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Show J- I UTAHNS ARE FIRST AT MIDNIGHT CREEK About Christmas time of 1911 there was one of tho most picturesque stampedes stam-pedes over recorded from the Fairbanks Fair-banks district to a nowly dlscovcicd section known as Midnight creek. Utahns reading tho "brief telegraphic account of this "mushing" across tho snows of that far northern locality did not know that one of the men helping help-ing to make mining history for tho territory was at one time a well known Utah oporator, but one in front of tho rush was an old Salt Lakor, John Bechtol, whose son Charles 5b with him in tho north. Kenneth Kerr, himself an old Salt Laker, now locatod in Seattle with the Copper River & Northwestoin Railroad company, said on Wednesday Wednes-day that when the peace of Fairbanks was disturbed during tho lost holldav season with the news of remarkably rich panningB of the yellow stuff on Midnight Creok, John Bechtol was ono of tho first to forsake tho comfortable comfort-able warmth of his cabin, and with ,tho certainty of a campfiro Chrlstmaa dinner set out to reach the new diggings, dig-gings, and having reached the scone early ho had tho opportunity to select se-lect some of tho best claims in tho new camp Word reached Seattle last month that the Bechtol claims were very rich, and when tho Ico breaks noxt spring Bechtol and son should come out to God's country with pokes of placer gold as long as their arms. Another An-other Salt Laker in Midnight creel: with oxcellont opportunity for securing secur-ing his share of tho gold producod this winter Is Harry Edwards. |
