PAM. N. AMER. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH DR. JOHN PARSONS Superintendent of Alaska Mission Through the Heart of Alaska BY WAY OF THE YUKON By A. B. LEONARD, D.D., LL.D. THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH RINDGE LITERATURE DEPARTMENT ISO Fifth Avenue, New York PRICE, TEN CENTS Through the Heart of Alaska by Way of the Yukon Climate and Extent of Territory ^0 most people the word "Alaska" is only a name conveying no more than the idea of a country of indefinite area in the far Northwest, inhabited by a few Eskimos, Indians, and polar bears, frozen tight the year round, and producing little else than glaciers and volcanoes; whereas its area is 590,804 square miles, out of which could be made four- teen states as large as Ohio, two more as large as New Jersey and with 334 square miles to spare. In the south and southeast, where the climate is modified by the Japan current which flows across the Pacific and washes al- most its entire coast, agriculture is practicable, and a considerable variety of vegetables and cereals can be produced, which is also true of the great valley of the Yukon. WEALTH OF ALASKA • The great wealth of Alaska is in its fisheries and minerals, both of which are inexhaustible. Along its entire coast the fur-seal has its home, but the herd is smaller than formerly by reason of "pelagic" sealing, namely, the taking of female seals, Fur Seals and so reducing the annual increment through the kill- ing of their unborn, or the starvation of the young left upon the islands while the mothers are absent in search of food in the surrounding seas. This cruelty is now prohibited in American waters by act of Congress. 5 The waters of the Alaskan coast abound with salmon, and they are taken, canned, and salted, and sent throughout the world in vast quantities. Fish canneries and salteries are numerous along the entire coast line, which, including islands, measures 26,000 miles. There are now thirty companies and individual Vast packers, occupying fifty-five canneries and twelve salteries, Quantities with a capitalization of $22,000,000. The total product of Salmon of Alaska fisheries up to 1903 was $50,000,000. Begin- ning about July 1 the salmon make for the streams that empty into the coast waters, at which time they are captured in immense numbers. Fishermen are not allowed to obstruct the mouths of the streams, but they set their nets at either side HOW ALASKA WOULD LOOK IF IT WERE PLACED UPON THE UNITED STATES and sometimes take thousands at a single haul. As high as 40,000 have been taken at Ketchikan at a single haul, requiring three days to remove the catch from the beach to the can- A Big Catch nery. Many will be tempted to say that this is a " fish story," and so it is, but I have the most satisfac- tory evidence of its truthfulness. 6 THE NEW NORTHWEST From Seattle to Nome, by way of Skaguay, White Pass, the , Yukon River, Norton Sound, and the Bering Sea, is 3,200 miles. From Seattle to Slcagway, at the head of the Lynn Canal, is 1,000 miles and requires ninety-six hours by steam- The Fringe ship. The steamer follows what is known as the in- of the side route; that is, the route lies among the thousands West Coast of islands that constitute the fringe or the ravelings of the west coast. These islands range in size from sniall rocky patches that are barely above the water at high tide to great areas more than 100. miles long, some of them 60 miles wide, and upon many of them are vast forests, rich mines, and snow-capped mountains. The steamer on her way seems to be A I.ONC Til !■; ixsi I ii: );or i i-: " Valieys flooded hy tlie inflowing of the Pacific Ocean " sailing along valleys flooded by the inflowing of the Pacific Ocean. It has been my privilege to sail the waters of the West Indies, nortliern Europe, along the coast of Eastern Asia, and through the Inland Sea of Japan, but nowhere have I looked upon natural scenery at once so varied, picturesque, and Panoramic majestic as a voyage along the west coast of North Splendor America presents, in panoramic splendor, to the vision of the traveler. The truth is that it defies description in words. Here the painter could find natural scenery which if suc- cessfully transferred to canvas woiild render him immortal, while it is a veritable wonder world for tlie artist's camera. Gazing upon these mountains so varied and weird, and allowing imagi- nation some freedom, one may see in repose the outlines of mam- moth animals and the giant forms of men. At this season (July) the snow is melting and crystal waters flow down the mountains in rivulets, streams, and cascades, which from tlie deck of a ship have the appearance of molten silver. THE TAKU GLACtl-nt LIES IX A MOUNTAIN GORGE TWEXTY-FIVE MILES FROM JUNEAU GLACIERS In many valleys there are vast ice rivers, called glaciers, that slowly move down to the sea. Let us turn aside and look upon one of these wonderful formations known as Taku Glacier, lying in a mountain gorge 25 miles from Juneau. As we ap- Taku Glacier proach it, although we are ten miles or more distant, we begin to notice that ice is floating upon the water, and as we draw nearer icebergs come into view. Only one-eighth of an iceberg appears above water. We pass near one that is 30 feet above the surface, making its entire height, if it stood upon the land, 240 feet. At length the floating ice and icebergs block the way, and our steam launch can go no further. We are still more than two miles from the front wall of old Taku, but he does not seem to be more than a rifle-shot distant, and when seen s through a field glass it appears to be but a stone's cast to his base. This glacier presents a front wall of solid ice two and one-half miles long, and about one thousand feet high. Its great surface is corrugated by the action of the sun's rays, giving it the appearance of a vast cathedral adorned with thousands of pinnacles. Glaciers are of two kinds — dead and alive. A dead glacier is one that lies in a mountain gorge and in summer, rapidly melt- ing at its lowest level, goes down in leaping, boiling Two Kinds cataracts, sometimes flooding valleys in its course; of Glaciers while a live glacier moves slowly, constantly, irresistibly, a solid river of ice, to the sea and is broken off by waves and tides in vast masses which fioat away as icebergs, and become tlie terror of the navigators of northern seas. WHITE PASS A narrow gauge railroad has been built from Skagway at the head of Lynn Canal, by way of White Pass, to White Horse, a distance of one hundred and ten miles. In surveying and con- structing the line the highest skill of the civil engineer Nature's Pro- has been brought into requisition. If ever nature en- test Ignored tered a protest anywhere against the construction of a thoroughfare for travel and commerce it is here in these mountain fastnesses; but nature's protest was ignored for the Klondike with its treasures of gold beyond. Much of the way the old trail, upon which many a weary gold seeker tramped with aching back and weary feet, and along which many laid down their packs to take them up no more, is in view from the car window. White Pass, the highest point on the road, is three thousand feet above sea level. Here the boundary line between Alaska and British Columbia is reached, and we pass from the protecting folds of the Stars and Stripes to the equally Two Flags protecting folds of the Union Jack. Very appropriately Side by Side here the national emblems of the United States and Great Britain float from neighboring flagstaffs. At White Pass station we are above the snow line, and although it is the fifth of .Tuly it is so cold that heavy overcoats are in de- mand. The railroad lies through a notch in the mountain range, aboA-e which on either side peaks rise to the height of several thousand feet. WHITE HORSE White Horse is on a tributary of the Yukon River and at the highest point of steam navigation. The town has a population of about five hundred people, living in log cabins, shanties, and canvas tents. Here we take passage on the steamer Upper Reaches White Horse and pass along Fifty Mile River into of the Yukon Lewis River at the mouth of the Hootalinqua, and on to Fort Selkirk, where it joins the Pelly, the two constituting the great Yukon River, which flows along a valley 10 -0. of varying width walled by low mountain ranges on either side and covered with a dense growth of fir and birch. There are many places where the valley broadens and with soil rich enough to produce bountifully were it brought under cultivation. Through the valleys of the Yukon and its tributaries flows one of the vast river systems of the world. From White Horse to Saint Michael is about 2,100 miles, one of the greatest con- tinuous lengths of river navigation in the world. The Yukon is the Amazon of North America, carrying a third greater The Northern volume of water to the Bering Sea than does the Mis- Amazon sissippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The season for navi- gation lasts only about four months, beginning the first of June and closing early in October. The ice forms first at the bottom of the river and is called " anchor ice," and later NEAR THE SUMMIT OP WHITE PASS on the surface. The flow of the river diiring the winter is mainly between the lower and the upper ice. Very often the water breaks through the upper ice, when it quickly freezes, mak- ing the surface exceedingly rough and difficult for sled travel. u Where tlie surface ice becomes thin by reason of the underflow it is dangerous for foot and sled travelers. DAWSON The first place of importance after leaving White Horse, 450 miles distant, is Dawson, the capital of Yukon Territory, Do- minion of Canada, and the center of the Klondike gold mining region. Gold was discovered here in 1896, and the A Mushroom great rush of gold-seekers commenced in the year Gold Camp following. A year later Dawson had a population of 10,000, and the entire Klondike country 30,000. At the present time the whole population probably does not exceed 12,000, of whichjDawson has less than 5,000. Two things have mainly caused this decrease of population: first, the recent dis- covery of rich gold deposits near Fairbanks, Alaska; and, second, l ox THE YUKOX " The Amazon of North America " the royalty levied by the Canadian government upon all the gold taken from the mines. At first the royalty was ten per cent, but it is now reduced on account, no doubt, in large part, of the exodus to Fairbanks, to two and one-half per cent. The dwelling and business houses are without exception built Cabins and of wood and are of the cheapest quality. Many dwell- Shanties ings are only very small cabins and shanties, and the wonder is that the occupants can be in any sense com- fortable during the long cold winters, when not infrequently the mercury drops to sixty below zero. A drive of thirteen miles up the Klondike and Bonanza Creeks 13 reveals in part the extent to which placer mining was once car- ried on and its present limitations. While a very considerable amount of mining is still in progress, far the larger Ten Millions number of mines are noweither unworked or abandoned. in Gold Many believe that the lowest point of depression has been reached, and it is claimed that already there is the beginning of an upward tendency. Last year the amount of gold taken out was $10,000,000, the lowest point reached since 1898, while the total amount upon which royalty has been paid since 1897 is $120,000,000. PLACER MINING Placer mining is no easy task in the Klondike, as the gravel in which the gold is found is frozen solid. Anywhere in the Yukon country ice is reached in summer at a depth of two or three feet. In a street in Dawson I saw a ditch out of A Sure Founda- which solid blocks of ice were taken at a depth o£ tion of Ice . less than three feet. The houses stand on ice foundations. The pastor of the Presbyterian Church stated to the writer that the Presbyterian Hospital, two stories high, built of logs, stands upon ice. The un- frozen surface was shoveled away, and the first logs were laid upon the frozen earth and covered with sawdust to a depth of about two feet, and although the edifice was erected several years ago there is no indication that the foundation is giving way. One of the judges of the Superior Court of Yukon Terri- tory told the writer that he knows by personal observation of a shaft being put down 120 feet, without going below ice, and another gentleman states that he knows of a shaft 260 feet deep all the distance through solidly frozen earth. In taking out gold miners often dig trenches two or three feet deep and fill them with wood, which set on fire melts the adjacent ice, after which the gravel is washed and the gold secured. In the more exten- sive mines steam is being used to melt the ice. Steel tubes with Sharp points numerously perforated are driven into the frozen gravel, and steam is turned into the tubes, which thaws it out, after which the gravel is hoisted by steam power in large iron 13 buckets and put through the washery, which ehmuiates the gold. It is claimed that the ice in the Klondike country makes it the poor man's opportunity, for the reason that water being scarce, mining machinery, which requires large capital, is not exten- sively employed, giving the man with pick, shovel, and pan a chance to make a living and possibly a fortune. There are four denominations with church edifices in Dawson-Presbyterian, Methodist (both Canadian), Church of England, and Roman Catholic. The Presbyterian and Roman Catholic each has a hospital, which has afforded shelter and healing to many a stranded and helpless fortune seeker. The distance from Dawson to Fairbanks by the Yukon and Tanana Rivers is 1,000 miles, 700 miles on the former and 300 on the latter. At Eagle we again cross the line between the posses- sions of Great Britain and the United States, where our Vexatious steamer is held twelve hours while revenue officers search Customs the baggage of passengers and cargo. I have entered Regulations the ports of, and crossed the dividing lines between, many countries on both hemispheres, and I regret to say that the United States custom laws are the most vexatious to a traveler I have ever encountered. YUKON FLATS A short distance from Circle City, which, notwithstanding its pretentious name, is only a straggling village with a very small number of inhabitants, nearly all of whom are wretchedly poor Indians, we enter the Yukon Flats, through which A River Sixty the Yukon River flows for 270 miles, having an aver- M iles Wide age width of from 20 to 60 miles. This entire area was once a lake, but on its southwestern boundary a gash 160 miles in length has been slowly cut through the mountains by the continuous flow of the waters to a depth sufficient to drain the lake. Through this vast tract, dotted with innumer- able islands, the river meanders in numerous channels of varying depth, forming in many instances bayous, sloughs, and lagoons, frequently cutting new channels and again forming sandbars where but recently the deepest currents flowed, making 14 it the terror if not the despair of the navigator. Special pilots are employed by navigation companies whose duty it is to watch the changing channels and guard the steamers against being stranded. But notwithstanding their vigilance and skill, it is not unusual for steamers to be caught in these treacherous shoals. The steamer "Seattle No. 3," upon which I was a passenger, ran upon a sandbar almost immediately upon entering the flats, where she remained seventy-two hours struggling vainly for freedom, when the steamer "Susie" came along and took off the AX l.NJHAX VII,1.A(;K OX TllK VI KOX FLATS impatient passengers, but leaving the crew of her unfortunate sister to struggle on until by unloading her freight upon a neigh- boring sandbank and the use of powerful machinery and steel wire cable they might drag her into the channel, reload her cargo, and continue the voyage. The lower Yukon Flats are far more extensive than the upper. They are probably 500 The Lower miles in length, and vary in width from a few miles at Flats the upper northeast limit to 400 miles at the river's mouth. Through these extensive flats the Yukon River flows in many channels, forming at its mouth a vast delta and having more the appearance of a great inland sea studded with islands than of a river flowing on to lose itself in the ocean. ARCTIC CIRCLE At about 3:30 A. M., July 17th, we cross that imaginary line known as the Arctic Circle, and for about three hours we are voyaging in the Frigid Zone. Had we been here twenty-five days earlier we might almost have seen the midnight sun, for at this point, June 21st to 25th, the sun is below the horizon onlj' thirty minutes out of the twenty-four hours. During one of the nights spent upon the sandbar when the sky was Daylight almost cloudless the writer watched the sun go down All Night at 10:45 p. m., and rise again at 1:15 A. M., having been below the horizon two and one half hours. During the pe- riod of disappearance daylight was but slightly diminished , scarcelj' more than would be caused in tlie States by a clouded sky at high noon. At this season of the year tliere is no night in this part of the world; but at midwinter for six weeks there is no day. Striking an average for the year, they have the same amount of daylight and darkness as have the people who live at the equator. FAIRBANKS At Fort Gibbon, where two companies of United States soldiers numbering sixty-five each are stationed, we change steamers and begin the ascent of the Xanana River to Fairbanks, named in lionor of the Vice-President of the United States, where Placer Mines within a radius of thirty miles extensive placer gold mines have been discovered. The site upon which the town stands was three 3'ears ago an undisturbed wilderness. Now it has an estimated population of 3,500. Except a few 16 and in some instances two stories liigli. Not a few of tliem are neatly constructed, and usvially wliere wives are in cliarge tliey are tastefully furnished, cleanly, and attractive. The streets are al- most entirely unimproved, except that in the business localities and the better residence parts there are plank sidewalks. There are about twenty saloons, each one paying a license fee -of Saloons and $1,500. The sale of intoxicating liquors was absolutely Schools prohibited in Alaska for several years after American occupation, but now, by act of Congress, it is not only legalized but is made almost the only source of support for public schools in incorporated towns. In a town where the population is 500 and less than 1,000 the license fee is $500, and where the Courtesy of Leslie's Weeitly "EVEliYWHERE THE PEOPLE SAY, 'NO SALOONS NO SCHOOLS,' AND THE SALOON KEEPERS POSE AS PUBLIC BENEFACTORS" population is 1 ,000 and less than 1 ,500, $1 ,000, and where the pop- ulation is 1,500 or over, $1,500. One half of the license fees goes to the support of the public schools. Where there is no saloon there can be no public school, as other sources of revenue are insignificant. The larger the number of saloons in a town the larger the school fund. Every year there is a new enumeration taken to ascertain what the license fee shall be. The saloon keepers try to keep the number down so that their license fee will be small, while the school directors try to keep the number up so as to make the school revenue as large as possible. Every school-teacher is humiliated with the fact that his salary comes almost exclusively and directly from the saloons, and every 17 parent who has any decency is put to shame by the fact that if his child has school advantages it is because of a revenue derived from vice. The internal revenue system of our government which makes the manufacture and sale of intoxicants one A Revenue of the chief sources of its support is bad enough, but no- fromVice where else has it descended to the infamous policy imposed upon Alaska, of making the public schools of incorporated towns almost wholly dependent for their existence \ipon the most " gigantic crime of crimes" ever perpetrated upon human society. Everywhere the people say, " No saloons no schools," and the saloon keepers pose as public benefactors. UNCEASING GAMBLING In these saloons gambling goes on day and night without the slightest attempt at concealment. The wide doors open upon the streets, and the gamblers seated about tables are plainly seen by the passer-by. Here men who have made small A Wide- fortunes, and possibly large ones, in the mines some- Open Town times lose all in a few hours. A miner is reported who recently cleaned up $36,000, went into Fairbanks, got drunk, and lost it all in one night; and he is but one of many. The professional gambler lives and fattens on the hard-earned money of the foolish reckless miner. In the broadest possible sense the town is wide open. There is no apparent respect shown for the Sabbath. Saloons (which are always gambling dens), brothels, stores, shops, mechanical industries, and com- mon labor go forward on the Sabbath as on week days. It is impossible to foretell what the future of Fairbanks will be. Like Jonah's gourd, it has quickly grown to its present propor- tions, but it may as suddenly wither and die. All will depend upon the extent and richness of the gold mines. Speculation at Many believe that they will not be exhausted in a High Tide century, while others are far less sanguine. New rich strikes are announced by the Fairbanks Evening News almost daily, but nothing is said about mines that at first promise well and then suddenly fail. Booming methods are vigorously applied, and speculation runs at high tide. A new gold field has been recently discovered on the Kantishina River, near the base of Mount McKinley, 112 miles southwest of Fairbanks, and a "stampede" in that direction has already set in. Whether it will help or hurt this new city remains to be seen. It is certain that capital is becoming timid, and the real estate market is correspondingly dull. Should the railroad which is in process" of construction between Seward, on the south coast, and Dawson, a distance of about 500 miles, cross the Tanana River at Fairbanks, its future would be assured. But will it? CHURCHES AT FAIRBANKS There are but three churches in Fairbanks — Presbyterian, Protestant Episcopal, and Roman Catholic. The first will ac- commodate 150 people, the second 100, and the third 200. The total average attendance of the three congregations A William Tay- probably does not exceed 250. The total member- lor Needed ship of the two Protestant churches named does not exceed 75. What is needed here is a man of the tem- per and spirit of William Taylor, who in the early history of San Francisco could make a pulpit of a dry-goods box, sing like a ser- aph, and preach like an apostle, and who would go into the streets lined with gambling dens and thronged with men of all ages, at- tract them with sacred songs, and preach to them the unsearchable riches of Christ. The Methodist Episcopal Church has some- where another William Taylor, who should be found and sent to this needy godless city. There should be provided for his oc- cupancy a parsonage and a church building where he could gather the fruit of his labor. The work of the Lord should be carried on here as openly and vigorously as is the work of the devil. In the person of Dr. John Parsons we have a wise, able, and devoted superintendent, but it is impossible for him to do the aggressive work demanded in Fairbanks and at the same time supervise the work in general. At great sacrifice he Heroic Service and his noble wife have cheerfully accepted the task of founding the Methodist Episcopal Church in this city .where during the coming long, cold winter they will live in a log cabin of two small rooms, and subsist upon such food 19 These are indicated by (M. E.) The map is adapted from one published by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church, by courtesy of that society as can be obtained in a miner's camp. The stress and strain is too great to be endured for any considerable time, and assist- ance should be quickly afforded. There are already a number of Methodists in this new city, some from the States and some from Canada, who wUl form the nucleus of the new organization, which there is good reason to believe will in the not distant future be self-supporting. This is the strategic hour and must not be per- mitted to pass unimproved. The bishop in charge should find the needed man with the necessary qualifications, the Missionary Society should give him ample support, and the Board of Church Extension should provide a parsonage and suitable houses of worship. We have the machinery, and here is an opportunity that should promptly and effectively set it in motion. FAIRBANKS TO NOME Leaving Fairbanks by steamer upon the Tanana River, we return to the Yukon and follow that river to where it discharges its waters into Norton Sound, and thence to Saint Michaels, where we take ship for Nome, another of the great mining Mining at the camps of Alaska, situated a few miles west by north Ocean Side from Cape Nome on the Bering Sea. As there is no harbor, ships cast anchor in a roadstead two or three miles from shore, and all freight and passengers must land and ship upon lighters, steam launches, and rowboats — no easy task when the sea is rough, as is frequently the case. In 1898, when gold was discovered on this coast, Nome was an obscure and almost unknown Eskimo village, utterly oblivious of the vast wealth buried beneath the sand upon which it stood and the mountainoiis territory lying inland. Now there is an estimated population of 4,000. The whole immediate coast line for many miles has been dug up, and mines have been extensively opened in the adja- . The Most cent territory extending back into the mountains 20 or 30 Northerly miles. A narrow gauge railroad has been built from the Railroad coast across the marshy plain to the foothills, about 15 miles distant, and is to be lengthened indefinitely to reach mining camps farther up in the mountain range. This is the most northerly railroad in- the world. The ground upon which it is built is spongy and marshy, and the roadbed is the worst I have ever seen. There are several other mining districts said to be very rich, known as Solomon, Council, Bluff, Kona- grok, and still others in the farther north. There are vast tracts of unexplored territory in Alaska, which are believed to be as rich as that now being worked. A GOOD BARGAIN The United States paid Russia $7,200,000 gold for Alaska, while the amount of gold already taken out is not far from $100,000,000. Much of the quartz is of low grade, producing not more than $3 to the ton , but with modern machin- Nature's Great ery can be taken out at a large profit. There are Scrap Heap mines now being worked where the gold-bearing quartz cannot be exhausted in a century. Extensive and rich placer mines are now being worked at Fairbanks, Seward, Nome, and other places. Looking at the vast territory along the coast and far into the interior, piled high with mountains and apparently worthless, one can hardly think of it as other than nature's great "scrap heap." But though a scrap heap, it con- tains much in the line of minerals — gold, iron, tin, copper, coal, oil, and gypsum of immense value. The greatest obstacle to be overcome here, as in the Klondike and the Fairbanks districts, is the scarcity of water for mining SLUICING OUT THE GOLD AT A KLONDIKE CLAIM found in paying quantities. Nome now lias tlie appearance of greater solidity than either Dawson or Fairbanks, and if the ter- ritory for which it is the seaport proves to be as rich in placer and quartz mines and other minerals as many prospectors claim it is, it is destined to have a rapid and continuous growth. Here at Nome there are three churches — Roman Catholic, Protestant Episcopal, and Congregational — reaching practically but a small per cent of the people. Vice is prevalent, though less open and shameless here than in Fairbanks. A Neglected Saloons are numerous, and in every instance are gam- Field bling dens, but this practice is carried on usually behind screened doors. The Sabbath is ignored, and business of all kinds goes on as on week days. Here, as at Fairbanks, the Methodist Episcopal Church has been negligent of its op- portunities and duty. More people are here who were Meth- odists at home than of any other Protestant denomination. They wonder why it is that the authorities of their church have been so negligent. Not finding a place of worship of their own denomination many drift away into indifference and ungodliness. Upon no denomination does a greater, or so great, a responsi- bility rest to supply religious privileges to these far northwest mining centers as upon the Methodist Episcopal Church. ALASKA AGRICULTURE The agricultural possibilities of the interior of Alaska are as yet an unsolved problem. The general government has estab- lished several experimental farms on a small scale, and the results to date are regarded, as upon the whole, quite Experimental satisfactory. That there are vast valleys along the Farms Yukon, Tanana, and other rivers, with rich soil, is fully demonstrated; but whether in view of climatic con- ditions they can be profitably cultivated is the important question. The winters are long and the summers short. As already stated anywhere in these valleys ice is reached in mid- summer at a depth of two or three feet. Consequently vegetable life cannot root deeply. The roots of the forest trees are matted upon the surface and when upturned look like immense spiders. 24 They naturally avoid the ice, whicli is always near, and remain upon the surface, where in summer they secure the needed warmth. But it is claimed that there are compensations. The soil is very rich after it is tamed, and the summer days Long Sum- are very long. Beginning with the middle of May and mer Days on to the first of September there is practically no night, and, consequently, there is no time lost in the growth of vegetation. The surface soil warms quickly, and growth is rapid and constant. Besides, the moisture caused by the slowly melt- ing ice by capillary attraction rises and nourishes vegetation, so that if there should be a scarcity of summer showers, which rarely occurs, there would be no drought. It is already fully proven that potatoes, turnips, carrots, radishes, peas, beans, cab- bage, spinach, and cauliflower flourish here. Wild fruits, Vegetables such as blueberries, huckleberries, red raspberries, black and Fruits and red currants, gooseberries, cranberries, and salmon berries, are found in great abundance. Tomatoes and cucumbers flourish if well started in hothouses. Cereals, such ■ as spring wheat, barley, and oats, have been successfully produced. The central and northern parts of Norway and Sweden are about as far north as the Yukon valley, and agriculture is successfully carried on in those countries. Were as large populations here as there are in those countries they would find it easier to subsist, as the soil is naturally richer. But it is not likely that farmers will flock to these northern regions in large numbers while there are vast areas of rich agricultural lands in more southern latitudes. CLIMATE All who have wintered here claim that the climate is less trying than in the middle and eastern states. While the cold is some- times intense, the atmosphere is very dry. When winter comes it remains without a thaw until the time for its .final de- A Dry Cold parture arrives. Besides, there are no high winds There is rarely a time in the long winter nights when a candle cannot be used outdoors as readily as indoors. The miners use candles above ground and under ground in preference to kerosene or oil lamps. It is seldom that anyone freezes' to death who is sober. Winter is the favorite season to "mush on the trails. The word "musli" is said to be a perversion of the word " march." A foreigner wlio found it difficult to say march substituted "mush," and his fellow travelers adopted it, and now it is in universal use. Say to a Yukon dog "get out," and he pays not the slightest attention, but say The Indispen- "mush," and he instantly moves on. On the trail sable Dog in winter, as well as for other purposes, the dog is indispensable, and consequently he is very numerous. In the summer the streets are thronged with the canine species. It is the period of his vacation, and he is treated with great respect. He stretches himself calmly in the middle of the street, on the Courtesy of Leslie's Weeklv OX THE TRAIL l.\ WINTER THE J)OGS ARE IXDISI'EXSABLE sidewalk, in the doors of business houses and cabins, and is seldom required to change his location. A teamster will turn aside and drive past, or a footman will yield the sidewalk if nec- essary while "Bruno" slumbers on undisturbed. In walking a distance of five blocks in Fairbanks I counted one hundred dogs. Often in the twilight of the summer night the dogs join in a howl concert, and then the welkin rings. For downright dismalness the howl of the dogs has no equal. But when winter comes then Bruno has something to do besides thronging The Winter the streets and giving hideous concerts. Then he Beast of Burden is the beast of burden. He is harnessed tandem to sleds and drags supplies to mining camps, and miners' tools and baggage over long trails on stampedes to new gold fields. He hauls wood to camps and towns and to the banks of rivers to supply steamers during the season for naviga- tion. At one point where our steamer stopped for a fresh sup- ply of wood the woodchopper told the writer that last winter his six dogs hauled 350 cords of wood a distance of half a mile, where it was corded on the bank of the river. INHABITANTS The population of Alaska consists of Indians and white people of various nationalities. The Indians, of whom there are about 36,000, are of the Eskimo stock, and are in important characteristics unlike the American Indian. In south- A Vanishing eastern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands they strongly People resemble the Japanese, and there is good reason to believe that originally they belonged to the Japanese family. But whatever their origin they are rapidly degenerat- ing and decreasing in numbers. The vices of the white man, from the time of the Russian occupation and the invasion of the fur- trader until the present, together with the introduction since American occupation of intoxicating liquors, have told sadly and destructively upon these aborigines. When the United States first took possession, and for several years thereafter, the sale of intoxicants was absolutely prohibited, and the natives were thoroughly protected, but the demand for revenue has been heard, and now saloons are licensed by the federal government. Al- though the law forbids sale to Indians, liquor dealers circumvent and disregard the law, as they do the prohibitive features of all laws where enforcement is lax, and the Indians are in many in- stances debauched by drunkenness. In the earlier days Rus- sians frequently married or made concubines of Indian women, and the result is seen in a class of half-bloods who are neither Indian nor Russian, and are despised by both. There Squaw-Men are also Americans, known as squaw-men, who have married or are living in adulterous relations with Indian women, and their offspring are naturally outcasts. These people are found on the seacoast and along the rivers in the interior, gaining a precarious existence by hunting and fishing. 27 Rarely are they engaged in any industries, especially where capital is required. Some of them, both men and women are adept in the manufacture of curios which they profitably vend to tourists and curio collectors. The trend of the Indian in Alaska is toward extinction, and it is only a question of time when he will reach the goal, for goal it will be, as there is no probability that he will ever be The General exalted to anything above a very low grade of civiliza- Trend tion. Notwithstanding the successes that have been achieved in some places, by the heroic efforts of Chris- tian missionaries, it is conceded by all that the general trend is in the direction of final disappearance. THE WHITE POPULATION The white population is estimated by Governor Brady at about 30,000, although there are not a few who think the number is greater. At best the number can only be approximated, as it is always changing. It is not only changing in numbers, A Shifting but very migratory in character. There are town sites Population that a few years ago boasted populations of thousands where at present there is scarcely an inhabitant. Except in a very few instances all towns fail where 1 there are no mineral deposits to be ex- p 1 o i t e d . Scarcely anybody is here to stay. I have met but one person, and I have questioned many, who expects to make Alaska his permanent home. All are here for gold,, and whether they suc- ceed or fail they expect to leave the country at an early da}-. And yet, doubtless, not a 'ALL AHK HEKK FOR fiOLD, AN]1 WH>7rHER THEY SLTCCEED OR PAIL, THEY EXPECT TO LEAVE THE COUXTRY AT AX EARLY DAY " as few will remain and become the permanent pioneer residents. Families are now here that will never go outside, and their descendants will be natives of Alaska. The gold-seekers who first went to California did not intend to remain, but some were not able to get out of the country, while others stayed from choice, and so it will be with Alaska and there will be ■ an indigenous population. The white population is divided into " Che-chackos " and "Sour Doughs." "Che-chacko" is an Indian word and has about the same meaning as our English "tenderfoot." A Che- chacko is one who has just entered the Yukon country and exhibits his lack of information in various ways. "Sour Dough" means dough spoiled in the process of fermentation and bak- ing, resulting in sour bread, upon which miners not infrequently subsist during the winter; therefore a " Sour Dough" Old-Timer and is one who has been in the country long enough to Tenderfoot see the ice go out of the Yukon at least once and who has acquired information which experience alone can give. The "Sour Dough " sometimes puts on airs and looks upon the " Che-chacko " somewhat as in college a sophomore looks upon a freshman. THE COST OF LIVING Living expenses are enormously high. In a lodging house any kind of a bunk costs $1 a night, while a room costs from $2 to $5 a night and up. I have before me the menu of a caf6 in Fairbanks, and here are samples of prices: Steaks — por- Three Eggs terhouse, $2:50; sirloin, $2. Ham or bacon, $1. Mutton for a Dollar chops, $1.50. Three eggs, any style, $1. Asparagus, 75 cents. Lettuce, 50 cents. Cucumbers, 50 cents. Coffee or tea, per cup, 25 cents. In the mines expenses are higher still, as cost of freight from the river to the camps is great. Besides, mining is hard work and unless the miner is generously nourished he cannot endure the strain. The daily cost of econom- ical living in the mines is about $5, and if luxuries and intoxica- ting liquors, to say nothing of vices that must be nameless here, are indulged, the expense is greatly increased and even multiplied. Dirt must be rich and economy rigid if the miner accumulates a fortune rapidly. Probably not more than one in ten leaves the mines richer than when he came, while the majority are poorer both in purse and character. The gold they dig often passes swiftly through their hands, without improving their condition either materially or morally, and finding its way into the chan- nels of trade leaves the miners, who by hard toil extracted it from the earth, wrecks by the way. And yet it should be said that a man with good health, industry, and economy, can even with moderate success secure gold enough in a few years to make him ' comfortable for the remaining years of his life. ALASKAN METHODISM The Methodist Episcopal Church has accomplished but little in Alaska, for the reason that it has attempted but little. Slow to enter the country, it has been feeble in its efforts, and con- sequently success has been small. Until the recent In Ketchikan Annual Meeting we have touched only slightly the southeastern border of the country. In Ketchikan, a thriving town at the southeastern extremity of the country, with a population of about 1,000, and the distributing point for a large tract of mining country, we have a neat church and parsonage which have been refitted and improved during the past year. The Rev. J. A. Chapman is the pastor and has scored a signal success. Here the Annual Meeting of the Mission was Douglas and held June 27, 1905, under the direction of Bishop David Juneau H. Moore, whose presence and ministry were a source of great encouragement to the preachers and inspira- tion to the work. Up the coast 250 miles from Ketchikan are the towns of Douglas and Juneau, on nearly opposite sides of the bay, the former having a population of 1,650 and the latter 2,000. Douglas is the site of the great Treadwell quartz mines, where a vast amount of gold is taken out annually, and where the quality of gold-bearing quartz is inexhaustible, and where is an additional population of 600. Here we have an inferior church with very poor parsonage accommodations adjoin- ing. The Rev. L. B. Pedersen has been the industrious and enterprising pastor for two years, and the church is now being 30 METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHDBCH AND PARSONAGE AT KETCHIKAN served by the Eev. R. V. B. Dunlap. This church needs to be renovated and enlarged by using the rooms heretofore occupied as a parsonage for church purposes. At the most prosperous Juneau town in southeastern Alaska, Juneau, the Rev. F. A. La Violette has been the pastor for two years, and has ac- complished a great work under very difficult conditions. Two years ago he commenced his work here at zero ; we owned nothing and had no membership. Now we have a commodious frame METHODIST EPISCOPAL riirRClI AT ,J[IXi;AU church, centrally located, well furnished, with an auditorium that will seat 250 people, a lecture room adjoining, and a base- ment with gymnasium, bath, and reading rooms, the cost of the whole, including the lot, having been about $12,000. The Skaguay Board of Church Extension purchased the lot at a cost of $4,000, and the money to erect the building was raised on the ground. The whole is paid for except about $800, the greater part of which is pledged. Up the coast 100 miles farther at the head of the Lynn Canal, is Skaguay, boasting a population in 1898 of 8,000, but which at this time does not exceed 1,000. Previous to the building of the White Pass Railroad all miners entering the Klondike country landed here, and largely procured run LEADING STREET OF SKAftUAY their outfit for taking the trail across the mountains. As a merchandising town it grew quickly to large dimensions, and it as quickly faded away when the railroad from the head of Lynn Canal was completed across the White Pass to White Horse, on the headwaters of the Yukon River, thus providing for trans- portation of passengers and freight direct from Canada and the States to the Klondike. Here we have a neat property consisting of church and parsonage, out of debt. Dr. John Parsons, the Superintendent of the Mission, was pastor here for two years and accomplished all that could have been expected. At the recent Annual Meeting the Rev. J. We.sley Glenk was appointed pastor. Bishop Moore decided to open two new points this year — Fairbanks, on the Tanana River, and Seward, at the head of 33 Resurrection Bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Alaska. Seward is the base of supply for a large mining district where there are rich deposits of gold, coal, copper, tin, and other minerals. It is also the terminus of a railroad, 25 miles Two New of which is now in operation. It is to be constructed Points through the new gold fields recently discovered near the base of Mount McKinley to Fairbanks, or to some other point on the Tanana River, and on to the Yukon, a total dis- tance of about 500 miles. It is conceded by all that Seward METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AXT) PARSONAGE AT SKAGLTAY is to be a very important point on the south coast of Alaska. To this new point the Rev. L. B. Pedersen was appointed. Courageously, with his heroic wife and four children, he goes to a town in which we own nothing and in which no shelter had been obtained for himself and family. THE INDIANS Considerable missionary work is being done among the Indians by the Presbyterians, Protestant Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Russian Orthodox Greek Churches. The Methodist Epis- copal Church has not as yet commenced work in the in- 34 terest of these people, except at Unalaska, where there is an Industrial Home for Indian children, under tlie auspices of the Woman's Home Missionary Unalaska Society. The most interesting and irh- portant piece of Indian mission worlc the writer has seen is at New Metlakahtia, on Annette Island. The history of this Indian mission is most interesting. In 1856 Mr. William Duncan, a Yorkshire Englishman, and a layman, became a missionary to the wild and sav- age tribes in the vicinity of Fort Simpson, British Columbia. The William bishop of the Church of England in Duncan Canada urged him to accept clerical orders, which he declined, believing that he could render his best service as a layman. The account the writer heard him give of the perils to which he was ex- posed, his privations and hairbreadtli escapes from death at the hands of the savages, was most thrilling. He spent eight months among them, mastering their lan- guage before he attempted to utter a word in public, or to give religious instruction. Finally, when he had so far mastered the language as to be able to speak intelligently, he arranged for services on one Sabbath in the wigwams of eight chiefs, when he preached the same sermon in each wigwam. In these services the Indians heard prayer to the true God and listened to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ for the first time and with deepest interest. The next morning an old Indian woman met an officer of the fort and exclaimed, " The people are all awed; we have heard the Word of God." INDIAN TOTEM POLE AT SITKA, SAID TO BE THE PIN EST IN A LA SKA NEW METLAKAHTLA A bishop of the Church of Enghmd in Canada persisted in demanding that the worlc should be under his jurisdiction, and Mr. Duncan as persistently refused to submit tor the reason that he did not believe the Indians were capable of understand- Moving a ing the rites and ceremonies of that church. The result Mission was that Mr. Duncan left Fort Simpson and transferred his people to Annette Island, leaving the property he had accumulated behind. The island contains sixty square miles, and was at the time of the transfer an unbroken forest. Seeing AT NKW MElXAKAllTLvi Dr. Leonard, Mr. William Duncan, and Dr. Parsons the necessity of protection against the traders of the coast and their vices, Mr. Duncan went to Washington and asked the President and Congress to grant the island named above for the exclusive use of his Indian colony. The grant was made, and Mr. Duncan was given absolute control of the island, and no trader can transact business with the natives. The President has appointed Mr. Duncan commissioner for his people, and he is their sole ruler. 36 THE BRIGHT AND DARK SIDKS Ot' GOLD MINING Miners Stranded and Destitute at Fort Yukon Leaving a Klondike Claim with a Season's Output of Gold The Last Resting Place of a Discouraged Argonaut— A Suicide 37 New Metlakahtla was founded seventeen years ago, and there is now a population of seven hundred. Tlie town is regularly- laid out with wide streets, in which the stumps of trees remain. The streets are not graded, and, except the parts The Most Im- occupied by board walks, are grown up with under- portant Building brush. The houses are frame, commodious as to size, usually two stories high, and without par- titions, so that, as a rule, the houses have each two rooms, one below and one above. There are a sawmill, a fish cannery, and a community store, where supplies of all kinds are sold at reasonable prices. There is a good schoolhouse, and all children of proper age are required to attend school. The most prominent and important building in the town is the house of worship, which is the center of interest to all the people. The edifice is substantially built of wood, well finished, and will seat seven hundred people, the entire population of the town. Mr. Dun- can preaches to his people twice each Sabbath, and has the oversight of all religious as well as secular affairs. He is seventy- three years of age, hale and hearty, and may easily serve his people for another decade. There has not been a murder com- mitted by a member of the community in thirty-five years, and there is rarely an offense which requires a judicial investigation. When one remembers that these people were barbarians of the lowest type when Mr. Duncan found them, and notes the progress that has been made, he may well exclaim, "What hath God wrought!" AN INDIAN SERVICE On Sabbath afternoon, at Ketchikan, in connection with the Annual Meeting of the Mission, there was held an Indian service, under the direction of a native local preacher. About fifty Indians were present, representing three tribes — Tsimsheans, Hydahs, and Thlinkets. The local preacher spoke in English, and his message was translated into two dialects by two Indians, after which the meeting was open for remarks by the public. Several spoke in their native tongue and offered prayer. One, Rev. Edward Marsden, who was educated at Marietta College, Ohio, and is now a minister of the Presbyterian Church, spoke 38 in good English, and called attention to the fact that a meeting of three tribes could not have been held under the same roof fifty years ago without bloodshed. Then these three A College tribes were deadly enemies, and met only to shed Trained Indian blood. Then they were clothed in skins of animals or blankets; now they are in civilized costume and meet as brothers. The gospel of Christ alone, he asserted, had brought about the change. Alaska is a difficult field, and large results in statistics cannot be expected at an early day. The population is transient and constantly changing as new mining districts are opened, but it should not on that account be longer neglected. It An Urgent is a part of our country, and many of our Methodist Responsibility people, and others for whom we are responsible for religious privileges, are going there, and will continue to go in increasing numbers. We must care for them or be rightly charged witli neglecting a very important duty. No man who has a heart can go through Alaska and see the multitude of young men who are "mushing" to the mines, exposed to all the temptations and vices of a new mining country, and note the many that have already become wrecks, without being deeply stirred and intensely anxious to throw around them the restraints which the Christian Church alone can furnish. Heretofore Alaska has been to me only a name. But now, having seen it, its vastness, and its crying needs, it is more than a name; it is an empire of untold wealth and possibilities, already containing a considerable population, and destined, as its vast mineral re- sources are exploited, to be thronged with the best young life of the American nation. Alaska should be taken seriously by the Methodist Episcopal Church, and provided for generously. 3!)