Archie Burns

Archie Burns was an experienced gold miner from Forty Mile and Circle City. In the spring of 1897, Burns developed a horse-driven winch to pull loaded sleighs up the final incline from the Scales to the Chilkoot Summit. By December he had replaced the horse with a steam-powered drum and later replaced that with a gasoline engine. He was capable of hauling five tons of freight a day to the summit. More efficient modern tramways were eventually built by larger companies.¹⁾