The Mystery of The Cache Creek Murders

Book Review   by Dennis Garrett 

"The   Mystery of the Cache Creek Murders-A True Story"   by Roberta Sheldon. 336 pages, illustrated.  

In late 1939,  the bodies of four miners were found in the northern  part of what was called the Cache Creek district, at   the end of what is today the Petersville Road. Wild  rumors surrounding the murders swirled around the area, and news of the "massacre" pushed the war in Europe off the front pages of the newspapers for weeks.  

At first it was believed that the murders had been committed by Dick Francis, who had been involved in a long-running feud with the Jenkins', and that Francis had then turned his gun on himself. Subsequently it would be determined that Francis had been shot twice in the head with his own revolver. The other victims, Frank Jenkins, his wife Helen, and an employee, Joey   Brittell, had been savagely beaten.

 Frank Jenkins and Brittell had been ambushed along the trail from Ruby   Gulch to Ramsdyke Creek, near Dick Francis' cabin, and  Helen Jenkins had been lured away from their cabin three   miles distant before being murdered. The body of Francis had been found first, in his cabin on Ruby Gulch. 

A  lethargic response by the Territories' sole F.B.I. investigator raised the ire of Alaska residents. Many in the mining   community suspected that the feud had been exploited for the caches of gold rumored to have been hidden by the Jenkins' or for the Jenkins' rich mining claims.   

Both Dick Francis and the Jenkins' had been mining in the area for over three decades. It is common knowledge that they underreported their seasonal finds.

Despite the involvement of the F.B.I., the killer or killers were never brought   to justice, and may very well still be alive today.   There are also still unanswered questions regarding the alleged cache of gold the victims were thought to have had, as none of them had yet left the goldfields with their seasons' earnings. 

While the investigation turned up relatively small amounts of fine gold or "dust",  conspicuously absent were the larger nuggets the Jenkins'  were well-known for.

Prior to WWII, the Cache Creek district was one of the largest producers   of placer gold in Alaska, but like many districts it has never returned to the levels of production seen before the war. Today mostly small-scale mining and  numerous non-mining ventures occupy the district, which   is often referred to as the "Yentna" "Cache Creek"  or  "Petersville" district. Tremendous potential remains to be mined.

I was fortunate  enough to receive an advance copy of Talkeetna author   Roberta Sheldons' book, "The Mystery of the Cache Creek  Murders-A True Story", and as someone with an above-average,  even intimate knowledge of the history of the Cache Creek region of the Yentna Mining District, having been actively exploring and mining in the district for almost 20 years, I was thoroughly impressed. 

The book, which the author had worked on for more than six years, is very well-written. Certainly there is no other body   of work that so accurately details the history of this region, but also the way it is written will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Persons interested in mystery,   Alaska, history, and mining will find tremendous value in this detailed, accurate volume. The author has managed to present a very complicated tale with a style that draws the reader into its' rich descriptions, making the reader feel as if they were there. Spanning much more than 100 years of area history, the book is illustrated  with many never-before published rare photos and maps, and reveals many never-before published facts. And the book covers far more than just the events surrounding the murders. The passage of more than 62 years has not dimmed the flames surrounding the murder mystery, and at last, for the first time, the investigation is being made   public.  

It was My Great Honor the day Roberta Sheldon flew out to the Willow Creek Landing Strip, and walked the 2+ miles to my camp with the Pilot, bearing a fresh watermelon! She had begun work, and I said, "Despite what the FBI says, I will provide you with a letter proving there is a 424 page file on these murders." Unfortunately, my own copy had been burned after I read it.

The book is available   in area Fred Meyers' and grocery stores for $17.95,   or may be ordered directly from the author's estate  at:  

Talkeetna   Editions
P.O. Box 292, Dept. DG
Talkeetna, Alaska, 99676
Price is $15.00 plus $4.95 for priority   shipping within the U.S. Or at 

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