FRED LOCKYER

General Store

Imperial Gas & Oil
Canyon Creek

Hixon P.O.

Atlin as it looks tn winter from the lake.

in ancient skeleton of a Russian
hurch standing desolate on a hill-
‘op, then jump aboard the train and
ettle down to watch the beautiful
cy green waters of Lake Bennett
lide by the window.

This goes on for hours, and is
nly broken by your surprise to find
yourself crossing another imaginary
ine, marked by two signs planted
yn the rocky lake shore, one inscribed
with B.C., the other, Yukon Terri-
‘ory. So your are now in the Yukon
ind still no sign of Atlin. You begin
(o wonder if such a place actually
xists, except in a map maker’s pipe
ream.

Darkness is likely creeping slowly
over the landscape, as the train rum-
bles across a short bridge, pulls into
1 station marked “‘Carcross, Y.T.,”
and grinds to a stop. ‘“‘Going to
Atlin? Here is where you get off,”
informs the conductor.

BOAT, TRAIN, AND Now PLANE

Fine, thinks you, be a relief t>
walk around and stretch your legs a
bit, even if your destination does
seem as mythical as ever. Carcross
proves to be an assorted collection of
weather-beaten buildings, wind and
sand. with the odd painted dwelling
standing out like a bright patch on
the desolate landscape. A Canadian
customs official checks your baggage
over, and informs you that Northern
Airwavs will take you into Atlin,
probably tomorrow, weather condi-
tions permitting. Jeepers, a boat
trip, a train trip, and now a plane
trip to reach this Atlin place, what
next! You begin wondering if the
plane will be met by horses or a dog
team, possibly a lengthy trip on foot
over hill and dale.

The night is spent tossing and
turning on a questionable bed, may-
be one of four in a long barren
room, but the morning dawns bright
and clear. you gobble down some
bacon and eggs, a truck pulls up out-
side the Hotel, and the genial man-
ager of Northern Airways hustles
you off down the sandy road to
where a small plane of ancient but
sturdy vintage is warming up on
the cold waters of a lagoon.
TWENTIETH EDITION

ATLIN AT LAST

Mail and baggage is put aboard,
you clamber through the narrow
door, seat yourself cautiously, and
anxiously wonder if this frail look-
ing craft is actually capable of flying.
The pilot taxis the plane skilfully
out from the landing, pulls back the
throttle and the water is soon drop-
ping away below. For the next
forty-five minutes you forget to
worry, and are entranced by the
amazing and varied colors and sizes
of the numerous lakes and moun-
tains below. Finally cruising along,
above a particularly large lake, you
see a small, neat town clustered
around the shore of a bay. The pilot
points, shouting “‘Atlin,’’ and you
nod in happy surprise that your
journey is nearly finished, and that
from appearances at least, quite a
few people really live in this hard
to reach area. Fifteen minutes later,
you are sitting in a comfortable hotel
lobby, about 1000 miles and six
days’ travel-time from Vancouver,
absorbing past and present history
of B.C.’s real North.

Shortly after the first rush of
gold seekers to the Klondyke, gold
bearing creeks were also discovered
near the present town of Atlin, al-
though relics found, point to crude
prospecting by Russian explorers at
an even earlier date. Saloons and
gambling joints followed the pros-
pectors, and in the early days of the
district, ten thousand persons are
alleged to have resided in shacks and
tents between Discovery and Atlin.
The present population is about two
hundred persons, although it was
much greater prior to the war, and
may soon increase again. Unlike
many gold rush boom towns in B.C.,
Atlin has produced gold continu-
ously since its birth, and a consider-
able quantity of nuggets and dust
still go out to swell Canada’s gold
supply. With few exceptions, all op-
erations in the district have been
placer mines.

The most notable exception to
this was the famed Engineer Mine,
where millions of dollars were in-
vested and some of the richest quartz
samples found anywhere were taken

Cottonwood Valley
Auto Camp
and
General Store
*
Hunting - Fishing
Licensed Guides

Cabins - Lunch Counter
Standard of B.C. Products

Cinema B:C;

ELLIOT COFFEE BAR

*

“FOR A BETAER CUP OF COFFEE”
*

QUESNEL B.C.

Northern Light Service

Tires - Batteries - Accessories
Washing - Lubrication

STANDARD OIL PRODUCTS
QUESNEL B.C.

S. N. WILLIAM CO.

GENERAL STORE

We Buy and Sell Hay, Grain, and
All Kinds of Produce
We Buy and Sell Gold Dust,
Fancy Nuggets

Phone 49 QUESNEL, British Columbia

D. H. SMITH & CO.

Hardware
SPORT SUPPLIES

China - Stoves - Refricerators
QUESNEL B.C.

PIERCE GARAGE
INTERNATIONAL TRUCKS DEALER
SALES AND SERVICE
D4

PHONE 3283 QUESNEL

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