ALASKA EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 285 



belongs to the slate family. It rises high above the surrounding 

 country, and has an altitude of 4,600 feet. "The Dome" is used as 

 a sort of official guide for travelers through this portion of Alaska, and 

 trails to different sections intersect close to its base. Our camp on 

 the evening of September 11 was close to the "The Dome," and some 

 35 miles from Eagle. 



On the morning of September 12 two of our horses were missing. 

 Several hours' search failed to find them, and Mr. Paxton remained to 

 continue the search, while Mr. Fish and myself proceeded on toward 

 Fortymile. The trail led over a hill country, but the slopes were in 

 general less steep than the hillsides north and east of u The Dome." 

 The slopes here are covered with heavy spruce timber almost to the 

 hilltops, and the trees of poplar are also of good size. 



On the evening of the 12th we crossed the Foi^mile and stopped 

 at "Pete's Place," at the mouth of Steele Creek. There is no extent of 

 valley to the Fortymile at this point. The banks rise high and rocky 

 above the stream. This flat is closely shut in by high land on all sides, 

 and is seemingly not well placed for a garden spot, but the persons 

 that had planted garden seeds were well pleased with the result. I 

 saw a patch of very good oats that had grown in one of these gardens. 

 The seed was sown in June and it stood 3 feet 6 inches high with well- 

 filled heads of fully matured grain when I saw it in September. We 

 are now in the gold-bearing section of the Fortymile system, though 

 no great amount of gold has been taken from Steele Creek. 



On the morning of the 13th a heavy fog prevented one from observ- 

 ing any extent of territory. The mail trail runs somewhat parallel 

 to and above "Jack Wade Creek" for some distance, the creek being 

 on our left and the trail going toward its source. The miners travel 

 the mail trail to and from Steele Creek, and it has happened that trav- 

 elers who did not know the country have made the turn off to the left 

 into Jack Wade Creek, instead of keeping the main trail toward Frank- 

 lin Gulch. 



Jack Wade Creek and Franklin Gulch are both gold producing, the 

 output each year being considerable. There is no land through this 

 section that would appeal to an agriculturist. The hilltops are stony, 

 the sides are somewhat boggy, and, as far as I could judge, the timber 

 is not good. Mr. Fish has a relay station (a place where horses are 

 changed and provisions secured) at Franklin Gulch, and the carrier 

 who handles the mail between Franklin Gulch and the Tanana station 

 was our traveling companion until we reached the latter place, some 

 several days later. 



The mail man is welcomed in all portions of Alaska, and Franklin 

 Gulch is no exception to the rule. Men from the lower claims come 

 to the mouth of the creek in hope of receiving mail or to hear the 

 latest news from the "outside," the mail to be delivered en route 



