The Loomis Journals
In 1932, Captain Loomis spent several months capturing the story of his life in two journals which are now part of the Wandalee Thompson Collection in the Sierra Madre Historic Archives. The Journals are not a complete record of his life or accomplishments, but they do provide the Captain's unique descriptions of some of the his many adventures, the ones that he felt were important or memorable.
The journals were all handwritten in pencil in two stenographers notebooks. There are 300 pages containing about 30,000 words; even that does not begin to cover all of his life. The first ninety pages are devoted primarily to his early years prior to marriage. He then dedicates about forty pages to his police career, and about sixty pages to his search for gold in the Yukon. The final fifty pages are a discussion of his philosophy of life. Some of the stories he related in his journals have been incorporated into other parts of this site.
The following stories are based very closely on portions of the Captain's journals. Where necessary, I have expanded abbreviations, added punctuation and articles, and completed sentences. Initially, I have chosen one of the most complete stories he wrote, one that describes his 1898 trip into the Yukon in search of gold. Captain Loomis provides a vivid description of his journey and the hazards he and his companions had to overcome to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. Click on The Yukon to read the complete version of the Captain's adventure.
The second story, although told many times by others, provides his recollection of the deaths of two young Ranch visitors in 1922. The graves of the two boys lost that winter are located on the Ranch.
I hope to add more stories to this section, especially those describing the early periods of his life.