perienced gold prospectors, yet they could not but realize the importance of this discovery. The season was far advanced, but two crude rockers were constructed, and by using heated water about $1,800 wrth of gold was extracted from the gravels of Anvil Creek and

well-known trader at Golofnin Bay, supplied several natives with gold pans and taught them how to wash out a pan of dirt. For that purpose he obtained some gold dust from St. Michael, and would sprinkle a little in a pan of beach sand at Golofnin Bay. These natives would carry the gold pans with them on their fishing and squirrel-hunting trips, and it was while out on one of these trips that Tom Guarick, a native Esquimaux, made the discovery of gold on Ophir Creek, in the Council City district, which at that time had, in all likelihood, never been visited by white man. Tom, on his return to Dexter's, reported his discovery and brought back about one-half ounce of gold dust. This was in August, 1897. One month later Daniel B. Libby, A. P. Mordaunt, L. S. Melsing, and Harry Blake, who were sent by San Francisco capitalists in the spring of 1897 to roam around that part of Alaska under a grub-stake contract, landed at Golofnin Bay, and on reaching Dexter's house saw this gold. On inquiry they were told when and how it was found, and a few days later, with Tom, the native, as a guide, they were taken to Ophir Creek, which was later named, and, on prospecting there, found that native Tom had made a discovery of gold on that creek. All through the winter of 1897 and 1898 the party, with other residents of the vicinity, prospected the different creeks, and finally in April, 1898, staked mining claims on Ophir Creek and Melsing Creek. They then organized the El Dorado mining district, elected a mining recorder, and formulated a set of mining rules. The first stakers and organizers of the district were Daniel B. Libby, A. P. Mordaunt, L. S. Melsing. H. L. Blake, Dr. A. N. Kittleson, who had been in charge of the Government reindeer station at Port Clarence; Rev. N. C. Hultberg, a missionary at Golofnin Bay; P. H. Anderson, a missionary teacher at Golofnin Bay, and John A. Dexter. This discovery was soon noised abroad, and a stampede to the new diggings followed from near-by points.

"I, Jafet Lindeberg, a native of Norway, came to this country in the spring of 1898 with Sheldon Jackson, superintendent of the Government reindeer enterprise, for the express purpose of going to Plover Bay. in eastern Siberia, to relieve Captain Kelly, who was trading at that place for reindeer for the Government. In furtherance of this agreement, I left Seattle on the steamer Del Norte carly in 1898, taking with me a stock of provisions, and not interfering with the Government business for which I was to be assigned. On arrival at St. Michael, news was brought to Doctor Jackson that Captain Kelly had been driven away from Plover Bay by hostile natives. It was then decided that it would be unwise to send me over there, and, being left without a suitable position, Doctor Jackson gave me permission to leave the Government employ. This I did, and, taking my outfit, made for the new diggings at Council City, which had been located on the banks of the Niukluk River, near Ophir Creek.

John Brynteson, a native of Sweden and an experienced coal and iron miner, who for seven years had worked in the mines in Michigan, determined to go to Alaska and look for coal. Arriving at St. Michael and hearing of the discoveries on Ophir Creek, he promptly left St. Michael for Council City, arriving there early in the summer of 1898. “Erik O. Lindblom, a native of Sweden, by profession a tailor, and for years following his trade in San Francisco, while there, hearing of the fabulous reports from Kotzebue Sound, joined that mad stampede, going north on the bark Alaska. Arriving at Port Clarence on his way to Kotzebue Sound and hearing of the gold discovery on Ophir Creek, he left the ship and proceeded to Golofnin Bay, thence to Council City.

We three men met by chance at Council City in August, 1898; after prospecting around in that district for some time and staking claims, formed a prospecting companionship and decided to prospect over a wider range of territory. Even at this early date the Council City district was overrun by stampeders, and staked to the mountain tops; so we proceeded to Golofnin Bay, and taking a large open boat and an outfit of provisions, on September 11, 1898, started up the coast toward Port Clarence, stopping at the various rivers to prospect on the way, in which we found signs of gold, but not in paying quantities, and finally arriving at what is now known as the town of Nome. From there we proceeded up Snake River, which we named, and camped at the mouth of Glacier Creek, prospecting as we went along. The first encouraging signs of gold we found on the banks of Snake River was at about the place where Lane's pumping plant is now located. After locating our camp as before mentioned, we proceeded to prospect along the tributaries of Snake River, which tributaries we named

15604-Bull. 328-08- -2

Snow Gulch. Claims were also staked on Anvil and Glacier creeks, as well as on Snow Gulch and other small creeks.

On the return of this party to Golofnin Bay early in October the news quickly spread, and soon all within its reach started for Anvil Creek. On October 18, at a miners' meeting, the Cape Nome mining district was formed, and A. N. Kittleson was elected recorder.

as follows: Anvil Creek (taking the name from an anvil-shaped rock which stands on the mountain on the east side of the creek), Snow Gulch, Glacier Creek, Rock Creek, and Dry Creek, in all of which we found gold in paying quantities, and proceeded to locate claims, first on Anvil Creek, because we found better prospects in that creek than in the others, and where we located the "discovery claim" in the name of us three jointly. In addition to this, each man staked a separate claim in his own name on the creek. This was the universal custom in Alaska, as it was conceded that the discoverer was entitled to a discovery claim and one other. After locating on Anvil Creek, claims were staked on Snow Gulch, Dry Creek, and Rock Creek, after which we returned to Golofnin Bay and reported the discovery.

"It was then decided to form a mining district, so we three original discoverers organized a party, taking with us Dr. A. N. Kittleson, G. W. Price, P. H. Anderson, and a few others, again proceeded to Nome in a small schooner which we chartered at Golofnin Bay, purchasing as many provisions as we could carry on the boat, and on our arrival the Cape Nome mining district was organized, and Dr. A. N. Kittleson elected the first recorder. Rules were formulated, after which the party prospected and staked claims, finally returning to Golofnin Bay for winter quarters. The news spread like wildfire, and soon a wild stampede was made to the new diggings from Council City, St. Michael, and the far-off Yukon.

"At this period very few mining men were in the country, the newcomers in many instances being from every trade known. The consequence of this was soon well known; a few men with a smattering of education gave their own interpretation to the mining laws, hence jumping mining claims soon became an active industry. Especially from Council City came the jumpers, who were the original men John Dexter, by an Esquimaux, had guided to the first discovery of gold on the Seward Peninsula. They were angry to think that they had not been taken in at the beginning, so a few of them promptly jumped nearly every claim on Anvil Creek, although there was an abundance of vacant and unlocated ground left which has since proved to be more valuable than the original claims located by us and our second party who helped us to form the district. This jumping, or relocating of claims by the parties above named, poisoned the minds of all the newcomers against every original locator of mining claims, and as a consequence every original claim was relocated by from one to a dozen different parties. "At that time L. B. Shepard was United States commissioner at St. Michael, and in no case did a jumper have a chance to profit by his villainy, if Judge Shepard could prevent it. Another strong factor for good government at St. Michael and vicinity was Capt. E. S. Walker, of the United States Army. With exceptionally good judgment and a fearless attitude he held the lawless element in check, and great credit should be given him.

"In the early months of 1899 we hauled supplies to the creeks, and as soon as the thaw came began active mining on Snow Gulch and on Anvil Creek. Soon a large crowd flocked to Nome, which was then known as Anvil City. Among this crowd was a large element of lawless men who soon joined forces with the Council City jumpers, and every effort was made by them to create trouble. Secret meetings were held and a plan formulated whereby arrangements were made to call a mass meeting of miners, and at this meeting declare all the acts of the original miners' meeting that organized the district invalid, and to throw open all claims for relocation. This nefarious scheme leaked out, and word was sent to Captain Walker at St. Michael, who promptly dispatched Lieutenant Spaulding with a detachment of troops to Nome. A few days after their arrival the projected mass meeting was called. Here the agreed-on resolutions were offered, which, if passed, would have created bloody riot. Lieutenant Spaulding dispersed the meeting, receiving the thanks of the entire mass of law-abiding citizens of Nome and vicinity for this act, and had it not been for the military, who proved themselves to be the true men to the American Government, much riot and bloodshed would have resulted from the conduct of the aforementioned parties.

"Yours, very truly,

44

(Signed)

JAFET LINDEBERG.

Though it was now too late to do any mining, or even prospecting, there was abundant opportunity to stake claims, and of this all took advantage. Each man filed locations on as many claims for himself and his friends as he thought by any chance he could retain in his possession. To such an extent was the right of staking by power of attorney abused that no less than 7,000 acres were filed on by not more than 40 men. Here, as elsewhere in Alaska, the preemption under the mineral laws of many claims in one district by individuals under power of attorney or otherwise, which under a strict interpretation of the statutes would appear to be illegal, has discouraged legitimate prospecting and retarded the development of mining interests.

THE FIRST YEAR OF MINING.

When the Nome mining district was organized, Seward Peninsula was practically cut off from communication with the outside world, for the nearest post-office was St. Michael, 100 miles away, and that received mail only during the open season. However, rumors of the discovery of these rich placers gradually reached other parts of Alaska, and during the fall and winter of 1898-99 many men came from St. Michael and even from the Yukon. By the middle of May, 1899, Nome, then called Anvil City, probably had a population of 250. Meanwhile, before the ice broke, the news had been carried up the Yukon to Dawson, and thence to the outer world. This caused a general movement toward Nome among Yukon miners, but the world at large was far from being convinced of the authenticity of the published statements, for it had come to regard with considerable skepticism the wild tales emanating from the northland during the Klondike excitement. Late in June several vessels reached Nome from Puget Sound and found a population of about 400 living in tents and in a score of driftwood cabins. Mining began June 20, and the steamers returning to Seattle brought confirmatory news of placer gold in this new camp. It was not until then that people began to take the rumors seriously and that any real excitement arose about the new district. As a result, several steamers sailing for St. Michael touched at Nome to discharge passengers and freight. These newcomers, together with those that found their way down the Yukon from Dawson and other points, swelled the population of Nome to nearly 3,000. By the late fall of 1899 a veritable frenzy seized the people of the Yukon, and not a few settlements were almost depopulated as a result of the rush to Nome.

Meanwhile, in the early summer, there was anything but a contented community at Nome. The newcomers had found the whole region covered with location notices and very little mining being done. The professional claim stakers had followed their usual prac

tice of blanketing the creeks with location notices, under powers of attorney, and then holding many claims without doing any prospecting, in the hope of being able to take advantage of any discoveries made by the labors of others. In the early part of July probably less than seven hundred men were actually engaged in mining, while upward of a thousand were idle, with neither prospect of employment as miners nor opportunity to prospect in the district. It should be remembered that at that time gold had been found in only a very small area adjacent to Anvil Creek. These idle men believed that many of the locations were illegal, as they unquestionably were under a strict interpretation of the statutes, for as the law requires an actual discovery of gold on each claim it is obvious that a man who staked twenty to thirty claims in a few days could not have determined the presence of gold in them. It was also charged that many claims had been located by aliens and were therefore not legal preemptions. Under these conditions it is not to be wondered that an era of "claim jumping" began, during which practically every property of any prospective value was restaked. It was then not uncommon to find a claim corner marked by half a dozen stakes, each of which represented a different claimant.

The nearest United States commissioner was at St. Michael, and there was therefore practically no means of enforcing civil law. In fact, there were no representatives of the Government at Nome except an officer and a small detachment of soldiers which had been sent over from the army post at St. Michael in the spring. On the commandant of this handful of soldiers rested the responsibility of maintaining law and order among a thousand discouraged and angry men, a task made all the more difficult because he was without any actual legal authority. He deserves credit for meeting the situation as far as it lay in his power by patrolling property to which there were rival claimants and by attempting to settle the constantly rising disputes. Discontent was rife, and matters went from bad to worse. July 10 a so-called “miners' meeting" was called for the purpose of discussing the situation, and a resolution was there presented a setting forth the grievances of those who believed that the claim locations had not been made in accordance with the United States statutes. While it must be admitted that the unlimited staking was undoubtedly illegal, yet this meeting was mainly attended by those who, for one reason or another, had not succeeded in getting hold of placer claims. Had these discontented men spent less time in protesting and airing their grievances and more in prospecting they would have been better off, as subsequent operations have shown that there remained much valuable placer ground which had not then been preempted. This meeting, though

a Dunham, S. C., The Yukon and Nome gold region: Ann. Rept. Commissioner of Labor, 1900, pp. 849-850.

a

no doubt tending to increase the dissatisfaction, was entirely within the legal rights of the individuals who believed that they had been wronged. Therefore the peremptory dispersing of the crowd attendant at the meeting by the commandant of the troops was a highhanded proceeding, entirely unwarranted either in law or equity. The tension grew day by day, and conflicts between rival claim owners became not infrequent. To rectify matters, the military promulgated the following order on July 13:

To put an end to apparent misunderstandings, the following statement is published:

All disputed titles, whether to mining claims or town lots, shall at once be brought before the civil authorities for settlement. So long as the civil authorities can handle such matters the military authorities will take no action. In case it becomes necessary for the military authorities to act, the claim or lot will be held in its condition at the time, neither party being allowed to do any work to change the condition of the same.

While there exists no objection to the holding of orderly meetings for the discussion of ordinary business affairs, in any meeting held for the purpose of acting in district affairs no person is entitled to participate excepting claim holders. Any attempt so to participate by other persons is illegal, and the proper steps will be taken to prevent it.

Decisions and orders of the civil courts will be supported by the entire power and authority of the United States troops.

No persons will be allowed to carry firearms, revolvers, or pistols. Anyone violating this order will have said firearms confiscated.

a Another version of this affair is contained in the following note furnished by Mr. Hess:

"The statement of Dr. A. N. Kittleson about this miners' meeting as he made it to me this last summer (1905), as nearly as I can give it from memory, was as follows:

In the summer of 1899 he and the other original stakers on Anvil Creek who were then attempting to work their claims practically had to stand over them with guns all the time to keep from being overrun by parties of gamblers, professional jumpers, and other riffraff. Circumstances became so bad that Doctor Kittleson went over to St. Michael and asked that a detachment of soldiers be sent to Nome for the protection of property. This was done, and a great deal of hard feeling followed, especially toward Doctor Kittleson, but it seemed to be the only way in which the original stakers could hold their property. The outsider' had at first held that the original claims, which had been laid out 1,320 by 660 feet, according to the statute, should be reduced to 500 feet in length, and this it was proposed to do by force. Shortly after this the other parties who had been attempting to force the original stakers off their claims called a miners' meeting,' before doing which they conspired to offer a resolution declaring all existing locations void. Meanwhile men had been stationed upon Anvil Mountain with instructions that on the passing of the resolution a bonfire should be started in Nome, at which signal the men were to hurry down from the mountain and restake the claims on Anvil Creek, thus getting ahead of the rush which would follow from Nome. A rumor of this intended action had come to Doctor Kittleson, who communicated with the mili tary authorities, and a lieutenant with two or three men went to the meeting and took places on the platform. When the resolution was introduced, declaring all the locations void and the land open for relocation, the lieutenant ordered that the resolution be with-drawn within two minutes, stating that he considered it not for the good of the community, and that if it was not withdrawn he would clear the hall. The men tried to argue with the lieutenant, but he was firm and at the end of the two minutes ordered the sergeant accompanying him to clear the hall, which was done. Later the claims were jumped and long litigation followed. One man told me that the company with which he was connected had alone spent over $200,000 in lawyers' and court fees in holding its property."