Kircher, Henry J.

Kircher, Henry J.

1898-1899

Member of Copper River Mining Co. of Hudson, WI; party headed for Klondike via Copper River route, includes: Capt. Jack Wurfel, Frank Kircher, Chris Jensen, Carl Swanson, Ole Svarstad, and John Brown; another party going headed by Eli Larson, Hudson Star-Times, 1/21/98; Second-class passenger [Kerhel, F.] on steamer Excelsior, departing Seattle, 2/27/98 for Valdez, Seattle P-I, 2/28/98; Account of trip from Minneapolis to Seattle and voyage to Valdez; had 66 dogs; obtained rooms at 25 cents a day at the N.P. Terminal in Seattle; rough trip to Valdez; arrived 3/8/98; some men never got off boat, just looked at the snow and mountains and bought a ticket home, Letter, Hudson Star-Times, 3/25/98; Party at foot of the summit; 5 of 17 dogs remaining; dogs & men pulling sleds together (Each man has a pulling harness and a dog is hitched to a whiffle-tree in front of the man. Together, they can pull 250 lbs.”; about 3500 on trail; more Germans on trail than all other nationalities combined; about 25 women on trail; Letter 4/13/98 in Hudson Star-Times 6/3/98; Party camped on north shore of “Lake Blanche” [Klutina Lake] at the head of Tonsina Creek, building boats, waiting for ice to go out; found stand of spruce trees, formed themselves into a corporation called the Hudson Saw Mill Company; took 4 days to get the lumber out for 3 boats, mentions snow slide and deaths, also Murphy’s death, Letter 5/13/98 in Hudson Star-Times, 7/1/98; Status of members of the Hudson party: Chris Jenson home; A. Anderson coming home; G. Nelson returned to Seattle; 5 members still in Copper River area. Group has one inaccessible quartz claim that will require expensive machinery. F. Kircher is now captain; Wurfel laid up with injuries; E. Lomnes is cook, interview Hudson Star-Times, 12/2/98;