(58 FORTYMILE, BIRCH CREEK, AND FAIRBANKS PLACERS, [bull. 
;:.i. 
Many changes were found to have taken place since September. 
1903. The town of Fairbanks had become a thriving supply point,! 
the facilities for transportation to the creeks were being rapidly! 
improved, and the production of gold had amounted to at least! 
$350,000. From the opening of navigation on the Yukon, when thl 
party left Dawson on one of the early boats, nearly to the close of! 
navigation in September, all steamers downward bound from Daws:m 
had been crowded with passengers and freight, and during the presH 
ent winter, 1904-5, there are from 4,000 to 5,000 people in this portion! 
of the Tanana Valley, about one-tenth of whom are employed on the] 
creeks. Naturally, a larger number of people gathered there than the 
conditions at the time Avould justify, and along with the workers came 
an undesirable element to lead a parasitic life upon the miners. It is 
believed, however, that the Fairbanks district is strong enough in its 
natural resources to develop healthily in spite of this influx, and the 
season of 1905 promises to be one of much activity. 
The scarcity of supplies and consequent high prices retarded devel- 
opment during the winter of 1903-4, which was a rather hard one foil 
many of the miners. Provisions at Fairbanks and Chena were solcl 
on a cash basis, and a necessary part of the winter's work was the 
rocking out of sufficient gold from the dumps to pay the grocery bill 
which, with flour as high as $30 a hundred, and other things in pro- 
portion, was a very important item. Provisions w T ere also obtained] 
as far away as Circle and Rampart and freighted across country. 
Men were able to bu}^ from one another, and with mutual helpfulness 
and hard work the time was passed till the boats came again in the 
spring. Among a few was a spirit of bitterness that things had been 
as they were, but the general feeling was one of independent cheer- 
fulness. Their resourcefulness was voiced by one of the miners, who 
said there were too many men handy with the Winchester to go 
hungry while there were caribou among the hills. 
The town of Fairbanks i^ located along the south side of Chena 
Slough, upon an extensive flat which affords abundant opportunity 
for growth. In 1903 a loose collection of log cabins was strung irreg- 
ularly along the slough and a cable ferry connected the town witl 
the pack trail to the creeks. In 1904 this locality presented a scene 
of much animation. Warehouses, stores, saloons, and restaurants 
either in operation or in various stages of completion, lined the stree 
along the water front, while along the slough, beyond the business 
portions of the town and over the flat in the background, were scat 
tered the comfortable and tasteful cabins of the inhabitants. Fre- 
quent steamers were bringing passengers and freight from the oufj 
side, and freight teams and pack trains were loading supplies fo: 
transportation to the creeks. The constant hum of the saAvmills in 
town, heard far along the slopes to the north proclaimed the steady 
