OLDTIMER TOM SHALLOW CELEBRATING HIS 72ND YEAR IN FAR NORTH
Uy Paul (Ip) Lien
Tom ohallow has no doubt
lived m Alaska longer than any
person residing in the State.
Shallow, who will celebrate
his 9oid buthday in July of this
year, was born in Boston, Mass.,
in iBii9. ills father was a sailor
-—and of Irish descent.
Being the adventurous type, Shal
low kit unne at the age of 21 and
he >i:d for Alaska.
There were no gold strikes or
any other inducements for the young
Bostonian to come to Alaska—just
the thrill of adventure.
Shallow took a boat out of Seattle
and arrived in Dyea at the head of
By an Canal in the spring of 1890.
Never Left
Since the day Shallow set foot
On Alaskan soil in 1890, over seven
ty-one years ago, he has never left
Alaska!
By a was the only port of any
size in that area in those d3ys. This
was before Skagway or Whitehorse
was even thought of.
People either walked or traveled
on horseback in 1890. There were
no roads.
"I walked over Chilkoot pass with
a pack on my back several times,
and finally ended up on Lake Lin
derman. 27 miles from Dyea," said
Shallow.
"On the way I met several other
white men and we sort of traveled
together.
Lmderman is at the headwaters
of the Yukon River. We built boats
and started down the river.
First Strike
“Gold had been first struck in
the Forty-Mile, near Walker's Fork,
by Skiff’ Mitchell and Ben Frank
lin in 1386.
“Ibis strike did not compare to
the Dawson strike in 1896. but gave
us the idea of ‘rocking’ for gold.
“We would stop along the river
and mine on sand bars and along
the river bank. No one ever thought
of mining the creeks.
“The ‘rocker’ was a box about
eight feet long with a four-foot
handle on the end of it. This was
filled partially with pay dirt and
water was dipped into the box by
hand.
“You would rotrk H baek wnrp
forth with one end elevated higher
than the other and finally work the
gold out of the pay dirt—if you
were lucky enough to find any.
Country Blank
“The country in those days was
blank from one end to the other.
There were lots of Indians settled
along the river, but very few white
men.
“Harper had a trading post at the
mouth of the Pelly River. Most of
us prospectors stayed there for the
winter.
“We didn’t have trouble finding
food. We had moose, caribou, rab
bits, sheep—and plenty of fish.
“The only things we had to buy
were a few staples, such as dried
potatoes, onions, salt, pepper and
dried fruit.
“The next spring we continued
down the Yukon River—just loaf
ing along and didn't find any gold
to speak of.
Built Forts
“Early settlers in Alaska built
forts to protect themselves from hos
tile Indians.
“Fort Cudahy was one place I
stopped on the journey down river.
1 finally ended up at Fort Me Ques
ten on the Stewart River about 75
miles east of Dawson.
“Most of the country was owned
by Hudson Bay Company in the
early days. They had nearly all the
forts and trading posts, and oper
ated two steamers on the Yukon,
the ‘Arctic’ and the ‘P. B. Weir.’
“When gold was struck in the
Dawson country by George Car
mack. I was at Forty Mile. Like
everyone else, I headed for the gold
strike.
“Arriving in Dawson soon after
the strike, I worked around the
camp mining for others, but mostly
did teamster work.
Father of Senator
“Ed Bartlett, father of our Sena
tor ‘Bob,’ had a stable and worked
39 head of horses at the peak of the
strike. 1 worked driving horses for
him and others until I left in 1900
for Nome.
“During the mining season of 1898
there was $28,000,000 in gold taken
out—but I wasn't one of the lucky
fellows.
“Leaving Dawson I wandered all
Over the’bountry 'for the next coll
ate sft jnflMTH'-TWHir WMbril> -
when it was struck in 1902.
“When Frank Cleary struck the
NOTICE TO MINING CLAIMANTS
The Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of the
Interior, pursuant to application, serial number F-027653, filed by the
State of Alaska to select lands described as what wall be when surveyed
the Last Half, Township 2 North, Range 3 West, Fairbanks Meridian,
has found a number of placer mining claims to have been recorded
on Moose Creek, a tributary of Goldstream Creek. The Bureau, afteP
diligent search on the ground and contact with persons residing nearest
the lands and parties familiar with the general area, has been unable
to locate any of the below listed claimants.
Albrecht, W.
Allen. Charles B.
Anderson, L. B.
Armstrong A. T.
Barnette E. T.
Beatty, A. A.
Belt, George G.
Bernard, O. H.
Bessero. Pietro
Bevtngton, G. E.
Bevington, V. L.
Birkey, V. S.
Blackwood, Guy
Borak, Theodore
Bouttu, William
Brandino, Bart
Brayeau, S
Broadhurst G.
Brondina, Joe
Brontjino Dominick
Bucci Antonio
Bucei, Domenic
Bucci,-J.
Bucci Paolina
Burglln, August
Burnard, A.
Camer on, Herb
Charrpn. Alf
Clausen John T.
Collins J.
Coliee Hirry
Cometh j-s S. S.
Conta. Joe
Cook Wm.
Copeland, Alvin
Cyr, John
Daunehor. G. A.
De Bann Wm.
Diebold Val
Dignan John W.
Donaldson. A. B.
Donnelly. M.
Drouin E E
Duncan. John
Dundon, Anna J.
Dundon, Thos. E.
Effinger. Reinhard
Eider, Charles
Ensol. Sydney C.
Erchinger, Ray
Erickson. Ed. L.
Farrington, Zenos
Fink. H. S.
Fowler. Lepsoe S.
Frey. Oscar H.
Fry. Oscar H.
Gnllinatti. Tino
Geraghty. C. W.
Giebel, Frank
Gnerly, Alexander
Godfrey Sanford
Grills. E.
Hendricks, N. V.
Henry. John A.
Huber. Julius
Jachum, Chris
Jestel, George
Jochum, Chris
Joesting. D. Oldham
Joesting, David H
Joesting, Dorothy O.
Joesting, Henry R.
Joesting. Oldham
Johnson Axel W.
Johnson Pete
Kass’th Caspar
Kelly, M. E.
Kerier Louis
Lachevroli. r, C.
La costa, O.
Landry. Archie
Lang, James R.
Larson, N. C.
Larson, T.
Lepsoe. H.
listmnnn, L.
Lyman, Robert
Macky, C. L.
Marooney. James
McDaniels, A1
McDonald. J. A.
MeEwan John
McGinly. J. T.
Means, R N.
Meehan, Matt
Millett, A. J.
Mogel. J.
Moore, W. H.
Morency, P.
Morse, Frank
Mudge, Harry
Nerwirth, Edward
Noyes, F. R.
Oldaker, S. R.
O’Melia, John
Patterson, Alex
Pauckchen, Carl
Peitch, L.
Fertile, Pietro
Pertile, Joe
Phelan, Arthur A.
Phillipps, Harry
Phillips, Lepsoe S.
Pietsch, L.
Ralston, Harry
Raphart, George
Reagan, Wm.
Rerandu, August
Robertson. George
Ross, E. L.
Schill, Fred
Schoentr p, II Ion A.
S'Irak, Phil
Selwich, Philip
Sequin, Willie
Sherard. James
Silva, Martin
Sistman, Louis
Sumner, W. H
Swenson, A A.
Turney, J S.
Wagner, Nick
Weber, G, A,
Weber, M. P.
While, Har y
Whitte, Pasquale
Witte, Pasquale
Unle? bin 30 days of the date of this notice, information is received
by tb, Manager, Fairbanks Land Office, Bureau of Land Management,
516 Second Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska, concerning any of the above
listed claimants, their claims will be presumed to have been abandoned,
and all else being regular, title to the lands selected by the State will
be transferred to the State of Alaska.
First Pub.: Feb. 14, 1962
Last Pub.: Feb. 21, 1962
creek that bears his name, I went
to work for him freighting with
pack horses. George Cary, father
of Eva Collins of Fairbanks, was ,
with me when I worked for Cleary.
Lots of Money
“There was lot's of money in
Fairbanks in those days. Everything
came out of the ground—not like ;
now when we look to the Outside
for everything.
“At that time the highest priced
horses and mules in the world were
right here in Fairbanks.
“In the spring of 1904 I started j
down river and ended up in Nome!
where I stayed a couple of years.
Blue Farka Bandit
“I came back to Fairbanks in 1905.
and was here when they finally
caught the ‘Blue Parka’ bandit. He
j had been robbing miners coming to
Fairbanks from the outlying creeks
j of their gold regularly.
“The ‘Blue Parka’ bandit was
' caught by a deputy marshal in a
! roadhouse near Birch Creek.
“There was really no definite evi
dence against him when he was
locked up, but he tried to escape
with another inmate and was caught
—and was sentenced to twelve years
in the penitentiary. The two had hit
J a jailer u ho was good to them, over
the head in their effort to break
jail.
“Judge Wickersham told us he
I
would have gone free if he hadn t
pulled a •boner' and tried to escape.
Blueberry Kid
“About the same time the ‘Blue
Parka’ bandit was put away, the
notorious ‘Blueberry Kid killed one
of my best friends coming out of
the Koyukuk country.
The -Kid' was with a whole boat
load of people corning down the
Koyukuk Kiver—and robbed and
killcd-them all.
“I had met him earlier in the
Iditarod country and never did like
the guy.
“He kept on going after the kill
ings—left Alaska and to my know
ledge never was caught. It was
said he was trailed to Paris, France,
but never had the murders pinned
on him.
Met Richardson
“During the early days when the
trail to Valdez was first opened, I
became acquainted again with Capt.
Wilds P. Richardson, whom I had
first met in Ft. Yukon in the winter
of 1897.
“At that time, as Lt. Richardson,
he and another officer had just
missed the cutter ’Bear' at St.
Michael after a summer spent along
the Arctic Coast. We came up the
Yukon River together and got
frozen in at Ft. Yukon. When we
parted in the spring. I thought I’d
never see him again.
“Capt. Richardson was head of
the Alaska Road Commission, a
division of the Army at that time,
when I ran into him on the Valdez
trail.
‘•Capt. Richardson arranged for
me to have a job handling pack
horses and mules, and I stayed with
this work until the early twenties.
Worked at McKinley
“I finally ended up with horses
in McKinley Park where T handled
thirty-odd head for Jim Galen and
Bobby Sheldon when they operated
the park for the tourists in the
summer. I stayed with this work
until I finally retired in 1940."
Today Tom Shallow is just taking
it easy in his home near Fourth
and Wickersham in Fairbanks.
“I was retired from the Road
Commission because they r aid I had
a bum heart," said Shallow.
“I told the doctor he was nuts—
and it just goes to show you—it was
my stomach all the time, and it still
bothers me.”
$562,000 has been received from
the FAA as reimbursement to the
State for costs incurred in improv
ing the two airports at Anchorage
and Fairbanks. The monies received
were in three checks which in
; eluded two checks for the Anchor
age Airport totaling $107,000 and
one chock for the Fairbanks Air
1 port totaling $395,000.
I
I
Electricity Powers
Prog
ress...
Observe National Electric Week
February 11-17
The strength of America can be measured in many ways, but none is more
meanful than its ability to produce and consume electricity. This is the* mes
sage behind "Electricity Powers Progress", the theme for National Electric
Week in 1962. V, ,1 ,rdr/
Many will define this theme in terms of material benefits, and have ev
ery reason to do so. For more than 80 years, much of the progress enjoyed by
Americans has been due to the contributions of the power. It has multiplied
our productive miracles in science and medicine, led us to the highest standard
of living in the history of mankind.
But many others think of a different kind of progress these days. They
think of the progress that is necessary to defend a free society, a free world,
and the precious rights of man. To them, "Electricity Powers Progress" because
it is a vital force in the battle for freedom. It is essential to research and lead
ership in the space age. It is a key factor in all programs to assist the econom
ics of backward nations, strength and its capacity to preserve its belief and its
way of life.
Today, with only one seventeenth of the world's population, we have
one third of the world's electric power-producing capacity. We have more ca
pacity than the next five leading power producing countries in the world com
bined. Russia's latest revised goal aims at a per capita production of 3,000 kilo
watt hour in 1970. We expect to reach a per capita production of 7,500 in that
year.
The electrical industry is proud of its rate as a bulwark of democracy, a,
power for progress. The Municipal Utilities System, as a part of this great in
dustry, invites you to join them in celebrating National Electric Week.
645-5th Ave., Fairbanks — GL 6-6633