclined and curved, intended to include the islands off the shore.This dividing line may lack the desired precision. Looking at the map of Alaska, it can be noticed that most of its area is plain, and the mountain morphological system only stands out in the south, and from there begins the rolling mountains all the way to Columbia and California, called the Rocky Mountains.

Particularly impressive is the flow of the Yukon River.After this lovely river has watered the Dominion north and spread its cobwebs of tributaries across its lands, it enters Alaska, turns a corner to Fort Yukon, then descends southwest and ends at St.- Michel injected into the Bering Sea. The Yukon River is superior to the Father of Water River and the Mississippi River. Its flow rate is no less than 23,000 cubic meters per second and its total length is 2,290 kilometers. The area of ​​a basin it flows through is twice that of France. The land it flows through is not suitable for farming, but there is a considerable area of ​​forest there.Chiefly are solid yellow cedar forests, which would supply the world with timber if the easily accessible forests were cleared.As for wild animals, there are mainly black bears, moose, Canadian caribou, wild goats, chamois with white hair; there are also various wild birds: hazel pheasant, snipe, turtledove, snow chicken and countless wild ducks .

The vast waters of the coast are equally rich in marine mammals and fish.One that deserves special mention is harlatan. This fish is rich in oil and can be ignited for lighting without any processing. Therefore, people use it as a torch.Americans call it "candlefish". This area was discovered by the Russians in 1730 and began to be explored in 1741. At that time, the total number of residents did not exceed 33,000, most of whom were Indians.In recent years, immigrants and prospectors drawn to the Klondike by the gold fields have flooded the region. People first heard of these northern goldfields in 1864.At that time, Father Macdonald found gold dust that could be scooped up in a small river near Fort Yukon.

In 1882, a group of miners originally in California, among them the Boswell brothers, moved forward through the Chilkoot Valley, and often opened up new gold deposits. In 1885, the Lewis-Yukon gold prospectors discovered gold at the Forty Mile River, a little south of Dawson City, almost exactly where Lot 129 was to be occupied by Josiah Lacoste.Two years later, when the Canadian government drew up provincial boundaries, they had panned out gold worth 600,000 francs. In 1892, the North American Trading and Shipping Company of Chicago created the town of Kudashee at the confluence of the Forty Mile and Yukon Rivers.During that period, 13 police officers, 3 officers, and 4 non-commissioned officers received no less than 1,500,000 francs in gold in the Sixty Mile River parcel north of Dawson City.

The sprint begins.Prospectors flocked from all directions. In 1895, no fewer than 1,000 Canadians (mainly French) crossed the Chilcoot Valley. It wasn't until 1896, though, that the exciting news came: the discovery of a small river rich in gold was beyond belief.The river is the El Dorado, which is a tributary of the Bonanza, which is a tributary of the Klondike; the latter is a tributary of the Yukon.The gold diggers immediately flocked to it.In Dawson City, a small plot of land at 25 francs was quickly worth 150,000 francs. The area named Klondike is nothing more than a county in Dominion.The dividing line between Alaska and the British possessions: the 149th meridian is also the western boundary of the county.

Its northern boundary is the Klondike River, a tributary of the Yukon River, which joins the Yukon River at Dawson City and divides the city into two districts of different sizes. This part of the Dominion is bounded on the east by the original outshoot of the Rocky Mountains, through which the Mackenzie River runs from south to north. The central part of the county stands tall mountains, the main peak is Dom Peak, which was discovered in June 1897.This is the only highland in the largely flat region, which has a well-developed water system that fills the Yukon Basin.Most of the Yukon's tributaries carry gold flakes, and hundreds of parcels have been developed on both sides of the tributaries.However, the gold-rich area is the Bonanza River basin, which flows from the Dome Mountain in Cormac, including its many tributaries: El Dorado River, Queen River, Boulder River, American River, Pure Gold River , Cripple River, Tail River, and more.

Someone explained: In this area where the rivers are criss-crossed, the ice and snow completely melt for three or four months in the beautiful season. There are a lot of gold mines here and it is easy to mine, so prospectors flock in groups; It is not difficult to understand that their number has increased year by year. Where the Klondike joins the Yukon, a few years ago, there existed only a swamp that was often flooded.There were only a few thatched Indian huts resembling fir huts built after the Russians, and a few native families lived in poverty; they alone brought a little life to this desolate, lonely place.

One day a Canadian named Leduc founded Dawson City at the confluence of this river. In 1898, there were more than 18,000 residents here. The city was first divided into plots by its creators, each costing no more than 25 francs, and now buyers can be found with bids ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 francs.If the Klondike gold mines are not exhausted soon, and if other gold deposits are discovered in the Yukon Valley, Dawson City may well become a major city as important as Vancouver, British Columbia, or Sacramento, California, USA. city. When the city first started, it was in danger of being swallowed by floods because it was built on swampy land.This danger exists for a short time every year, and strong dikes must be built to resist flooding.True, during periods of melting ice, the Yukon swells and threatens to flood; but the opposite is true in summer, when water levels drop enough that the Klondike can be walked without getting your shoes wet.

Ben Rado knew the history of the region like the back of his hand.He is well aware of everything that has been discovered in the past few years.He knew how gold mining revenues continued to grow and which mines had found significant gold nuggets.He came to the Klondike just to own the Forty Mile River land, to know its value and to sell it for a good price, and people must believe him because he said it for sure.But Sammy Skin felt that his cousin's interest in the gold question grew stronger the closer he got to the mines, and he grew more and more worried that they would take root in this region of gold and poverty.

At the time, there were no fewer than 8,000 parcels, numbered from the confluence of the Yukon River's tributary with the tributary stream to its source.The size of each lot is 500 feet, which was changed to 250 feet after the law was amended in 1876. Prospectors and big corporations have always been fascinated by the goldfields of the Bonanza River, its tributaries and the hills on the left bank of the Klondike. Didn't George Mac Cormac sell several 24ft by 14ft parcels in this privileged area from which someone scooped up $8,000 (4 francs) in less than three months? Gold nugget? Isn't El Dorado rich in gold mines?According to Ogilvy, the cadastral administrator: the average value of a pot of soil is between 25 and 35 francs.A logical conclusion can be drawn from this: everything is convincing: if a vein is 30 feet wide, 500 feet long, and 5 feet thick, then 20 million francs of gold can be produced.Therefore, from that period on, some companies and big corporations tried their best to get these plots and competed with each other at high prices. It's a real pity—at least Ben Rado must have thought so, Sammy Skinn wouldn't have thought of it—that Uncle Josiah's estate was not on the Bonanza River, but on the other side of the Yukon River. Shilihe area.Otherwise, whether the development zone is sold or not, the income will be even more substantial.It was even predictable: the buyer's offer wasn't worth their trip to the Klondike, and Sammy Skinn could vacation at Green Valley instead of walking the city's muddy roads, which might have gold dust in them. Indeed, there was also a bid from the "Trade and Transport Company", unless they heard no reply and this bid was cancelled. Anyway, Ben Radeau came to see for himself, and he'll see.Although Lot 129 did not yield the 3,000-franc nugget, the gold was not exhausted because there were bids for it.Large corporations in the US or UK will not do this kind of business with their eyes closed.Therefore, it can be believed that even if they plan for the worst, the two brothers can at least earn travel expenses from it. Besides, Ben Lado knew: people were already talking about new discoveries.Sammy had heard of the Hunter River, a tributary of the Klondike, which ran through mountains 1,500 feet high and contained gold deposits of a finer purity than the El Dorado; River, where, according to Ogilvie's report, there is a vein of gold-bearing quartz worth $1,000 a ton; and 100 other more amazing rivers, and the ears are tired of hearing. "You see, Sammy," concluded Ben Rado, "if we ever get disappointed, we can always return to this wonderful place." At this time, Sammy pretended not to hear, and stubbornly insisted on his point: "It's all good, Ben, but allow me to remind you again: Bonanza, Eldorado, Bear, Hunter, and Golden Dee are all good, but what concerns us is forty Lihe, I haven't heard you talk about it, as if it doesn't exist." "Don't worry, it exists," Ben Rado replied calmly, "you will soon see it with your own eyes." Then, returning to his ardent thought, he added: "However, how could you not be more interested in the incredible Klondike? The streets are certainly paved with gold bricks. And, the Klondike isn't the only place in the region that's full of gold deposits underground. You just have to look at the map Just know, and you'll see countless mines have been marked on the map. In Chilkoot, where we're going through, in the Cassia Mountains, and elsewhere. Alaska is everywhere, with veins extending as far as In the Arctic Circle, to the coast of the Arctic Ocean!..." However, the fiery paean didn't impress Sammy.Ben Rado made these treasures glitter in front of his cousin's eyes, but to no avail.The cousin just smiled and replied: "You're right, Ben, quite right. The Yukon is sure to be a place of God's favor. As far as I'm concerned, I'm really happy to think we've only got a small piece of land... because if That place is huge and it will probably take us longer to get rid of it!"