Lot
436 
Canada, (Klondike Gold Rush) Nov 11th 97 Dawson N.W.T., dateline on letter written on a whiskey bottle wrapper, with interesting content regarding coming to & life in Dawson City and area…Perhaps you will excuse me writing on a whisky bottle wrapper when I say it is the best I could obtain in town. It is so long since I have written you I hardly know what to write. It took me 45 days to bring myself and outfit to this city- 35 days packing it on my back 28 miles over the Alyea Pass and 10 coming down rivers and lakes at from 4 to 10 miles an hour. Of the perils, hardships I had I will not burden the letter - suffice it to say I would not go through the same again for all the wealth on earth. I have been here now about three months and have not had a letter since my arrival although there are several papers in town dated as late as Sept. 7. Dawson City numbers about 8000 men and 150 women - there being about 5000 men in the mines within a radius of 30 miles. All the buildings are log cabins. We have a theatre, 60 saloons 3 churches 1 hospital. We are now having what the pioneers call warm weather 200 below which perhaps it is when one considers that for a month at a time it never crosses above 600 below. A young fellow Norman Abrams is my partner. We have a log cabin together and live on the daily routine of beans, bacon, flapjacks, no fresh meat, or meat,of any kind for over three months. We lived in a tent for a week while it was thirty below while up Bonanza but it was not pleasant. I have two claims now on Moose Hide, whether they are worth anything or not I don't know. I intend to come out next summer and you may see me next winter if things turn out favorably here. There is a shortage of grub and many will starve. All food, even horse meat, is from $1 to $3 a lb. candles $1.50 a piece beer 50¢ whiskey $1 and everything in proportion. It is a great place to gamble, every saloon has faro roulette, black jack, poker, craps, pools, stud, lotter, keynote and the miners gamble day & night no one thinks anything of winning or loosing $1000 dollars and I have seen one man pass $20,000 over the faro table without a twitch. Although in Canadian Territory, they are mostly Americans. The country is greatly overrated while there are a few mines that are almost pure gold there are thousands it would not pay to work. I can give you this pointer- don't believe a newspaper report- reporters here are all under pay- don't invest in any stock (for its intrinsic value) don't grub stake anybody. The Yukon is now blocked with walls of ice. If you have any friends who would think of leaving a position to come here, advise them not too, with the rush next summer the country will be spoilt. Two years up here will ruin most peoples health. There is a Canadian mail now.; with cover franked with 3¢ Jubilee smudge canceled and tied by ms "D.W.T., 12 11 97" postmark, transit backstamps including Dyea, Alaska, cover flaws, F.-V.F.Estimate $300 - 400.
Transcribed as written. nn
Complete images:
View gallery or Download PDF (4.3MB).
Realized: $800