LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN -- Interesting Letter from
Shadle’s Camp by L. J. Kramer.
June 23, 1898 Elkader Register
Alaska, May 13th, 1898
Dear Father and Mother:
I don know whether you will receive this or not but
will write anyway. A man going back to the bay will
take it. He goes back for more footwear, but may buy
it from some one before he gets to the bay; in that
case he will go no further and this will probably be
lost.
We are now camped on the Klatina river, or third
river on the west side of the Copper. We are about 35
miles from the Copper river. Down at the lakes where
I last wrote you, there were two trails, one leading
along a river from the lake north east; the other
leading across two lakes north and slightly
northwest. We took the north trail and are now at the
river where everyone is busy building boats. The
trail down the river from the lake brought the
parties who took it 10 miles below the mouth of the
river we are on and on the Copper. Hence we have done
a great deal of unnecessary hauling.
Our party is breaking up today. I was appointed
receiver. Patterson, Boals and Jacobs are the three
who left Shadle’s Camp. What they will do I
don’t know, they talk some of striking for the
Tanana.
A man returned today from the Copper river who went
down 18 days ago. He says Mt. Wrangel is directly
east of the mouth of this river, also that the Copper
river valley is very wide and more like a hunting
ground than anything else. The high bluffs on this
side (west) are all burnt out and seem to have very
poor prospects of containing any mineral. The bluffs
on the river here are almost like alkali or ash. The
outlook so far is not very encouraging.
The weather has been fine the last month, average
about 65 in the shade. The last three miles we almost
had to pull our sleds over bare ground and it was
very hard work. I was 4 hours in pulling a small load
two miles. Quite a number of fish have been caught in
a small stream near here. We shot four ducks. One
bear was shot early this week but since then no signs
of other game. I expect we will be camped here for
three or four weeks.
The boys were considerably interested in the letter
from Elliott that Mr. Corlett sent Boots. Sam
forwarded it to me before he left. I hardly think I
will get any more mail because the parties are all
divided up, some took the lake trail, then about 10
miles north of the lake, some went east and we went
north. There must be about 150 men in this camp and
some are already down on the Copper.
The river here is not very wide, probably 100 feet or
so and there are many large rocks in it. We no doubt
must tow our boat down it. According to the outlook
from the provision stand point I expect we will have
to get out of the country in the fall as it will not
last over winter. Then we would have to go out any
way for if we did stay we could do nothing but sit
around and eat during the winter.
It is daylight now from 1:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Most
of our trail work in the last two weeks had been done
from 12:30 a.m. to noon, as then the snow is slightly
frozen and sometimes we can travel a little on the
crust, but at noon it is very warm and the trail is
almost bare. We crossed the two lakes, each five
miles long with 4 to 8 inches of water on the ice.
Our hip boots came into good use.
The mosquitoes are beginning to buzz and they are big
ones too. No Indians are seen although we see old
teepees, bear traps, etc.
Well, I hope you are all in good health. As for
myself I am feeling fine. The reports of the Copper
river and surrounding country given us by the men
today are very discouraging but we hope for the best.
With love to you all, I am your devoted son, Louis J.
Kramer.
P.S. I took a fine head to foot warm bath yesterday,
shaved and put on clean clothes—makes me feel
fine. Have quite a mustache now—don’t think
much of my beard so I scraped it off. The rest of the
boys have their full bears yet. L.J.K.
On the Tazlina River, Alaska (35
miles from the Copper River)
Thursday, June 2, 1898
Dear Father:
I wrote you two letters in the last week or so but as
they may not have reached you, I’ll write you
another. We arrived on this river on the 13th of May
with barely snow enough to reach it on sleds, but we
finally got here, going the last three miles on
almost bare ground. The day we arrived at the camp
Boals, Jacobs and Patterson bolted from the party,
had their goods set out and were going it alone
hereafter. That left Shadle, Smith, Millard, Dyer and
myself. Everybody was busy whipping out lumber and
building boats. We just got started to cut lumber
when Millard and Dyer decided to give it up—sell
out and go home. They sold their goods at auction and
got big prices. Flour sold for $24 per cwt., bacon
$33, oat meal $24, sugar $45, etc. It was quite a
sale and nearly a hundred men were present. Not long
after another man sold out and by each I sent you a
letter.
We went to work on our boat. In the division
Boal’s party got the whip saw, and he personally
owned some carpenter tools, so we were considerably
crippled in the boat building business, nevertheless
with a borrowed saw, hatchet and plane we put up a 20
foot scow, 5 feet wide, on which we were to sail down
the Tazlina to the Copper. On the 21st of May the
first (7) boats were down the river—started I
should rather say—for the first one had not
floated over 300 yards before she was hung up on a
boulder for a half hour, lost stove and a few other
things overboard and tore a hole in her side. She
landed above the first rapids and the owner had to
saw more lumber and repair her. She is still on the
dry dock. The others got through the first rapids all
right but are now strung along the river some 15
miles down, others not so far, with more or less of
their freight.
This river is about 300 feet wide—swift and full
of rapids, rocks and huge boulders. On the 29th, we
loaded our boat, landed above the first rapids and
packed our goods around the rapids, then lined the
boat through, loaded up and tried it again. At the
quarter mile we were nearly smashed head first into a
huge boulder. We jolted the boat up against it so
hard that we expected to be swamped the next moment
but no—we went on a little farther—abut a
half mile from camp and then hung up on two rocks. We
worked and pried around to get her loose for over two
hours. The water ice cold, swift and about three foot
deep. We finally decided to pack our goods
ashore—about a hundred ft.
We landed two parcels when live men happened along,
lent us a hand and pulled boat and all ashore. We
then camped here about a half mile below the city and
boat yards and put the “Gold Hunter” on dry
dock. She leaded a little, that was all, but our
goods did not get wet. We thought best to wait for
higher water. While we were doing this Dad went
prospecting and found a few colors, but nothing very
encouraging although he thought that we might stake
out three claims in the
canyon—“Shadle’s canyon.” We did
so and the next day there were over fifty men in the
canyon with pick, shovel and gold pan. Yesterday we
changed the course of the creek making a ground
sluice. We tried the former bed of the creek but no
prospects in the first couple feet. Dad hardly thinks
it will amount to much. Still we will try it tomorrow
after we shot of the water. We want to work at it
today but there was so much of interest on the river
that we hadn’t the time.
Eight boats started down the river to day, they all
shot the first rapids all right. The first two shot
the second rapids nicely and kept going. The third
hung up broadside in the second rapids and struck a
big rock, up ended, partly keeled over then settled
right side up solid among the rocks, full of water
and running over, and but ten feet from number three.
For three hours we worked with five other men and
finally got number three started all right down the
river and the goods all ashore from the 4th. The
goods were all wet and the boat had to be abandoned.
In the afternoon “the Chicago” came down
shot through the second rapids only to hang broadside
on a rock, filling her with water. Her partner the
“Henson” did the same above the rapids.
Both had small lighters by which they succeeded in
beaching their goods, they lost none, but no doubt
much is damaged by the water. The next one that came
was Boal’s boat. They landed her above the
second rapids and overlooked the course, finally
thinking it best to line it down. With five men on
the line and two in the boat they started her through
the rapids. At abut half way she got turned side
ways, struck on some rocks and tilted up stream
filling with water in a second. With hasty work they
succeeded in throwing their drenched goods ashore.
The last boat landed above the rapids and staid there
so far all right. It was a bad day for the goods and
only goes to show how difficult it will be to reach
the Copper river safe and sound with all our goods.
The main party up at the camp are undecided what to
do. Some have gone up the Tazlina prospecting and
investigating and some went down afoot to the Copper.
Two returned tonight from Copper River reporting
river very swift, some boulders and about twice as
wide as this one. Clay banks 200 and 300 feet high on
each side similar to these. They visited two camps on
the Copper, one was from here having succeeded in
reaching there by boat but losing about half their
goods. The others sledded down having arrived here in
time to travel on the ice.
It is pretty warm here now and the mosquitoes are
becoming quite troublesome. It is true they are large
ones and many of them. I gathered a quart of marsh
cranberries about a week ago. For the last few days
we have had all the green onions we wanted. They grow
on the beach and are nice and tender. Decoration Day
I had quite a beautiful bouquet of violet and white
flowers. Game is not very plenty. Many moose and a
bear were killed and there are many hunters out every
day. The moose meat sold quick at two bits a pound.
(Two hours later.) The mail carrier just arrived
bringing me six letters, and I am more than tickled
tonight to get mail from home and the flags. Give my
hearty good wishes and thanks to Mr. Wolf for the
flag. I shall certainly remember him every time I see
it. Katie sent me a beauty. War news was received
here with considerable enthusiasm. Give my love to
all the boys and tell them I was most delighted to
see the photographs they made and sent. Good health
and luck to them all. I am feeling excellent and
couldn’t feel finer. We have a fine camping
place with pine boughs for feathers and a blanket and
sleeping bag makes it excellent at night. It is too
warm now for both and I use but the bag now.
Your letters tell about East Sunday and what you had
for dinner. Now I’ll tell you what we did on
that day. We were camped on the glacier at the foot
of the summit, the snow fell the day before so that
there was no trail up the summit. East Sunday we
expected to move camp over the summit, no trail in
a.m., made two trips in p.m., slept on snow covered
with one tent, then rubber blankets, on which other
blankets were put. This was the worst night we put
in, other times we always had boughs to sleep on. But
it wasn’t as bad as it might seem. Some of the
boys got a little cold but I didn’t. I had the
bag you know and it’s a dandy. After supper I
smoked a cigar —brought a few along— smoke
them on special occasions, holidays, etc.
I am glad the town is coming still more to the front,
no doubt it will have started the electric light
plant ere I get back.
Tell Johnny his dream won’t come out well. My
beard I cut off but had a dandy mustache. The other
part of his dream—coming home with Sam—for
you already know he left us two months ago. As to
lice, I haven’t them yet nor any gold. I see
better chances of getting the former than the latter.
I still have about two pounds of dried beef and two
cans ham that you sent along. Keep that for
“hard times.”
There is one think my trip will benefit others more
than myself even if I don’t strike anything
because all I write you can bank on, now what you
read in the papers. For instance I enclose a notice
received by Smith about gold at thirty miles from
Valdes. It is a lie pure and simple. With regards to
all I am Your obedient son, Louis J. Kramer.
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