|
Contents
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Louisiana
Missouri
South Carolina
Utah
Washington
Check for
local history books about your town
or search Amazon.com
from here
|
"The Lure of Gold"
(Washington)
Folklore
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
Washington
Nat Honig
Seattle, Washington
December, 1938
"The Lure of Gold", etc.
1. Dr. Kristian Falkenberg, 426 Republic Bldg., Seattle, Wn.
2. December 16, 1938
3. 426 Republic Bldg.
4. Honig
5. None
6. Optometrist's office.
FORM B
Personal History of Informant
Washington
Nat Honig
Seattle, Washington
December 16, 1938
"The Lure of Gold", etc.
1. Norwegian
2. Unobtainable
3. Unobtainable
4. Chicago, 1893-1896; Alaska, 1897-1905; Chicago, 1905; Seattle, 1905 to
date.
5. Unobtained.
6. Prospector in Alaska, optometrist
7. Optometrist
8. Chieftain, Alaska-Yukon Pioneers; Past Arctic Chief, Camp Rampart No.
15, Arctic Brotherhood of Alaska; President Norwegian Commercial Club;
Treasurer, Washington State Fraternal Congress.
9. Distinguished of bearing, but rough-hewn type; speaks with slow, but
slight Norwegian accent.
10. Dr. Falkenberg is one of five survivors of those who took the
"back-door" route (the Edmonton Trail) into Alaska during the 1898 gold
rush. The trip took 22 months from Chicago to Dawson -- it now can be
covered by air travel in the same number of hours.
THE LURE OF GOLD
It is hard to believe what men would go through for the lure of gold, but
the hardships many of the prospectors went through to reach Alaska in the
days of the gold rushes show what men would do for a chance at a lucky
strike.
I know because I am one of the three known survivors of the ones who came
to Alaska the hard way-by the Edmonton trail. I will tell it as it
happened.
One warm Sunday morning in 1897 I opened up the Chicago Tribune (I lived
in Chicago then) and read about the rich gold strike at Dawson. A friend,
a young fellow named Dietrich, came along riding on a bicycle. He said "I
sure would strike out for Dawson if it wasn't for my right hand being
crippled. "That put the first idea in my head.
A friend of Dietrich named Mohn already was fired with the idea of
striking out for Alaska, and said he had arranged to go with another
Norwegian named John Sejersted. He invited me to go along with them.
We bought an outfit of 500 pounds of bacon, 500-pounds of hardtack,
coffee, tea, dried fruit, etc. We bought eight thoroughbred Scotch collie
dogs from Robert Lincoln, Abe's oldest son. While the dogs were high
grade, yet it proved we were perfect Chechakos, to take that kind of dogs,
which were not used to the cold climate, as we later found out.
We planned to go by way of Skagway and Chilcoot pass, but heard of the
terrific snow slide at Dyer, so we changed our plans an decided on the
Edmonton-Athabasca-MacKenzie River route.
We left Chicago September 15. We built a boat at Edmonton, and hauled it
and our supplies by wagon from there to Athabasca landing, where we
arrived October 1. We loaded our boat and started down the river that
night.
Not being used to river travel, we got stuck on most of the sandbars in
that crooked river. That evening we camped on the river bank and crawled
into our cleeping bags. We were surprised next morning to find two inches
of snow in our sleeping bags. We started down the river again, hitting the
sand bars as before. We probably would have had to stay there if the noble
hearted Indian river pilot Alex Kennedy had not come along with a large
raft and hauled us off the last bar. He piloted us 125 miles to Pelican
River, where we camped that winter, hunting, trapping and prospecting.
Prospecting was kind of disappointing, as we expected to find gold on top
of the ground. The fact is, we were worried about the price of gold
dropping before we got to Dawson. That winter our nearest neighbor was
forty miles away.
Shortly after the river froze up Mohn returned home and Sejersted and I
remained. The two of us left Pelican River May 28, 1898. From Grand Forks
on the Athabasca River we went to Fort McMurray, a distance of 87 miles.
There were twelve rapids, some very rough and swift, but we were lucky to
have Alex Kennedy as our pilot.
We sailed across Lesser Slave Lake to Slave River, into Great Slave Lake
to Fort Resolution, across Great Slave Lake (120 miles) to Fort Providence
and down the MacKenzie River to Fort Simpson; where Mr. Camsel was factor
for the Hudson Bay Company. On June 28 we started up Liard River, pulling
our boat against that swift current. Our toughest spots on that river were
Hell's Gate and Devil's Portage.
Sejersted and I had a good outfit but we separated on September 15. I took
in John Green, an old Chicago sailor, as my new partner. He had lost his
entire outfit when his boat capsized in the river.
We camped at Fort Halkett on October 9, 1898. I spent nearly every day
that winter hunting from daybreak to nearly dark. Green didn't feel strong
enough to go through to Dawson but decided on going by way of the Stikine
River and Wrangell. I put 315 pounds in a hand sled and on March 15, 1899
started off alone; arriving at Dease River Post four days later - a
distance of 96 miles. There I joined three Scotchmen - George Anderson,
Forbes, and Johnson. We left on March 26 for Pelly Banks. George and I
pulled 500 pounds each on a hand sled, traveling ten miles each day. We
built a boat at Pelly Banks, arriving at Dawson July 8, 1899.
After twenty-two months the only thing I had left in the way of clothing
was what I stood in -- an old felt hat, flannel shirt, woolen socks, and
Indian sash for a belt, and Indian moccasins. I must have been quite a
sight, for Mr. Burke, reporter for the "Klondike Nugget", was bound to
take my picture.
Twenty-two months travel to find gold-- so I know what man will go through
for the lure of gold. Today the only two survivors of those who took the
Edmonton trail, besides myself, are John S. Mackay, past president of the
Yukoners of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Dr. Ralph S. Quimby, an
optometrist.
To give you an idea of the ways of the prospectors, take the case of Joe
Kaminsky. In March, 1903, no gold had yet been found around Fairbanks. Joe
Kaminsky washed out twelve dollars on Gold Stream. No one could believe
Joe had washed out the gold there, but I was sure of it, for Joe paid me
twelve dollars to go over to the blacksmith's shop and make a plain ring
from that particular twelve dollars worth of gold dust. It was worth the
money for him to have the souvenir of the first gold washed out in the
Fairbanks district.
In Fairbanks I met a prospector's wife who wore a locket containing coarse
gold, which her husband had found above Emma Creek.
Text from: Library of
Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection
|