Bjornstad, Martin B.

1898-1899

Engaged by Capt. Abercrombie as interpreter for the Laplanders on an expedition over Cook’s Inlet to the Yukon; sailed on Valencia with Abercrombie’s party, MB-D, 4/7/98; Reindeer project abandoned because reindeer were in poor condition, Haines, MB-D, 4/15/98; Taking over cooking as “Fisher had been on a spree,” MB-D, 4/28/98; Fisher back cooking, Bjornstad asked to help party of Rafferty, Goodman, J. Abercrombie, Kuhlman, Haspit, and 2 prospectors on glacier, MB-D, 5/3/98; Cook again, MB-D 5/5/98-6/1/98; Bjornstad and Hilliard go prospecting in Valdez range find ledges with gold about 1000 ft. up mountainside, MB-D, 5/20/98; Cleave, Studt, and Bjornstad took boat 5 miles up Valdez River [Lowe River], hiked over hill looking for lake [Robe Lake], weather too poor to see, MB-D, 5/29/98; Decided to go on gold prospecting expedition with Cleave and Hallett [up Lowe River to near Keystone canyon], met raft-wrecked Brookfield party, MB-D, 6/1-6/98; Witness to Location notice, Latouche, June 1898. PWSMDR, Book 2, p. 135; Location notice, p. 138; Exploring trip via small sailboat in Prince William Sound with Mahlo from, 6/18/98 to 7/4/98 MB-D; Party headed to interior composed of Lowe, Gumaer, Keller, Tolley, Gardner, Garrett, Hallett, Bence, Kahill, and Bjornstad starts with horses over Valdez Glacier, MB-D, 7/9/98; With Capt. Abercrombie’s party leaving Valdez for interior, MB-D, 8/5/98; Bjornstad, Jaffe [Rafferty?] and Archer sail provisions down lake Klutina, MB-D, 8/17/98; Lynch returns to Copper River Camp requisitioning “1 more horse, 1 sack flour and some biscuits. I [Bjornstad] baked 240 biscuits to send with hi. Capt. intends to stay away longer than intended at first. We will probably not see him for a month. Schrader is going to take charge when he comes.” MB-D, 8/24/98; Bjornstad, Garrett, Archer, Gardner, Hallett, Koehler, Bence, Kahill, Mahlo, MacFarland in party led by Schrader going from Copper Center to Taral to Valdez, grueling trip, MB-D, 8/29/98 to 10/18/98; camped “opposite the Tiekell River [Uranatina] where we found Jaffe with one cache, with a number of prospectors”, MB-D, 9/27/98; Capt. [Abercrombie], [Addison] Powell, and Sam [Lynch] came down Copper River on boat, met Schrader party, gave them provisions, brought letter dated Aug. 4 from Kate, MB-D, 9/29/98; party reached mouth of the Tasnuna River, MB-D, 10/1/98; Bjornstad, Cleave, Hallett, and MacFarland head from Schrader/Heiden Camp into Valdez; “Was well received by Captain. Charlie [Brown] sent us up to Beate’s Rest.” MB-D, 10/18/98;