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This page last edited on 11/29/2009
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Everett Barton and three partners
from Missouri left for the Klondike gold fields on August 9, 1897. This
is the story of that journey told from the letters Everett Barton wrote
to his wife Georgia and to a Dr. W. Crockett. You can follow them by
clicking on the dates in the map to the left or in the chronology
below. For a summary of the trip read the Montgomery Standard
article. [Best
viewed with Internet Explorer]
August
10, 1897 Kansas City
August 11, 1897
Billings, Montana (traveling by train)
August 15, 1897
Seattle, Washington (arrived on Friday [which would be August 13])
August 17, 1897
Seattle Washington
Boat leaving 10 pm tommorrow.
August 18, 1897
Seattle Washington (postcard)
Leaving tonight for Deya, Alaska
August 27, 1897
Skagway, Alaska
Reached Victoria Canada at 6am on 19th.
Left at 2:15 pm. (Partners Tom See, Lee, Frank)
Arrived Juneau on 23rd at 1am. Arrived Skagway at 8:30pm on 24th. Was
in the Nuget saloon for 5 minutes.
**August 29, 1897 **this information found in Oct. 17 letter to Dr. Crockett.Went
to Deya by wagon and ferry.
**August 30, 1897 Hauled to Finegans Point (4 miles), cost $40.
**August 31,1897 Lee, Frank and Everett pack 2 packs to Canyon.
**September 1, 1897 Two packs to Canyon.
**September 2, 1897 Two packs to Canyon. Saving $30/day by packing.
**September 3, 1897 One trip.
**September 4, 1897 Packed boat lumber to Sheeps Camp in exchange for
600# provisions packed by horses
September 4, 1897 Deya, Alaska
At 6 miles above Deya. Packing 75#.
**September 5, 1897 Got back to camp.
**September 6, 1897 Smoked our meat. Lee went to Post Office. Received
letter for Georgia Barton.
**September 7, 1897 Packed to Sheeps camp (11miles from Finigans point
and 6 miles from Canyon). Had packed 1650# to Canyon. Hired horses to
get most to Sheeps Camp. (Tom left at Canyon.)
**September 8, 1897 Back to Canyon to finish packing to Sheeps Camp.
**September 9, 1897 Made 3 trips to Rock house.
**September 10, 1897 Rained all day.
**September 11, 1897 One trip to Rock house (raining)(2.5 miles)
September 11, 1897 Sheeps Camp (mailed from Deya)
In Sheeps Camp 5 miles from summit. Tom See pulled out 6 miles before
Sheeps Camp, the going too rough.
**September 12, 1897 Pack to the Scales, no wood so Lee and Everett go
back 2 miles for some. Cold and wet, worst day packing yet.
**September 13, 1897 Make two packs over summit, 80# and 75 #. Frank
and Lee pack the same. Terrible climb. Packed over and down to Crater
Lake (1.5 miles from Scales).
**September 14, 1897 Made 3 trips over summit. Wind nearly blew Everett
off his feet.
**September 15, 1897 Made 2 packs over the summit in a blizzard, snow
falling every day.
**September 16, 1897 Rained all night, had to hold tent down to keep it
from blowing away. Made 2 packs in the rain.
**September 17,1897 Rained all day, we conclude to hire help to get
away from this miserable place.
**September 18, 1897 Two packs over summit. We sleep on the rocks at
Crater Lake, rained all night.
**September 19, 1897 Lee and Everett start for Long Lake with packs,
Frank gets balance ferried over Crater. (Here they learn of Sheeps Camp
being caught in an avalanche from the glacier)
**September 20, 1897 Snowed all night. One trip to Crater, we pack all
our goods to Long Lake as follows.
**September 21, 1897 Two packs
**September 22, 1897 One pack, rained all day.
**September 23, 1897 Two packs.
**September 24, 1897 Two packs.
**Spetember 25, 1897 Two packs and finished. During this time packed
100# 10 125# and snowed all night and day.
**September 26, 1897 Sunday. Bought boat. 24 feet long 7 feet on top in
center 3-6 at bottom. Plan to ferry as long as it would have taken to
pack the stuff and build a boat. Made two trips...$50
September 26, 1897
Long Lake (25 miles from Deya) (mailed from Deya)
Bought boat for $200. Packing from Crater Lake to Long Lake a distance
of 3 miles.
**September 27, 1897 Two trips $28.
**September 28, 1897 Made $15.
**September 29, 1897 Made $8.50
**September 30, 1897 Blizzard all day.
**October 1, 1897 Bad weather 'till noon, turned cold in evening.
**October 2, 1897 Ferried 3 trips $45.
**October 3, 1897 Made 3 trips $44.
**October 4, 1897 Ferried 11 men $19.50
**October 5, 1897 Rained all day.
**October 6, 1897 Made $57.25
**October 7, 1897 Three trips $75.00.
**October 8, 1897 Stormy
**October 9, 1897 Two trips $34.50
**October 10, 1897 Terrible night, tent blew down.
**October 11, 1897 Four trips $96.75
**October 12, 1897 Two trips $31.00
**October 13, 1897 Moved camp to foot of Deep Lake. Made $5. Decide not
to stay any longer as Crater Lake is freezing over.
**October 14, 1897 Made 3 packs to Long Lake
**October 15, 1897 Hired 9 men to pack boat to Linderman.
**October 16, 1897 Made 1 pack and hire balanced packed Sunday
**October 17, 1897 Sunday. Repairing boat.
**October 19, 1897 Worked on boat. Tom arrived. Leaving down Lake
Linderman about 2 o'clock.
October 17, 1897
Lake Linderman, Alaska
Getting ready to push off down Lake Linderman.
** information above contained in this letter dated 17 October to Dr.
Crockett. (Must have been mailed on 19 Oct.)
*October 20, 1897 * information from Nov. 8 letter to Dr. Crockett.
Camped at Lake Bennet.
*October 21, 1897 Camp on first windy arm of Tagish Lake.
*October 22, 1897 Made the custom house.
*October 23, 1897 Paid $97 duty, continued journey to camp 14 miles
down on Marsh Lake.
*October 24, 1897 Camp 7 miles from the Canyon
*October 25, 1897 Camp at foot of Canyon, shot the Canyon with all our
provisions. Got through ok.
*October 26, 1897 Row to Whitehorse rapids. Portage about 1200# and
take balance through ok. Tougher than Canyon.
*October 27,1897 Camped 12 miles down Lake Labarge.
*October 28, 1897 Camped 10 miles from foot of Lake, bad rowing all day.
*October 29, 1897 Camp 50 miles down the river.
*October 30, 1897 Made good run. Passed 9 boats.
*October 31, 1897 Pass trading post. Made 3 good trades for moose meat
with Indians. Camp in a few miles of Five finger rapids.
*November 1, 1897 Shoot Five finger and Rink rapids. Camp 20 miles from
Pelley river.
*November 2, 1897 Camp on Youcon (sic) river, spend 29th birthday
piloting down river.
*November 3, 1897 camp about 40 miles above Stewart. Considerable ice
on river.
*November 4, 1897 Camp a few miles above Stewart.
*November 5, 1897 Arrived Stewart River and go in camp.
*November 6, 1897 Taken one days rest.
*November 7, 1897 Went to look at Henderson Creek. The people are crazy
here. Henderson Creek is staked for 25 miles up and is about 30 long.
There are about 24 good claims in the whole Klondyke(sic). We are 62
miles from Dawson by land. Will build cabin (known as Missouri Boys
Cabin).
November 8, 1897
Stewart River
*information in letter to Dr. Crockett dated 8 November.
November 22, 1897
Stewart River
Several feet of snow. Just moved into cabin. Weather is running 30 to
42 below zero.
November 24, 1897
Stewart River
Staked 3 claims today. Cabin at mouth of Stewart River. Quite a
settlement there. Two women (one Mrs. Meadows of California).
December 7, 1897
Stewart River
Have staked 4 claims. Weather to 60 below zero.
No date (1898)
Stewart River
Letter mentions receiving letters from Georgia and Dr. Crockett dated
Jan. 5 and 15th. Lee and Everett have claims 37 and 36 on Ten mile and
24 and 23 on Rosebud Creek.
May 9, 1898 Ice on Yukon broke at Stewart River
May 22, 1898
Dawson City
In town looking for work. -information from the letter started on 22
May shown below.
May 31, 1898 Returned from stampede to Dominion Creek.
June 9, 1898 Steamboat the May West arrived at Dawson on 8th.
June 13, 1898 Victoria and the Weare came arrive from Circle City.
Learns of Tom See's death.
June 20, 1898
Dawson City
July 17, 1898
Dawson City to Dr. Crockett
July 17, 1898
Dawson City to Georgia
August 27, 1898
Dawson City
Working on Eldorado bench claim and half interest in bench claim back
of No. 8 on Bonanza.
ca. spring 1899 two partial letters Letter 1 and Letter 2
May 19, 1899
Dawson City
Youkon ice opened up at Dawson on 17th May. Sluicing the winters dump.
May 24, 1899 Dawson City
Sluicing about $1500 so far, half to mine owner.
partial letter- summer 1899
to Georgia
July 1, 1899
Dawson City
Plan to leave for home Monday at 10am 3 July.
July 30, 1899
San Francisco (postcard)
Jack London Letters
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