Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 11/02) - A surprise discovery, an old relic and a mysterious letter.

It sounds more like a movie than real life. That is, until you hear Ron Whalen's story.

Whalen went for a walk one day last winter, and wandered past the remains of a demolished old house.

The home, he recalled, was owned by an old miner.

"He was a pack rat," Whalen added.

The trash from the home was piled up in the alley and from that heap, buried in snow, a glint of brass caught Whalen's eye.

"I have a love for brass so I dug it out and brushed it off and I found a set of scales," said Whalen.

The scales date back to the 1897 Klondike gold rush.

According to the letter found in a drawer at the base of the scales, the set travelled to Yellowknife all the way from San Francisco.

Written to "Jake and Brownie" and signed "love, M&W," the letter tells a tale of the scale's journey from a casino on the San Francisco waterfront

From there the scales were sent north to Vancouver and then over the Lillooet trail to the Barkerville gold camp.

The scales were used by the Chung Cho Hong Trading Company (the company sign is still posted in Barkerville).

A man by the name of Hong Wa Kuaw was then sent on expedition with the scales via the Finlay Forkes and the old RCMP Trail up the Asilinka River.

During the trip, Kuaw became ill and was left behind at Qitkew Lake with his gear to either find his own way back or die. Luck brought Kuaw into the care of two locals. When he recovered, they guided him south to where the Chinese were working the Gerwassew River and Macesow Creek gold fields. At this point the letter becomes confusing.

It speaks of a man named Kew Kurnard becoming acquainted with Jake, to whom the letter is addressed.

It is unknown what the association between the two was, or how it relates to the scales. Whalen is hoping someone will come forward who knows a little more to the story.