Pacific-Yukon-Alaska Highway Edition
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SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE HYDER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INC.
r
N
SUBSCRIPTIONS
#3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
i———J
SPECIAL EDITION
HYDER, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 2, 1931
PRICE 15 CENTS
FOREWORD
The Hyder Chamber of Commerce.
Incorporated, finds much pleasure
and satisfaction in presenting to the
public this illustrated special edition
of the Hyder Weekly Herald.
The purpose of the publication is
to further construction of the pro
posed Paciflc-Yukon-Alaska Highway
and also to direct attention to the
possibilities from the standpoint of
tourist travel of a branch road from
the main Highway to the section of
the Alaska Territory closest to the
United States and the urban centers
of Canada—the Hyder mining district.
. Perusal of the following pages will
reveal that the Hyder district is not
only 500 miles nearer to the United
States than any other section of
Alaska that can possibly be reached
* by the Pacific—Yukon-Alaska High
way but also that it possesses in
fullest measure scenic, climatic and
other characteristics of a type most
certain ta attract and interest large
numbers of tourists and sightseers.
Connected with the already estab
lished British Columbian highway
system by means of a short branch
road running westward from Hazel
ton or Kitwanga, B. C., via Meziadin
Lake and Stewart, B. C.. the Hyder
district could be made accessible to
automobile travel from every part of
, the United States and southern Can
ada long before the Pacific—Yukon
Alaska Highway could be extended to
any other section of the Alaska Ter
ritory.
As indicated elsewhere in these col
umns, scarcely more than 110 miles
of new road construction would be re
quired to extend the present Contin
ental highway system to this highly
interesting section of Alaska, where
It would connect with a local gov
ernment—built highway system, em
bracing same 50 miles of splendid
automobile highway covering virtually
the entire Portland Canal mining
area.
Further increasing the attractive
ness of the proposed branch highway
route from the standpoint of the
tourist and sightseer is the fact that
both Hyder and Stewart are located
at tidewater on the Portland Canal,
one of the world’s most marvelous
natural waterways, where regular
steamship service connections, with
low tourist rates, would permit trav
elers to return to Seattle or Van
couver by steamer through the fam
ous Inside Passage, in the event that
circumstance or inclination precluded
continuance to more northerly points.
Offering as it does, a matchless
diversity of scenic attractions, re
markably mild climatic conditions,
and an opportunity to visit Alaska by
a much shorter route than is con
templated by the main Pacific-Yukon
Alaska Highway, there is scarcely a
reason to doubt that the Hyder dist
rict would become a visiting point
and summer playground for thousands
of automobile tourists in the event
of the proposed branch highway be
coming a reality.
In conclusion it may be said that
in the preparation of this publication
the Hyder Chamber of Commerce.
Inc., has excercisexl all possible care in
the selection and editing of the sub
ject matter with the object of avoid
ing any form of misrepresentation or
Inaccuracy. It is believed that this re
sult has been fully accomplished and
the edition is presented to the pub
lic with the utmost confidence that
every statement contained will be
fully verified by investigation.
Indeed it may be said that a desire
for investigation forms the primary
motive of publication. However facile
the pen, no written description can
convey to the reader more than a
faint idea of the vast and wonderful
Northland. Only through investigation
and inspection may one come to know
the true beauty and grandeur of this
and other sections for which the great
International highway will open a
new era of development and progress.
For this reason the publishers ex
tend to all readers and especially
those engaged in the organization and
transportation of tourist traffic a
cordal invitation to visit the Hyder
district and see for themselves the
remarkable scenic beauties and other
attractions of what has been describ
ed by experienced travelers as one
of the world’s scenic wonderlands.
O
APPRECIATION
**••*»*•**
The Chamber of Commerce wish
es to express appreciation and thanks
to the following for valuable assist
ance rendered in the publication of
this special edition:
Ernest Love, Stewart, B. C.; Dalby
B. Morklll. B. C. Land Surveyor;
the Alaska Weekly of Seattle, Wn.;
Chas. D. Garfield, of the Seattle
Chamber of Commerce; H. W. M.
Rolston, editor, and the staff of the
Stewart News; Dr. S. F. Tolmie, Pro
mier of British Calumbia Columbia;
Chas. P. Sandford. editor, and the
staff of the Hyder Herald; the
Chamber of Commerce Highway Com
mittee, and all others who have giv
en so freely of their time and sub
stance in helping to make the pub
lication a success.
Hyder, Alaska, and Stewart, Brit
ish Columbia, have been approp
riately designated "The Twin Cities
of the North.”
The two towns are situated on
tidewater at the head of. Portland
Canal, 120 miles north of Prince
Rupert, B. C.. in Latitude 53 degrees,
51 minutes north. Longitude 130 west,
and are less than two mile3 apart,
with the Alaska-Canada international
boundary line between.
] Hyder, Alaska, Is situated at the
mouth of Salmon River valley, a mile
' deep embrasure in the Coast Range
1 mountains some 20 miles in length, of
which 13 are in Alaska, the remain
der in British Columbia.
| Stewart, B. C., is located at tho
entrance to Bear River Valley and is
the most northerly ice-free seaport of
Canada. The Bear valley is about 25
miles long and forms a natural gato
way to the groat central basin of
Canada, from which it is divided by
only one low mountain barrier.
Portland Canal . is a deep inland
waterway some 90 miles in length
and is an arm of the Pacific Ocean,
which it joins at Dixon's Entrance
on the British Columbia-Alaska eoast.
Portland Canal terminates abruptly
at Stewart, where it forms a mile
wide salt water harbor with safe
anchorage for ships of the lurgest
type and provides deep-water front
age for both Hyder and Stewart.
Both towns are ports of entry and
the sole distributing points for theii
respective areas and enjoy an im
portant sea commerce, with five
steamship lines maintaining regulaf
sailings to Seattle, Vancouver and
Ketchikan, Alaska.
Hyder and Stewart both possess
excellent townsites, located on fli
! delta lands and contain room for pop
ulations of many thousands.
The laud area available for business
and residential purposes at Hyder ap
1 proximately 900 acres, of which, about
200 acres lias been subdivided for
i townsite purposes.
Stewart possesses an available land
j area of about lf>00 acres, of which
some 600 acres is within the platted
townsite.
Owing to its peculiar location near
j the easern border of the Coast Range,
! Hyder is the only town in Alaska that
can be linked up with the Canadian
railway system, except at an unwar
rantable expense and the overcom
ing of tremendous natural obstacles.
Mining is the principal resource of
. both the Hyder and Stewart districts.
! Hyder is the gateway to the Salmon
1 River mining area of both Alaska
u and British Columbia which contains
:
l ilie famous Premier mine, while Stew
| art is the entry point for the richly
mineralized Bear River region, ex
tending along both sides of Bear
River valley.
Records of the Mining Recorders’ of
tices in Hyder and Stewart show the
location of considerably more than a
thousand existing mining claims in
| the two districts.
Incidental to the mining,industry
is an important lumbering and saw
; mill industry, the product of which is
absorbed mainly by tire mines of the
district. The principal sawmill of the
i district is located at Hyder and has
an annual output considerably in ex
cess of 1,000,000 board feet of lum
ber.
Owing to the presence throughout
i the district of vast quantities of
limber and numerous potential water
powers, conditions appear extremely
1 favorable for the ultimate develop
ment of a large paper pulp industry.
THE PORTLAND t
CANAL DISTRICT I
+--——
That portion of the Portland Canal
mineral area embracing the Hyder
and Stewart districts includes a wide
range of territory surrounding the
head of Portland Canal and extend
ing along both 3hores of that great
waterway for approximately 50 miles.
Portland Canal forms a portion of
the boundary line between Alaska
and British Columbia along its entire
00-mile length, the northerly shore be
ing Alaska territory, the southerly
Canadian.
A major portion of the mineralized
section of the district lies ii» British
Columbia and is included in the Stew
art district.
The district lies almost wholly
within the eastern part of the Coast
ltange. The topography as a whole
is one of great relief, ■with the higher
[leaks ranging from 4,000 to 7,000
fact above the valley floors. The
mountains in general have been glac
ially rounded to a height of 6,000
lect and sharp pointed, serrate peaks
are found only above this altitude.
The valley walls have been glaciated
and usually have very steep slopes
or, in some parts of the district,
sheer cliffs. Huge snow' fields and
glaciers occupy virtually all of the
higher valleys.
The district is divided by natural
conditions into four major sections
Known as the Bear River, Salmon
River, Marmot River and Texas Creek
sections. The Bear and Marmot River
areas lie wholly in British Columbia.
Some 13 miles of the Salmon River
area is in Alaska, the remainded ex
tending northward across the inter
national boundary line and some 20
miles into Canadian territory. The
Bear and Salmon River areas trend
north and south from the head of
Portland Canal. The Texas Creek
area is entirely in Alaskan territory
and extends westerly from the Sal
mon River Valley a short distance
North of Hyder. Each of these major
sections is characerized by a remark
able extent and diversity of mineral
ization.
Considerable misconception exists
regarding the climatic conditions of
the Portland Canal district. Although
situated within the Pacific Coast
climatic province, where rainfall is
abundant, the climate of the district
is much milder than along the north
ern British Columbian and Alaska
coasts. This is primarily due to the
district being situated far inland and
^surrounded and sheltered from the
ocean winds by high mountains.
Those in a position to know say
the climate of this section is the
tinest in Alaska. There is some cold
weather in winter, but not as cold as
is usual in the northern part of the
Mississippi valley. There are but few
nights during the winter when it gets
down to zero. The snow will some
times be from 3 to 5 feet deep in
the valleys, although much deeper at
high elevations. As there is prac
tically no wind, the snow does not
drift and the traveled roads are kept
leveled by graders. The snow is usual
ly gone from the valley floors about
the first of May.
The summers are warm and mild,
with the long days of northern climes
aglow with sunshine in midsummer.
Vegetation is abundant. The valley
bottoms except those occupied by
glaciers are well wooded. The slopes
up to 3,000 feet are clothed with
dense forest growth, chiefly of hem
lock and spruce. Yellow cedar is
found locally. Undergrowth of almost
tropical density exists in most of the
wooded areas. Blueberries, high-bush
cranberries and salmon berrier grow
wild In remarkable abundance.
Wild flowers are diversified and
abundant. Wild roses and flaming
fireweed clothe the open spaces in
season. Forget-me-nots. Alaska dais
ies, fox glove, wild lilies and many
ether varities of flowers and fern
growths are found in profusion on
the sunny slopes.
Garden vegetables grow with re
markable rapidity in the long, warm
days of summer and possess fine
quolity and flavor. Potatoes have been
raised weighing two pounds each.
Water power sites of large poten
tialities exist at many places in the
district and adequate power for pros
pecting can usually be developed from
mountain streams on most of the
mining properties of the district.
**********
* Future of Hyder and
Stewart Is Bright *
**********
It has been said that all cities that
have achieved wealth and greatness
have done so mainly on account of
their natural, advantages.
Considered from this standpoint,
the future of Hyder, Alaska, and
Stewart, B. C„ is bright indeed.
Few cities have been located
amidst greater natural advantages
than these “Twin Cities of the North.”
Not only are they surrounded on
every side by mineral wealth, but
are situated at the only logical Pa
cific gateway to Northern Britisli
Columbia, and Central Canada, with
their vast reaches of mineral, tim
ber and agricultural lands. Combined
with this fortunate geographical lo
cation, they also possess a land
locked harbor open to ship commerce
throughout every portion of the year
and a natural railroad route of almost
ideal grade extending eastward to the
valley of (he Peace.