Charles E. Taylor,
Candidate for Terri
To the Friends of Alaska:
A glance at the map of Alaska will
at once show that the Fourth division
is bv far the largest political subdivi
sion of the Territory, having an area of
about 300.000 square miles, being much
larger than many states of the Union.
It embraces the entire water sheds of
the Tanana. the Koyukuk, the Ku?ko
kwim, and nearly all of the Alaskan
portion of the mighty Yukon. Its prin
cipa' '-esource is its mineral.
1 \ ears ago our division had con
trib ;d about $100,000,000 of the total
gold and silver output of Alaska (then
estimated at $245,000.000), far exceed
ing the output of any other division of
the Territory. It was concededly the
richest part of Alaska. From 1905 to
1914 the annual output of the Fourth
-division was between $8,000,000 and
$10,000,000. At that time all of the
mining districts of the Fourth division
were in full blast—Fairbanks, Hot
Springs. Tolovana. Rampart, Richard
son, Kantishna, Bonnitield, Circle.
Fortymile, Eagle; Chandalar, Koyu
kuk. Ruby, Iditarod. and the Kusko
kwim. About 750 mines, including 42
dredges, were in operation, employing
some 5.C00 miners. In addition to this
there were from-500 to 1,000 prospectors
in the hills; numerous villages, towns
and communities spotted the banks of
our rivers, schools were filled, and a
general era of prosperity prevailed in
our division. Since that time our prin
cipal, and practically only, industry
has rapidly decreased until today each
and ■e^ery -one of our mining districts is
but a shadow—and a very faint shadow
—of its former self. Today those same
villages and communities consist of un
occupied tumbledown shacks; the
school houses are there, but are empty;
today not more than 200 mines are in
operation throughout the Fourth divi
sion. employing barely a thousand men;
the total output for the year will
scarcely exceed a million dollars, while
the prospector has gone altogether.
Prospecting is a thing of the past. Our
population has decreased 70 per cant
since 1915. And those of us that re
main fully realize these conditions, but
are doing ooth'ng to remedy them.
What is the matter? We have just
as much country as formerly: the re
sources are still here; the minerals are
still in the hills and streams; but we
have allowed our division to deteriorate
and slide back to nature; the ether di
Tokotna
Ice Cream
All kinds of Soft
Drinks
Stationery
Notions, Etc.
Where Oldtimers
Congregate
Jack Mutchler
Hall
Proprietor
visions are trying to take advantage of
this situation, and to secure more rep
resentation in our legislative balls on
and the relatively small amount of our
contributions toward the support of the
Territorial government.
What are we going to do about it?
As one gazes from the top of any one of
our numerous hills or ridges he sees in
every direction, as far as the eye can
reach, mountain after mountain, river
after river, watercourses innumerable,
with never a sign of life, truly the
prospector’s paradise.
Does it not seem reasonable and log
ical, if we have resources in our divi
sion ready at hand to be discovered and
developed, that we should by all means
discover and develop them? But how?
As stated before, there are no pros
pectors in the hills at the present time,
and vet the prospector was responsible
for the historical rush to the Klondike:
the prospector paved the way for the
Fairbanks communities; the prospector
caused the establishment of each and
every one of the mining districts of
Alaska; in fact, the prospector was re
sponsible for Alaska itself and its pros
perity. Then let us look to the 'pros
pector again to rediscover the Fourth
division, and do again what he did be
fore. We should do everything in our
power to encourage prospecting; get
the prospector out in the hills again
and give him everything in the wav of
encouragement. We have a govern
ment railroad, built for the develop
ment of Alaska; we have steamboats on
our rivers; the Territory should fur
nish the prospector with free trans
portation for himself and supplies. We
have mining inspectors, but very few
mines. The Territory should place
several drills both for placer and quartz
under the supervision of these inspect
ors, to be furnished to the prospector
free of charge. If by the use of these
drills anything is developed valuable
enough, the prospector wili gladly re
imburse the Territory for such assist
ance. In a word, the Territorial and
Federal governments should be induced
to do everything possible to encourage
and assist the development of the re
sources of Alaska, including the Fourth
division, uy concerted effort in this
direction, it will be but a short time
before we will have another era of
prosperitv. The sound of the pick,
shovel, dredge and mill will again be
heard, and the other divisions will
have no cause to complain of our lack
of contribution to the Territorial funds,
and our population will again far ex
ceed that of the balance of the Terri
tory.
I am a candidate for the office of
Representative to the next Alaska
Legislature—the only one from the
outlying districts—being from Iditarod,
and I pledge myself, if elected, to in
troduce and work for such a bill as will
bring about the matters outlined above
and to do everything in my power to
bring back tha former prosperity of
Alaska and the Fourth division. To
that end I earnestly solicit your vote,
and would be glad to have such further
views from you as would tend to and
be beneficial and conducive to the pros
perity of Alaska. Yours truly,
Charles E. Taylor.
Dr. Grosvenor Leslie, the reaction
ary lecturer and writer, gave in a re
cent Chicago address a definition of
the new woman which was loudly
hissed in one part of the auditorium
and as loudly applauded in another.
“A new woman,” iaid Dr. Leslie, “is
one who believes that it is now possi
ble for her to have both a past and a
future.” _
Montana and Wisconsin scientists
collaborating have invented a device to
warn of forest fire dangers by register
ing and recording the moisture on for
est floors. _
Take time at railroad crossings—or
take eternity.—Norfolk Virginia. Pilot.
■ 1 >- V 1 ■ * r . . 1 ’
NOTICE OF FORFEITURE.
To Charles Rebhnn aod Max Menard,
your heirs and assigns:
You, and each of you, are hereby
notifiedthat I, vour co-o-wner, have ex^
peDded in labor and impiovements the
sum of one hundred dollars per vear
for each of the years 1921, 1922 and
1923 upon the Eva Bench placer mining
claim, on the right limit below Discov
ery on Yankee creek, tributary ef In
noko river, in the Optair recording pre
cinct. Territory of Alaska, in order to
hold said claim under the provisions of
law respecting annual labor on mining
claims.
And if, within ninety days after the
publication of this notiee, you fail to
pay your portion of such expenditure,
your interest in said claim will be for
feited to the undersigned co-owner,
according to the provisions of Section
2324 Revised Statutes of the United
States.
Ed Noleette, *'
Co-Owner.
First publication, July 5, 1924.
Last publication, Oct. 4, 1924.
THE
BYSGDLLY
Tokotna
Candies
Cigars
Soft Drinks
Lunches
John Heino
Proprietor
Hough and Dressed Lum
ber of All Kinds
INNOKO LUMBER CO.
The Kusko
Times
$1 Per Month
A Dredging or
Proposition, 1
I am the principal owner of a block of ground
on Yankee creek, about seven mnes long, extend
ing from No. 1 Below Discovery down'to the mouth
of the creek.
Pay has been located all along for a distauce'of
about three miles from‘the upper end, and pretty
well prospected and cross-cut.
The average depth of the ground !is -from’seven
to twenty feet. The top is all black muck, that can
be moved freely. No rock bigger than one’s fist.
The width of the pay, for a distance of about
three miles, is from 100 to 200 feet. Crosscuting
work indicates that the ground will go from 15
cents to $1 per square foot of bedrock. My belief
is that the pay will average 50eeote.per foot.
I have a ditch on the ground. fh*ee-nnles long,
together with water rights. The ground is prettv
well cleared. There is also a dram, three miles
lone, with the water right. I also have a water
right on Ready Bullion creek, from which water
can be brought to Yankee creek with a ditch less
than a mile long (4,900 feet), which will give four
sluiceheads’of water,(with a pressure or fall of 120
feet, being 1600 feet to the work from the ditch.I
After doing away with the muck, there will be
from four to six feet of dirt to handle. The pay
runs mostly in the bedrock of porphyry and slate.
The ground is virgin, only about $11,000 having
been taken out by windlass in prospecting.
Prospecting work during the present winter has
resulted in finding values that run up to $1 per
square foot of bedrock.
The Flume Dredge Company has a dredge above
this ground, which has been in operation for the
last three seasons.
- The Government road crosses Yankee creek. I
also have a road down the creek that connects with
the Government road.
T am also the agent for owners of ground other
than that'held by myself.
The ground can be worked either with dredge,
drag-line scraper, or by hydraulicing.
I will either sell the ground or give a 'lease on
it. If the prospect is satisfactory to the buyer, a
cash payment will be expected. A good bargain
will be given to the right party.
For further‘information, terms, ete., call oc
ground, br"wrlteor "telegraphme. .
ED NOLLETTE,
Tokotna, Alaska.
4.
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