THE STORY OF TREADWELL;
Ihe story of the TVeadwell Mine is one of extreme
interest* In April,1881,two miners,named Bean and Matthews,who ar
rived too late to stake a good claim on the Juneau side,went across
the channel, and staked off claims on Douglas Island, two miles and
a half below Juneau* John Treadwell staked these two men $150100 >
on their claims, and soon became the owner of both by default* His
next step was'td buy the adjoining claim of "French Pete",or Mon
sieur Pierre Joseph Ernsara,**or the sun of )300*00* Ihus for the sum
of .$450*00, Treadwell secured the largest body of ore on the coast of
Alaska,a veritable gold-bearing quart*,which could be worked from
pits,like common building stone*
,A., When, the richness of this body of ore became known,there
was a greats rush to that side of the channel to stake claims* Many
of the ruthless characters of that day attempted to secure claims by
force and subterfuge* The Chinese miners were set adrift in a small
schooner,and it took the hardest kind of eternal vigilance and force
of character on the part of the owner of the Treadwell mine to pre
vent squatters from-pre-empting bis property; ■ *"
* It was not until civi,l government took hold of the Territory
that the Treadwell Mine ’vas worked on a large scale* At first there wata
only a small five-stamp mill,which was installed in 1882,but this was 1
later expanded,until, in 1890 there were over- 250 stamps in operation*
During this-period, -eight, years,-the: nine yielded the sun of *$3,109,164
while the operating expenses were $800;000* The ore averaged from ^3
to )7 p3r <ton;but*as.the,milling-cost'only 01*25 per ton it can be seen
readily how great the profits werej* • .
*-Mr.Treadwell took in as partners Messrs* Janes, Fry, Hill, and
Freeborn,and these men were the sole owners until May 31st,1890,when
a stock company was formed, and called the "Alaska ^eadwe11 Mining Co.u
<>•* 1‘ ’ 3 The collapse'of the pit'is so recent that it is a thing of
’common knowledge* Today,Treadwell is a deserted place,inhabited by only
a.few families,who litoe among the scattered-houses left -to decay along
the bank of Gastinaau Channel* *.v * •*-.
r
ALASKAN TRIBES:(Cont.) . n< , , . : .
By languages, the third division of Alaskan tribes is
the Southeastern or Thlinget* Before, the whites, oarae, this tribe con
trolled all Alaska from Cape Yagtag to the boundary line at Dixon1s
Entrance* The Thlingets are divided by localities as follows: In the
north,we find.the western tribe.called Chilkaats near Comptroller Bay;
east of them,the-Yakutsts.extend,from CApe Yagtag to Cape Spencer;
the Chilkats inhabit-therhead of Lynn Canal;the Hoonyahs are found on
Chicagof Island;the Kehk of Kakes on the Kake Archipelago;the Auks on
the northern shore Of Douglas Island;and of Admiralty Island; the Takus
dwell on Taku*River• and Inlet; the Stahkin on Stahkin River and Etho
lin Island,the Prince of Wales Island*TVibe,-the Tongass,-near the
boundary; and the Sitkas*at Sitka. The Hydas>of Prince of Wales Island,
tho* not Thlingets,are closely relatedi to them*
The Thlingets Were a'deni-nomad tribe before the white
man came* In the winter, they lived'in permanent villages,-like that at
Kluekwan,-and in • summer-they lived in the fishing villages,or went on
long trips to trade with the Interior 'Indians, whom they called A-gun
un-uh. The whole Thlinget Tribe 'ms divided into two families,-the Raven
and *the /olf *. These twS families-had many "sub-divisions, -or clans;- on
\ the Raven side ,'-the ‘Raven,Frog, Goo se ,and Owl, while the Wolf s embraced
the Wolf, Bear, Eagle, Porpoise, and Shark clans. These named are,however,
only a few of the numerous clans into which the two families were split*