VIAIIWE ‘^ALDEZ. ALASKA, 1HURSDAV, F^BROARV II, IS02. ’ '
FISH BROS.
General
V
Merchants
Staple and Fancy traceries,
t
Hardware, Stives,
Tile Pipe, Lumber Shingles,
Doors and Winlows,
Paints, Oils and Glass,
Boots and Shies,
Men’s Furnishing Goods.
mi mm i mi om
THE VALDEZ PHARMACY
Photo'Supplies, A bums,
Printing Paper, Plates,
Films, etc.
%
n/KiAZINES 2!* BOOKS.
Candies, Fine Stationery
Toilet Articles, Perumes,
etc. r
PRESCRIPTIONS CAREFULLY COMPOUNDED.
H. T. WHITLEg, GEO. J. LOVE.
Merchants Cafe
AMD
Bakery.
MEALS AT ALL HOURS.
Valdez Jewelry
and Optical House.
; W. C. STULL
1 *
EXPERT WATCHMAKER,
y. REPRACTINQ OPTIClfll,
' MANUrACTURIIK JEWELER.
A COMPLETE STOCK <1! Wntch.
Clocks, Jewelry, Diamonds and Sil
4 ^ verware. Nugget Jewelry of Every
Description Made to Order. Y<mr
Patronage Respectfully Solicited.
Iklfokj Street tint to l«; (dig Saigon.
do'. :
(in or VALDEZ
ITS FOUNDATION, SETTLE
MENT AND GROWTH.
mmm dess nsns
A Short History of the Wonder
ful Development of Onr City
Pioneer Business Men and
What They are Doin.g.
In the year 1N97 the news was
published throughout the states
that gold had been found on the
Copper river in large quantities.
Several prospecting parties had
been in this section of the country,
and it was known that the natives
who came out to the coast to trade,
brought gold with them. They
also had copper tools of different
kinds and told of great quan
tities of that metal 1o be found
in the interior.
This news was soon published all
over the world and Copper river
was talked of everywhere. Thou
sands were going to the Yukon,but
the Copper river was easier of ac
cess and many decided to go there.
fciirly the following spring the
rush for this part of Alaska began,
and as the best and only feasible
route was from the head of Valdez
bay, the larger part of the great
crowd landed where the town of
Valdez now stands.
Tents were soon stretched, frame
buildings erected and log cabins
built. The town of Valdez was es
tablished and sprung up like a
mushroom, almost in a night. It
was soon a little city of tents and
was a lively camp. Thousands of
tons of provisions and outlits of all
kinds were piled on the beach.
The stampede for the Copper river
was on in earnest. Over five thou
sand people landed here in that
memorable spring of ’98. Alxmt
4000 people crossed the glacier, in
tending to prospect the country.
Several hundred remained here and
some went to other partsof Alaska,
or returned to their homes. Dur
ing the summer and fall of ’98 sev
eral cheap buildings were erected
and a few stores opened.
A towns]te a mile square was
laid out and a Ixiard of town trus
tees was elected at a mass meeting,
and this form of government con
tinued until last July, when the
town was incorporated.
Valdes grew and prospered dur
ing the early summer of 1898, hut
as fall and winter approached, hun
dreds of those who started for the
interior returned with evil reports
of the country. The fact was that
not one in twenty who went into
the country was fitted in any way
for the life of a prospector. They
knew nothing of mining or of
roughing it in a new and unex
plored country. Consequently they
went a few miles into the interior,
sat down and ate up part of their
provisions, and then returned to
the states, cursing the country that
they had not prospected and knew
nothing aland.
The news was spread all over the
land that there was nothing in the
Copper river country; that it was a
vast wilderness, the natives were
hostile, the country was sickly, and
a thousand and one other stories
that had no truth in them, and
emenated from the imagination of
a crowd of weak kneed people that
should never have left their count
ing houses or work beuches.
The country experienced n setback
and its growth wns greatly retard oil
by these false reqorts. The isipu
Intion dwindled away to a mere
handful. Hut these'few h>ul un
bounded faith in the town and
adjacent country. Several parties
remained in the interior duringtl.e
wintea of *98. Others went in
again in the spring of ’99. They
worked day- and night. In all
kinds of weather, and suffered from
cold and hunger. They prospected
far and wide, stopping at no dan
gers, overcoming almost insur
mountable difficulties, and at last
their efforts were rewarded by the
discovery of the rich diggings on
Slate creek, Miller gulch and the
Chcsna river. Later the great
ledges of copper were discovered in
the Chittyna and Kotsina country.
Valdez commenced to take on
new life. A few of the 98ers re
turned and many new people came
into the country and our town com
menced to build up and improve.
Today we have almost a new
town. Many of the old landmarks
of ’98 have disappeared. In their
places have been erected fine build
ings and good homes. From the
camp of tents in ’98 and the vU-*
luge of lop houses in HXX) we now
have a little cosmopolitan city with
large buildings and business houses,
churches, lodges, clul>s, free reading
room and library, a city govern
ment, chandler of commerce, good
stores with large stocks of mer
chandise, giHid hotel accomodations
and many of the conveniences of
a modern up-to-date town. A tele
phone system will soon he in op
eration, a franchise for an electric
light plant has lj»een applied for
and a wharf is 1 icing built.
LOCATION.
Valdez is located at the head of
Valdez hay, an arm of Prince Wil
liam Sound, and is the most north
ern port on the Pacific coast that
is open to navigation the entire
year. It is 400 miles north of
Sitka and 1336 miles from Seattle,
with which city it is connected hy
three regular lines of steamers.
A steamer also runs between this
place and Juneau, Sitka and Un
alaska once a month, making four
regular lines of steamers that come
into this jiort each month, and dur
ing the summer season there are
other boats that stop here, making
communication between this place
and the States and othejr parts of
Alaska quite easy and satisfactory.
These steamers all carry mail,
thus giving us four regular mails
each month. Aside from this we
have a mail twice a month from
the Yukon, coining over the all
American route.
1 lie site for this town is a good
one, and the early settlers showed
their good judgment by coining to
this point on the bay to establish a
town. Other town sites have been
laid out, and many influential par
ties have endeavored to start oppo
sition towns by decrying Valdez,
but they have utterly failed, for
while Valdez has grown, improved
and prospered, these other towns
are only on paper, with no prospect
of ever being anything else.
OUK CLIMATK.
The climate at Valdez is certainly
excellent considering its situation.
The winters are not extremely
cold and the summers are simply
delightful. Sickness is almost un
known, everyone is healthy, and
the children are robust and happy.
Nearly every day in the winter they
can be seen out with their dog sleds
riding all al>out the town, with
never any fear of the cold, but on
the contrary enjoying it. The pub
lic school has never missed being
in session a day on account of the
Continued on Third l'age.
m an u
LARGE INCREASE IN VOTES
—
fliRm and Prospectors Ticfee! Wins
—
Two Tickets in the Field-No Ex
citement Shown.
The election for town officials,
held here on last Tuesday, Feh. 11.
speaks well for the growth of our
locality. At -t similar election,
held lt.-f loan otic year ago. the
total vote polled was fifty-nine;
whereas, the present tally-sheet
shows a vote of two hundred and
seventeen. It would have been
larger were it not that many are
now on the trail, Kiund for the
interior, and many more have not
yet arrived from the states—having
gone out for the winter to visit
their friends and relatives.
There were two tickets in the
field ; one known as the Miners’
and Prospectors’ ticket, and the
other as the Citizens’ ticket. Most
of the names appeared on both.
The polls opened at nine o’clock
and closed at five. There was con
siderable electioneering during the
day ami it would have taken a verv
shrewd politician to predict the
result.
J lie positions are honorary and
not remunerative, and as to the
personnel of the hoards to he se
lected it would he a rather difficult
matter to tell who, in all our com
munity, would he best suited to fill
the ]N>sitions, as there are many
competaut men.
There were a few scattering votes
and two were thrown out on ac
count of having duplicates folded
in with them.
When the polls were closed and
the count made up, it was found
that the Miners and Prospectors
ticket was elected throughout, with
a vote as follows :
son COrXt'ILMKX.
C. N. Crarv.*20-1
Simeon Poot.lt)'»
Charley Simonstead.1ST
J. L. Steele.1K1
Ed. Woods.184
James McHie.1*20
Charles Crawford .124
KMC SCHOOL DIRECTORS.
Adam Swan.205
John (Soodell.211
H. H. Hildreth.>.150
On the Citizens ticket the vote
was as follow s:
FOR COl’NCII.MKN.
A. P. Olsen.104
D. F. Osgood. 97
J. tl. Snyder. 57
FOR SCHOOL DIRECTOR.
Alvan Eames. 95
Business went on as usual
throughout the day ; there was no
hard feeling shown anywhere, and
now that the result is known, we
are just as good friends as ever and
hope we may all lie well and pros
perous by next election,
The present incumbents will
hold office until next July, as they
were elected last July to serve one
year, so those now eleoted will hold
office from July until the second
Monday in March, 1905, and there
after each l>oard will hold office for
one year, beginning on the second
Monday of each March.
The city of Valdez can lie justly
proud of having a first-class jewelry
and optical house. Mr. \V. C.
Stull is a thorough optician of
many years’ experience ; a prac
tical watchmaker, diamond setter
and manufacturing jeweler. We
heartily recommend him to the
citizens of Valdez and the miners
and prospectors of Alaska. Work
sent to him from camps will re
ceive prompt and careful attention, j
I
Construction Liable To Begin
This Season.
Tuesday evening Surveyor Bald
win established his first camp near
Station No. l.ou the government
truth From this point he will run
i the preliminary survey through
Keystone canyon for the Valdez
and Yukon river railway. Mr.
Baldwin has lieen employed .hv the
company recently organized by
Col. Bannister and Alfred B. lies,
under the name of Alaska, Copper
river A Yukon railway company,
to prosecute this work. The right
of-way through Keystone canyon
is the strategic point in the con
struction of the trans-Alaskan rail
road, and it is to secure the control
of this pass before others claim it
that the survey is being made over
the snow. As immediate construc
tion must be commenced in order
to hold the right-of-way, the whis
tle of the locomotive may he heard
in Valdez before Oet. 1st, l'.Kij.
Hoover- -Lyons.
Judge John Lyons, U. S. Com
missioner at this {.lace was married
to Miss Harriet L. Hoover on Jan.
lDth, at Fossil, Oregon. This news
came as a surprise to the many
friends of the Judge at this place,
no one thinking that lie had such
serious, or rather happy intentions
when he left here.
Judge Lyons came to Valdez
a year ago from Juneau, being ap
pointed U. «S. Commissionerfor this
place l»v Judge Brown of the Dis
trict Court. He has many
friends here and also throughout
southeastern Alaska, where he has
resided for several years and is well
known.
The liride is an old friend and
the couple have been engaged for
some time. The Fuospi-'atok ex
tends congratulations and the best
wishes to the hajfpy couple.
They expect to arrive here on the
next steamer.
A Miners Guide.
The Copper River Mining. Trail
ing ami Developing Co. have pub
lished a handsomely illustrated
book, entitled “Miners’, Settlers’
and Tourists’ Guide.” Tie title
suggests the nature of the book, and
it will, we believe, prove of great
value to the people of Valdez, and
more so to those who intend com
ing to our shores and travel through
this country. T1 e book, as a guide
starts from Valdez, as that is the
gateway into the interior, and ile
scrilies the Copjier river country
very minutely anil correctly. It
should Ik.- circulated extensively.
The Bertha will bring up a large
supply of these hooks to F. M.
Brown, who is the Alaska repre
sentative of the company and
everyone should have a copy in
their possession.
Gather up your nuggets, have
them made into watch chains,
bracelets or scarf, pins. Send them
to your friends in the east as a
sample jri the fabulous wealth of
Valdez mining district of Alaska.
We manufacture jewelry. W. C.
Stull, jeweler.
Parker Bunk House, on Key
stone Ave. Bunk, stove and wood.
All comforts, 25c i>cr day.
Several styles of horse and dog
harness received ex Thompson at
Fish’s.
Have you seen the Valdez souv
enir spoon at Stull’s jewelry store?
if not, you ought to. Photographic
effect, engraved in the U>wl, of the
mountains in the background.
Valdez and the hay in the fore
ground—beantitul effect—engraved
“.The Gateway, Valdez, Alaska.”
Go and see them.