TRAIL :'0 FA
The Great American Route to the Great American Camp. 517 Miles shorter than any other Route from the
Ocean to the Great Camp at Fairbanks. Valdez the Gateway to the Interior.
It needs no argument to prove
that Valdez is the natural gateway
to Fairbanks, and in fact, to^all of
Central Alaska. The government,
after many surveys and experi
ments. has chosen the Valdez route
for the regular winter mail service
to Nome, and the winter and sum
mer mail service to Fairbanks,
Tanana, Kagle ami ail interior
points.
There are at the present time
sixteen mails a month going over
this route to and from Tanana and
Yukon river |M>int». [These mails
are going through on time. One
trip from Valdez to Fairbanks was
made this month in thirteen days.
Via Valdez there is no Canadian
territory to cross. It is the all
Amerjean route, thus avoiding the
intricate customs regulations of the
Canadian authorities.
The ocean cable is extended to
Valdez, and the military telegraph
lines to al! points in Alaska now
terminate there, so that the traveler
can keep in touch with the states
all along the trail.
Everv day people are arriving
from Fairbanks, and they are all
enthusiastic over the advantages
of this route. The mail carriers
keep the trail beaten down and
travelers can make the trip easily
in from sixteen to twenty-three
days.
Outfit at Valdez.
Persons going to Fairbanks who
outfit at Valdez have many advan
tages over those who purchase their
goods in the states ami carry the
shipping risk. The merchants
make it a point to keep in stock
the things most needed by the
prospector and miner. A few of
tlie stores carry a special line of
goods, hut the genera! store pn
dominates. The prospector out
fitting here selects from a stock
which has lieen carefully purchased
in the season when prices were
lowest, and the prospector bn vs
these goods for a very 1 i< le more
than wholesale prict - with freight
added, and saves himsi-ii n11 t e
troulde of shipping lulls, wharfage,
etc. If he buys his outfit here lie
puts it on tin -ini at the store, ami
can see that everything i« ail right.
If he luivs in the s’s.cs it fre
quently occurs that things get ! >st
or arc damaged in shipping. |i is
to the advantage of evrv nr. spee
tor and miner to outfit with a goie’
quality of got>iIs as near as | o-sihle
to the place he intends to operate.
Valdez by its location is the out*
fitting city f,,r central Alaska. Its
merchant* are outfitters of neces
sity, and prospector- and miners
should outfit here for their own
convenion e and profit.
The senator- who visited Alaska
last year were veil aware of the
advantages of this trail to Tatiana
\ ukon river points, as i- evidenced
l*v tiic following verbatim extracts
from the report of the sub-commit
tee on territories:
Finest Harbor on the Coast.
^ aldez is the most northerly
harbor in the Pacific ocean. It is
in all essentia1 i articular* the fin
est harbor on the coast, being open
and tree from ice throughout the
year, and is ti e natural gateway
to the interior. It is the key to
the Copper River Country, the
Cpper Tanana and the Forty-Mile
district and their future drvelnp
t’>ent. The all-American route via
Valdez is shorter than i it her tnc
>kiurway, or the White P. -s • the
Dvea, or Chilkoot road.. ' ut •
donhtedl v makes the s test
ea-iest and moat direct Connection
h« ;ween the Yukon distrie amt the
Alaskan coast.
Valdez Route to the Interior.
Valdez harUir and the route via
Keystone canyon to the divide tur
nishvs the most practical and eco
nomical route for the development
of central Alaska, and 1 ins fair to
more than hold its own for the
freight business of Daw-on and
vicinity. \\ itli a tine liar’or open
the year around and a railroad
route comparatively free front
blockades, bniIt on lighter irradc
d curvatures than the other
He. ^ ahlez may well lav chi mu
to being the main gateway f.Jfr
Alas ka commerce.
I lie n ap on ibis page was mado
from data secure 1 from mail rar
r.crs who have traveled over the
\ aidez-Fairlmnks trail, and can l»e
ft-lied upon as being correct in all
d< tails. l’iie ntap docs not show
be r< idbouses now in course of
c«»n«tr ic‘:iiii along the mail trail
from Copper river to Tanana. hut
the accompanying table gives the
location of these stations, all of
wbteh will lv in operation on Ot
tic fore February 1st.
Mayor Barnette, of Fairbanks,
says that the time mftd«‘ by the
Valdcr-Fairbanks mail proves this
to be the banner route from the
coast to Tanana.
I N'I»H.\*t*»»ns now iMiitit to Fairbanks •'.being the j
objective poiul a gteat milliner of |<e pif t>efr>rc 1
the opening o! navigation next •••**oi». j; ,w to
reach there U.the.uaiurai Inquiry of tho*«- intending t*» j
make the trip. We can *ay that \ la VALDEZ is tin- only
practicable route for winter travel. It is >17 MILE>
SHORTER than any other route from the ocean tc minus.
The trip can be made via Valdes more expedition*!) and !
at le*s exp* nse than via auy other route, a* will in* *h< wn !
by table of comparison.
Roadhouse charges between Vaid z and Fairbanks
arc from 91 to »! >' for meals and 91 for bed*.
The trail i* well equipped with roadhouses through
out me entire distance. The traveler fallows the l*. -
Military telegraph,line, enabling him to ke-p in «oumstu
communication wltii the Slates, should he so d***iie.
Comparative Transportation Expenses.
VIA VALDEZ.
Steamship Fare (cabin) Seattle to Valdez- | *n.00
Steamship Far** (Second tla-*) Seattle t«• Valdez «m ‘
Stage Line. Valdez to Fairbanks 1*m»»
VI % aEAOWAV.
8leam«hip Fare (cabin) rteattl** to sktmvuy . # •" »*» ‘
Steamship Fare (second elan*) Scnttl•• •* Hkagway .*•» »• .
Railroad Fare. rtkugway to Whit- horse ze • !
Stage Line, Whitehorse to Daw-on . l.'ai >*» )
After the traveler reaches l»n»>«n be Is -till Kim
MILO Ki KTH; R from Fairbanks than the DiirrtSrK from
Valdez to Fairbanks.
A* may >. • aeen from the aViove figun-a thi* route is !
nuK ii the cheapest for those wi-hiiig to travel without |
any eft rt of iiieir own, and it is the ottiy winter route lor j
the miner and prospector who de-ires to make the trip
With his ..an dog or horse team- at a minimum expense
The difttan**e from Valdes to Fniruatis* i- JlV* MILK>
following the military telegraph line- aud t*. rt. mail j
route, over which MAILS are curried luoutbiy under j
present contract*.
It is po-dble to Irausport three tons of supplies over
thi* trail with one home by relaying over the m*ir.u:*iii
ous portions of the road. This is mn«ie possible by ti>ej
fact that the trail is kept open ai>u well faicked by tht l . .
8. mail carriers and their teams, an*l also by fir l\ rt. gov-!
eminent whi -h i- now engaged in freighting l «» tons of!
supplies from \ al. z to the interior telegraph -tatious,
over the Abercrombie military trail, which was complete d
In r.<uu. at a cost of fl.Vti,iMM*».
VALDEZ THE GATEWAY.
Valdez i* the most northerly harbor on the Pacific
ocean. A glance al any map of A»a*ka will show That
Whitehorse. 11" miles inland from Hkagway. is mil.
further south than Valdez. It is in all e-seMiai nartic
Uiar* the line-t harbor <»n the coa**. b i.i* open and fre*-‘
’from ice throughout the year, aud i- the liatura. gateway
’tb Fairbanks, Topper River country, Ni/lua. rtiate * reck
Tsushima, tiuikaiia aud Delta milling rvgi ut
il is the terminus of the Yukon military telegraph.
tCfed-ftlsO of the government cable to Puget rtoitnd.
OUTFITTING AT VALDEZ.
There are a number of large outfitting -lore*, wnere
•the**xpeHence of live year* in dee ii tig with local condi
’*floris and fllliug local demands ha- resulted in toe carry
ing of well-aM irted st«M*ks; all useless and unnecessary
article* being eliminated. These merchant* carry am
^e stocks of such cia*se- of inert andis * peculiarly adapt
ed to Alaikau trade and suitable for conditions prevailing
here, their price* being reasonable and only a slight
tdfziiiv over .■Seattle price*.
Outfit-bought iii the State* nearly always contain
fcrtlctes which are found to be poorly adapted to certain
localities in Alaska. The traveler U Fairbanks will find
it to his advantage to procure hi- outfit at Valdez, aud
brill pay no hi »r. for it taking into consideration coat of
transpoi tation
It i* also well equipped with Arst-cla** hotels, res
‘taumnts. two iiauks, ami all mercantile lines arc credita
bly represented.
STAGE LINES TO FAIRBANKS
The schedules of the Valdez Transports!! •» < om
and other stage line*, eoVer the distant e from
Vaidc* to Fairbanks in TLX DAYS and tbev hop- to
Tedu**e this to right days actual traveling time.
TaMe of Distances via Government Hal! Rovte.
tflLE*
Valdez to . «
Camp Comfort Roadhouse lo
ncyMoDr Telegraph Station 14
WortmanV Roadhouse and Telegraph Station . 2>
White's Roadhouse. ... . . .']
frtarmigan Drop Roadhon-*?. 4!
Baina Telegraph Station. 41
?eaver Dam It -a-lnoUM?. 11
eikuetl Roadhouse . 15
Tcikhell Telegr ip : Station . .Vi
Bmestiue R.tadhouae— .>
9oa-ina T *legrapn Station . . . K)
on-dua I*. O. and Hotel HI
Copper Center Telegraph Station. . . . l««4
Copper Center F. *». and Hotel . . pts
Taziina Ki>udt;ouse . llo
Gakona Kt>adliOUkc. l;rj
Chipp *wa Roadhouse. . .. ].',7
Roosevelt Roadhouse.i*i
Casey’s Roadhouse..
Crtleiruw Roadhouse. j/j
Bradley’* Roadh«>u»e. -goi
enn^’.t’s Roadhouse, mouth of Delta .. z >2
J*«e Henry’s Roadhouse 2..*
Bn - na T* -graph Marion . .. .. ^
l iltua 81 ugh Roadhouse . 3>»l
LhSttU • R« aid house .;k|
S array’- Roadhouse. :t!2
AlKHAXKS.
No Customs. No Duties.
No Foreign Territory.
The Great American Route
To the Great American Camp
*ul 1 information can tie ob*ain»*d from Chamber of
Com meres, Valdez. Alaska; Ala.-ka Fa* i fie Navigation
Co.. WS First Av *nue. Seal'll*, Wash.; Alasha Commereial
Co, Beattie, Wash.
Published by Chamber oi 4 onimt-r* r. Valdez, Alaska.
Oveember SI. Ittt.