THE COPPER RIVER COUNTRY. 



L. L. Bales, an old-time trapper, hunter, 

 guide and explorer, who has been in Alaska 

 for" 8 years, trading with the natives and 

 guiding hunting and exploring parties, 

 writes an interesting letter to the " Seattle 

 Times." He is well known to readers of 

 Recreation as an expert hunter, swift- 

 water navigator and successful mountain- 

 climber. He made a number of trips across 

 the Olympics, years ago, accounts of which 

 were published at the time. He also as- 

 cended Mt. Baker to the summit, in 1885. 

 He was employed by Lieut. G. T. Emmons, 

 executive officer of the U. S. S. S. Pinta, 

 stationed at Sitka, to assist in making the 

 collection of heads and skins of wild ani- 

 mals, for the Alaskan exhibit at the Colum- 

 bian Exposition. This work took him not 

 only along the coast, from Sitka to Bering 

 Straits, but back many miles into the in- 

 terior. Mr. Bales has explored the valleys 

 of nearly all the streams tributary to the 

 North Pacific and Bering Sea. 



When asked about the prospects of a con- 

 tinuation of the gold excitement, Mr. Bales 

 replied: 



" The rush of gold-seekers is but in its 

 incipiency. Another season at least 100,000 

 will go to Alaska. The vast extent and 

 richness of the gold fields warrant this es- 

 timate. To-day the Klondike country is 

 claiming the entire attention, but the near 

 future will demonstrate that the rich gold 

 region comprises a territory 50 times as 

 large as that known as the Klondike region. 



" The Copper river country alone, with 

 its tributaries, is over 250 miles long, by 150 

 miles broad, which means an area of 37,500 

 square miles. Gold, as well as copper, ex- 

 ists in abundance throughout this vast sec- 

 tion. I have seen specimens of ore, rich in 

 copper, from this country; while the na- 

 tives assert both gold and copper abound 

 along the many tributaries to the main 

 stream. The identical gold signs are found 

 at the mouth of Copper river that first led 

 to explorations of the Yukon, viz: Great 

 quantities of fine flour gold permeating the 

 mud and salt. Of course the farther up the 

 streams one goes the coarser must be these 

 particles of the yellow metal. Again, Cop- 

 per river heads within a short distance of 

 Forty-Mile and Sixty-Mile creeks, which 

 latter are rich in gold placers and which 

 empty into the Yukon near the Klondike. 



" If I were going to head an expedition 

 to Alaska to search for gold, I should take 

 the steamer Dora, at Sitka, for Nuchek, on 

 Prince William's Island 400 miles to the 

 Northwest. From thence I should go to 

 Orca, some 45 miles farther up the Sound, 

 via the salmon cannery tugs, which make 

 connection with the Dora, at Nuchek. This 

 brings one within 45 miles of Valdeze Pass, 



and some 100 miles Northwest of the mouth 

 of Copper river. The remaining distance, 

 to the pass, must be covered by small boats 

 — Indian canoes being preferable. So fat 

 the route is almost exclusively by salt wa- 

 ter, the exception being a few miles of fresh 

 water encountered just before reaching the 

 pass. 



" Valdeze Pass is low and comparatively 

 easy of ascent. With a 75 pound pack a 

 man acquainted with the route can easily 

 make the trip in 3 days, through the pass to 

 water connections with Copper river. The 

 route could be made passable for pack ani- 

 mals, with little expense in time and labor. 

 I was intimately associated, last summer, 

 with Billy Ribbstein, now of Sunrise City, 

 Cook Inlet, who had but recently explored 

 the pass and who had just returned from an 

 extended trip up Copper river. He assured 

 me the pass is preferable, in every way, to 

 any other pass on the coast leading to the 

 interior, and that little labor would make it 

 a fine route for pack animals. It is by far 

 the lowest pass on the coast. 



" The trip through Valdeze Pass lands 

 you on an unnamed lake, tributary to and 

 but 30 miles from, Copper river. The point 

 where you thus strike the main stream is 

 about 150 miles from its mouth, as the river 

 runs. The canoe journey, from the start 

 down, is perfectly feasible, except in ex- 

 treme low water. 



" The best time to go in over this route 

 would be either in March or June. In 

 March you have the snow and ice for travel, 

 by sleds, while in June comes the open water 

 for canoeing. 



" The Copper river country, from Val- 

 deze Pass up, is rolling. There are few high 

 mountains except in the Southeast. Occa- 

 sional large round buttes take the place of 

 mountains. Scattering groves of spruce 

 are found on the uplands, while the streams 

 are fringed with black alder, birch, cotton- 

 wood and willow. The slopes are covered 

 with flowers in the summer time. There is 

 also an abundance of wild berries of many 

 varieties. Everywhere may be seen run- 

 ning water. The surface of the country is 

 covered with moss through which the tickle 

 top grass makes its way, growing breast 

 high. The seed of this grass furnishes food 

 for the armies of kangaroo mice that are 

 found in every part of the country, being 

 outnumbered only by the mosquitoes. 



" The Klondike territory is pretty well 

 covered by prospectors now, and by next 

 spring the rush will be so great the chances 

 will be mighty slim for striking a good 

 claim, open for location. Newcomers will 

 be obliged to push in farther to the North 

 and East, all the way from 200 to 500 miles, 

 where supplies will be more difficult to ob- 



291 



