Baasen, Richard V.

Baasen, Richard V.

1898-1899

Will leave for Klondike with St. Peter — Alaska mining & Prospecting Co with Hessian, MacMillan, Buckley, Brady, Turritan, Berguson, Beatty, Baasen, Sleepy Eye MN Dispatch, 1/27/98; Baasen, Beatty and Riegel leaving for Klondike with several others, discussion of their company agreement, New Ulm MN Review, 1/31/98 & 2/2/98; Member of Conger’s party, Conger xxxii; Mentioned in letter about D. Wherley’s accidental shooting of Roy Murfin, Sleepy Eye Dispatch, 4/22/98; Baasen wrote his parents that he and Riegel swamped their boat and lost all provisions, New Ulm MN Review, 7/13/98; Summary: R. Baasen wrote his parents that he and Riegel had their boat swamped. Baasen’s rifle, pick, spare clothing, provisions and share in the company’s goods were all lost; Riegel and Guyer also lost some goods; The party of 11 has now separated: Baasen, Guyer, Riegel and Beatty are working on own; split caused because some party members were afraid of shooting the Klutina rapids, but the four “wanted to move on at all costs.” Sleepy Eye MN Dispatch, 7/14/98; Summary: Baasen has returned home; he didn’t strike anything but tough experience; “hearing him talk and reading the prospectus of some Alaskan transportation company are two different things.” He visited Sleepy Eye to return a small package of Roy Murfin’s effects to the family. Riegle, Beatty, and Guyer at Copper City; all are well. The transportation company wanted $70 from each of the 115 men waiting to return to Seattle. They made a counter offer of $25 each, which was accepted, Sleepy Eye MN Dispatch, 7/28/98; Returned without gold, trip cost $700, but worth it; left after hearing that those at the head of the Copper River hadn’t found gold; return trip over Valdez Glacier took from 6/29 to 7/3 walking 18 hrs a day; difficult since he was asked to guide two aged travelers; returns to work on the St. Louis road today, New Ulm Review, 7/27/98; Conger, a member of this party, wrote a diary his experiences in the 1898-99 gold rush over Valdez Glacier to Copper River area, edited by Hoelski & Hoelski, In Search of Gold: The Alaska Journals of Horace D. Conger, 1898-99;