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A Letter from Lynn Smith, Ester Miner Lynn Smith, a jeweler and watch repairman from Indiana, joined the 1898 stampede over Chilkoot Pass and lived in Alaska the rest of his life. He settled first in the Rampart area, then moved to the new town of Chena in the fall of 1904. Smith spent most of the next three years mining on nearby Ester Creek. His letters from that period are the best account I’ve seen of life on Ester Creek during those first years of its settlement. The following is one of those letters, now in the Herbert Heller Collection of the Archives at UAF’s Rasmuson Library. Smith was looking after claims #2 and #3 Above Discovery on Ester Creek when this was written. The claims were owned by William Beardsley and John Belsea, friends of Smith’s from Glen Gulch in the Rampart District, who were spending the winter in their native Ohio. For more about Glen Gulch, Beardsley and Belsea (including a photo of the two), see my article in last May’s Republic. I’ve added footnotes to clarify and elaborate on the text. Some quirks in spelling and capitalization have been retained. (?) means I’m not sure I deciphered Smith’s handwriting correctly. --Matthew Reckard Esther Creek My Dear Mother and Sisters: Tis 6.45 and am through the dishes 20 minutes too soon so will commence this and write until 7.30 when I must to my bed go. As you know I’m a hard working Miner once more and with one exception (the cooking) thoroughly enjoying the work and feel like a young colt "part" of the time with my outdoor work and regular hours for sleep. We retire at 7.30 to 7.45 and the Alarm goes off at 5.30 so I up and get Breakfast always the same. Dried Fruit and canned cream. Mush, and Hot Cakes. The boys Two get up at 6.15 and go to work at 7. I have Gus Conradt1 my old Pardner from Glen Gulch working for me at wage and a Boiler Man. There is an awful lot of Dead work, before you get into the Money. I came out here about 12th of October and been cutting wood etc all the time.2 Picked my shaft (3 1/2 x 7 ft) down 6 ft through the Muck and then Gus picked two days more. We then rigged up the machinery and commenced thawing the ground by Steam.3 Put in a thaw one day and take it out the next as it takes about 15 hours for the Hole to Cool. But afer we get to bed rock can thaw every day and lose no time. Am getting quite anxious to get to the Bottom which ought to be Saturday. And will not finish this (letter) until after that time. Have an Elegant Cabin to live in. Only 7 logs high but logs are biggest, dryest & straitest have ever seen in the country. 30 ft long and not one of them less than 15 inches at the small end. We have an awfully big fall of snow. 2 1/2 ft in the level and awfully mean in the woods cutting wood. We have over 40 people on #4 the claim above this one, but so far have not found any woman to Bake the bread and my first attempt was a rank failure. Guess my Potatoes I made my Yeast with were too new. And then I cooked Rolled Oats instead of Rice with them as I have alway done heretofore. Have a big Candy Bucket nearly full of the Yeast or Mulligan made up and wont need any more before Xmas. There is no trouble except the bread making. And we can’t use Baking Powder for tis as much trouble for us Three about 1.30 AM Jim will get up. Then Gus about 2.30 and catch me about 4 AM and it is as bad as that Daughter Maggie for keeping you Bizzy.4 We found an Ermine or White Weasel down in the shaft the other day and time will tell if it is an emblem of good luck or Bad. Been too busy to skin him yet but will do so. He is Frozen so will keep. So much snow here the Indians say "Marten He all go way. No tlacks. Sure sign plenty snow" and motioned up to his Arm Pits. If the Siwash knows what he is talking about I’m out and Injured (?) as well as all the rest of the Miners. I just now see one of your Clippings where Mr & Mrs W F Bear Entertained. Is Walter Bear recovered and back again or is that the Old Doctor? Went to town last Friday to collect my $25.00 House Rent5 and it all went for Steam Pipe., Steam Hose and a Pemberthy (?) Injector for the Boiler. Atttended the Big Dance given by the Arctic Brotherhood. A Special Train came from Fairbanks with about Forty People and returned at 2.45 A.M. It takes 40 minutes to make the 9 Miles and we have two trains each way a day. Wish they would Hustle up the (railroad) lines from the Coast in here so a fellow could run home for a trip. There will be nothing to it in a couple of years. Snow is so deep the Mails are not coming in very fast and furious yet but we will have them once a week from now on until May and I think carry Pkgs and Papers. They are running a Stage to Valdez over the same trail I went two years ago6 for $100 and can ride all the way with a stove inside so there is quite a change since I went Outside even. Inside the stage I mean. Alas the time is up. Will complete this Wash Day.7 Sunday Next. Good night. Nov. 25. Am pretty tired but must go to town tomorrow (Sunday) and get some fittings for the Boiler and want to mail this. Have had two Invitations to Thanksgiving dinner in Town but declined both as I don’t want to lose the time. We got to Bedrock and are on the edge of the Pay Streak. Have 3 ft of 2 and 3 ct Dirt and it won’t pay to work on a Lay.8 So we are drifting toward the Creek and hope to get into good money. Am feeling pretty good tonight for I have a cook who came out from town to Stop for a Couple of weeks and it don’t cost me nothing. I mean it doesn’t cost me anything. Have the boys send me any news regarding Furs. A letter from Ketherer (?) says Market good and wants me to buy for him again this winter. Lots of outside Mail on the road, but none here yet over the snow. It may be in however when I get to town. See the Alaska Delegation turned down Wickersham9 but he has too big a pull with "Teddy" and "Fairbanks" who is his Bro-in-Law to make any difference I believe The Gov. is putting a road through from Valdez to Rampart and R- will be the distributing point for all Mails etc. on Yukon next year. Can think of no news of Interest to you. Thanks Mother for your good Letters and Clippings. I will try and get you some papers soon from here. Am not reading much now-a-days However. Know you are all close now for money, but just now am scratching harder than I ever did in my life and harder up. Thinking it will all come back to me with good returns at the cleanup in May. My love and a Kiss. Your Son, Lynn Notes to Lynn Smith’s letter: 1. Gus Conradt remained in Ester for many years as a successful mining operator. Jerry Hassel, one of our miners today, says he once bought a car from Gus. 2. Fantastically large amounts of wood were used for mine timbers, flumes, and, above all, boiler fuel. One rarely cited reason the gold rush fizzled after the first few years was high fuel costs: the easily accessible timber had all been cut. 3. Steam was routinely used to thaw frozen ground before Clarence Berry arrived in Ester, despite the impression you might get from the Malemute Saloon show. 4. If I remember right from his other letters, Maggie was a toddler niece of Smith’s. 5. "Town" meant Chena, reached by a road leading straight over the ridge from Ester (see Gene’s map at the end of the bar in the Golden Eagle Saloon). Smith was renting a cabin he had built there. The town, which was about where the Chena Pump Campground is today, has long since disappeared. 6. Smith had travelled to Valdez by dogsled on his first trip Outside since arriving in Alaska five years before. 7. Boiler houses not only supplied steam for thawing ground and running pumps and hoists, they also served as bath and laundry houses. 8. I.e., 2 or 3 cents’ worth of gold per goldpan. A "lay" was a lease, with the claim owner getting a share of any gold found (often forty or fifty percent). Smith had a lay with Belsea and Beardsley. 9. I haven’t dug up what this refers to. Does anyone out there know? | ||
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