Weekly: Rampart, Alaska, Saturday, November 11, 1905.
No. 20
Caribou Change
Annual Route
For the first time, in the history of
Rampart caribou are being killed with
in eight miles of town.
On Wednesday the Indians killed 15;
on the divide 5 miles back of the village, j
The herd has been turned and are now
on Hunter dome near the head of Hun
ter creek. It Is estimated that there
are about 200 animals in the herd.
Henry Wagner killed six on Gunnison
and came into town to secure dogs. His
reports started John Duncan and Dep
utv marshal Drake out to take a hand
in the hunt.
Charley and Ben Mayo left Wednes
day morning with a complete camping
outfit. Charley returned Thursday for
dog feed and brought in a caribou for
Hast.
Thursday afternoon the young son of
Indian Lige and another boy tracked a
bunch into the head of Alder and killed
fourteen. The herd is pretty well sur
rounded and will furnish the camp with
meat for the winter.
Yesterday morning Fred Cassidy and
Ed Hopkins left to join the hunters.
The caribou are on their annual jour
ney south; but it is hard to account for
thoir present location, so far north of
their usual track. The Indians believe
it is due to the rapid development and
settling of the Fairbanks district which
lays right in line with the usual track cf
the caribou run. The present course
would allow them to cross to the north
and eastward of Fairbanks.
Some Business Changes
~ fhe California Kitchen has closed for
the winter. Harry Callham will start
mining, and John Wilson will leave for
Tanana shortly.
M. R. Downing and Jerry Ford have
dissolved partnership. Ford continues
the business.
I
First Mail Arrives
The first mail to Rampart since the
river closed arrived in charge of Mail
carriers Palm and Shultz Thursday af
ternoon at 3 o’clock. The consignment
consisted of about 400 pounds. When
this mail left Eagle Oct. 14 it weighed
some 1600 pounds. The carrier was in
structed to turn back the Fairbanks
portion to Circle; providing the mail
got no further than Ft. Yukon.
The mail did not reach Ft. Yukon,
but froze in 25 miles south. The Fair
banks mail was sent back and and will
reach the latter place via the Circle cut
off.
Carrier Palm, who was accompanied
by Fred Cassidy, met Carriers Shultz
and Carse 15 miles below Ft. Hamlin.
The carriers report a particularly
hard trip. The heavy snow-fall and
backed-up Yukon water rendered tra
velling not only extremely difficult but
dangerous. Several times they broke
through the ice.
The latest outside letters received
were postmarked at Seattle' Sept. 29.
The few newspapers were all of older
dates than those received before the
close of navigation.
Carrier Palm left for Tanana this
morning and will leave there on the 15th
arriving here next Friday night. Car
rier Shultz will await the return of
Palm and will leave with the outbound
mail next Saturday morning.
Tanana Shows Public Spirit
The*business men of Tanana have or
ganized a chamber of commerce and are
devising ways and means for pushing
their town to the front.
The project of cutting a trail into the
Kantishna and Novi strikes has been
!
j talked of. It is claimed that a short
route across country can be swamped
out at a small expense that will make
Tanana the winter supply point for the
' new districts. The trail will probably
i be put through this winter.
Wright’s Death
Looks Suspicious
%
The recent death of Private Elmer C.
Wright of the Signal corps, will be in
vestigated by the military authorities.
There has been several deaths among
members of the corps in the past which
called for investigation, "but which were
ignored by both civil and military au
thorities.
The most flagrant case was that sur
rounding the disappearance of Private
Emory Arnold below Tanana three
years ago. A body with army clothing
on was washed ashore near Nulato a
few weeks after the disappearance
of Arnold. The body was mutilated so
as to prevent identification. Tattoo
marks known to be on Arnold had been
removed from the body found by dis
memberment. No investigation.
The following is from the Seattle P-I
of Sept. 26:
Major Glassford has ordered an in
vestigation into the circumstances of
the death of Elmer C. Wright, a pri
vate in the signal corps, whose body
was found on the trail thirteen miles
from Unalaklik September 17. From
reports received here, Wright left Old
Woman on the morning of September
)3, to go along the line and make the
necessary repairs to the land telegraph.
He disobeyed orders in going into the
forests without company. He was not
heard from, and when, on September
15, Old Woman located a grounded wire
two men were sent out and found the
body. There were evidences of a strug
gle, and it was evident that Wright had
cut the wire and was attempting to
summon help by telegraphing with the
two ends when death came. The men
at Old Woman reported that Wright’s
body was unmarked.
M. R. Downing, S. A. Yantis and
Dave Rushing joined the hunt today.