PLACERS OF THE RAMPART REGION. 83 
The only practical trail to and from the Baker Creek area is from 
Rampart along Minook Creek, a trail that in most parts of " the 
States" would be considered practically impassable during the sum- 
mer time. Most of the way it is soft and miry. The pack horses 
sometimes sink to their girths, floundering and wallowing their way 
through. As a choice, there is the bed of Minook Creek along which. 
if the creek is not too high, the horses can make their way on the bars 
and through the icy water; but at best this trail is hard on the ani- 
mals. The foot traveler can not take the creek bed, and if he carries 
a pack, as he often does, he must make his way along the mucky trail. 
Over this trail all provisions for the camps are carried. Freight rates, 
until the summer of 1904, were 25 cents a pound in summer and 6 cents 
in winter, and it is said that one man had to pay freight on 47 pounds 
of "grub" and 53 pounds of box and packing at the higher rate. 
During the summer of 1904 freight rates came down to 15 cents a 
pound, but the packers declared they could make nothing at that 
rate, and this is probably true, as hay and oats when cheapest are $100 
a ton. There is another trail to the mouth of Baker Creek, but it is 
said to be bad and is not used/' 
Lumber is high, most of it being shipped from the States of the 
Pacific slope. Some is whip-sawed along Baker Creek in the winter, 
which costs about 20 cents a foot, board measure. It would seem 
that a small sawmill operated through a portion of the year would 
be a paying investment, as there is said to be plenty of timber along 
Baker Creek for local needs. 
The total production of the region is estimated to have been about 
$40C>,100, of which $84,70Q was produced during the winter of 1903^ 
and $61,300 during the summer of 1904. These figures are probably 
under rather than over the actual amount. 
Gold was discovered in the Baker Creek area on Eureka Creek, 
where mining was begun during the winter. of 1898-99 and a small 
amount was taken out. On Glenn Creek gold was discovered in July, 
1901, on the benches along Pioneer Creek in 1902, on Thanksgiving 
Creek in February, 1903, and other discoveries were made during the 
summer of 1904. Prospecting is in active progress in other valleys 
of the vicinity, and it is altogether possible that new discoveries may 
be made. 
The rocks of the Baker Creek group show less variety than those of 
i he Minook Creek group. Tn the gold-bearing region the rocks are 
schistose g : rits with interbedded slates and with quartzites, the lat- 
ter in thin strata, generally 1 to 3 feet thick. Both slates and schis- 
tose beds are generally carbonaceous. The strike is northwest and the 
dip about vertical. No igneous rocks occur except along die top <>l* 
" During 1907 and 1908 a wagon road was being built by the Government from Ram- 
part up the Minook Valley to conneot with the Baker Creek region. 
