The Days of a Man D903 



cent mountain saddle known as the White Pass of 

 the Yukon; along this famous trail the gold hunters 

 of 1898 passed on their wild race to the Klondike. 

 The inception of this hegira I had myself witnessed. 

 In June, 1897, bound for the Seal Islands, we stopped 

 at Juneau, the metropolis of Alaska, and on that very 

 day the Canadian surveyor, Ogilvie, since noted in, 

 history, arrived from across the mountains bringing a 

 marvelous story of gold discoveries on the middle 

 Yukon in the Canadian Northwest Territory. 

 Discovery Accordiug to Ogilvic, Skookum ("Swift") Jim, an 

 of gold by Indian of Caribou Crossing, accompanied by three 

 Jim ""^ friends — Tagish Charley, Siwash George, a "squaw 

 man," and the latter's wife, Skookum Jim's sister — 

 had wandered across the country looking for gold in 

 the interest of one Anderson. Down the river below 

 Labarge one of the men became ill, and Siwash 

 George's squaw went to a brook to get him a basin of 

 water. The bottom of the pan showed a streak of fine 

 gold; subsequent dippings soon revealed more of the 

 same. Then Skookum Jim started out at top speed, 

 "touching only the high places," to record with 

 Dominion officials the claims of himself and asso- 

 ciates. "Bonanza Creek" and Klondike were soon 

 names to conjure with, while Dawson, the center of 

 operations, became a veritable city almost over night. 

 Millionaire Jim afterward built for himself a fine 

 home at Caribou Crossing and sent to Seattle to buy a 

 Brussels carpet for the best room. When it came, 

 however, it was found to be too broad by a yard. But 

 these were heroic days, so Jim remedied the defect 

 Fitting by having the house cut apart and the room spread to 

 house to fit the covering! Yet while Tagish Charley became 

 one of the generous rich, the leader in public spirit at 



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carpet 



