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Show TEN t , - imtitmttKl 1 - - " f 'H wf' - 1 . , r iJZZZBM 0i l (Tcxsve cZcz gZ&SA& J Progress of Our Va Territory Ter-ritory In the Northwest wwfrf- During the Paft Half-aya Half-aya :ln:3 Century Under the Am-'Ulf Am-'Ulf ericanFlagATreas. ofVfinr: V i ure use of Mineral i hh ' W ealth and Fisheries. UlO I5 bodice.' Copyright, 1017. by The International of sca ' Syndicate. n thls OCTOBER 18, 18 G7, the Amer- n;'and mm lcan fla waa raised over Alaska vlll fie II and General Lovell JL Rousseau le can .r took formal possession for tho merit United States. His son and private dw or secretary. Georgo L. Rousseau, pulled shade r haJyard' which raised tho emblem i now t0 the stair from which a Russian a sen- ' allor had lowered tho Russian stand- tulli v "Soward's Folly" or "tho fool pearls. bargain," as tho territory was known ork L 1 1 at that Ume becamo a part of our l?y country and has proved tho most . profitable Investment ever 'made by LS the United States, as the Government has during the past half century realized real-ized more than seven times purchase price. $7,200,000, while tho commerco of Alaska has amounted to about $500,000,000 or about 100 per cent a year. During the administration of President Pierce, Russia offered the land to tho United States, but the ofTer was refused. Later It was offered of-fered to President Buchanan, who also refused to purchase declaring that $5,000,000 was too high a price to pay for a land of snow and lco. Purchase Ridiculed. However, when William H. Seward became the Secretary of Stato In the cabinet of President Lincoln ho began be-gan to think over tho advisability of investing Government monoy In Alaska, but it was not until 1867 that the actual purchase took place Secretary Sec-retary Seward was optimistic over the future of tho territory In the northwest, but few people shared his views and legislators and newspapers were opposed to Its purchase. However, How-ever, tho secretary was adamant and although the opposition became more Intcnso each day Seward went on with his plans and finally at dawn on tho morning of March 30, 1SG7, tho.trcaty of purchaso was duly signed by Russia and the United States and sent to Congress for Its ratification on the same day. Obstacles of all sorts were put in tho way of the ratification, but finally tho Senate confirmed the purchase pur-chase on April 10th, and the bill became be-came a law on June 30th. The newspapers news-papers ridiculed tho transaction and spoke of Alaska as "Seward's lco bos," "Zero Island," "American Siberia," "Walrussla," "Polaria" and "Ice-bergia." "Ice-bergia." Figured by tho acre Alaska was purchased for less than two cents an acre. Today tho timber land on the Government reserves alone Is worth many times the purchaso price to say nothing of its rich gold fields and coal mines. Tho early settlors In Alaska suffered many hardships. The Indians had boon badly treated by tho Russians and they soon came to hate all white men "While tho country was garrisoned gar-risoned with soldiers the Indians were well behaved, but us soon as the garrison had been withdrawn the Indians In-dians killed many of the settlers In a most barbaric manner. At ono time the sottlers neglected by their own country appealed for help to tho British Brit-ish warshjp a: Vancouver and aid was sent to them. A few weeks later an American vessel arrived at Sitka, and the omcers soon brought order out of chaos and laid tho foundation for an admlrablo government "While it Is true that many times graft and politics poli-tics have crept into tho administration of Alaskan affairs, It has on tho whole been well governed and settlers have with few exceptions been fairly treated. treat-ed. During .0 rush to the Klondike In 1897-98, many undesirable citizens camo to Alaska, and It took years to weed them out, but this was done In a systematic fashion and today Alaska shows less crime per capita than any Stato In tho union. V..st Territory. Even at the tlmo of Its purchase few people realized the vastness of Alaska, which Is twlco tho slzo of tho German Empire, and almost thirteen times tho slzo of New York State. It contains approximately 21,000,000 acres of coal land, thousands of acres of which aro still undeveloped. The great value of these coal deposits aro brought out by a government statistician, statisti-cian, who estimates that tho available coal in Alaska at the present rato of consumption would sustain the population popu-lation of tho United States more than flvo thousand years If transportation Is made available Mineral Wealth. Tho mineral wealth of Alaska ap- pears almost lnoxhaustlblo for It contains con-tains almost every mineral used by man. Its gold fields havo produced millions of dollars worth of the precious metal both by placer and quartz mining and there seems to be no let up on tho output. Much of tho work Is dono by hydraulic mining, turning on a treat stream of water and washing tho sand with its gold deposits into sluice boxes. Tho famous fam-ous Treadwcll mine near Juneau, in tho southeastern section of tho territory ter-ritory has already produced seven times as much gold as tho United States paid for tho cntlro territory. Tho company operates tho second largest stamp mill In tho world, its size bolng exceeded only by the ono run by' tho Do Beers property on tho Wits-watcrsrand, Wits-watcrsrand, South Africa. Besides gold Alaska produces copper, tin, silver, gypsum, marblo, graphito. petroleum, mica, llmo and mineral waters of various kinds. In metals and minerals prospectively valuable, but not produced in commercial quantities quan-tities arc tungsten, arsenic, antlmonoy, manganese, bismuth, quick silver, corundum, slate, zinc, garnots and other minerals. Great Iron deposits both maganlto and hcmatlto have boon discovered In many places and geologists predict that when the bituminous coal of Alaska is made availablo to use many steel mills will be established In the territory. It contains the only tin mines of any Importance In North America, while Its coppor product runs up to about $3,000,000 worth per year. The best copper mines aro those of Prince "William "Wil-liam Sound, at Latoucho, and at Kcn-necott Kcn-necott In tho Coppor River Valley. There tho oro Is extremely rich and tho deposit extensive. About twelve coppor mines aro now producing tho ore which is sent to Tacoma, "Washington, "Wash-ington, for treatment becauso of the lack of smelters. Later, according to tho report of Governor Strong, of Alaska, smelters will bo erected In tho terrltoryi that is, when the supply of coal from tho natlvo mines Is available avail-able Fisheries. Its fisheries aro regarded by all countries as llttlo short of marvolous and tho figures of Its annual output In salmon alone aro staggering. During tho fiscal year of 1916 tho territory sent to tho United States in the form of salmon, canned and otherwise, a product valued at nearly nineteen million dollars, and other fish to the valuo of nearly $700,000. The fishery Industry In Alaska employs about twenty-three thousand persons and represents an Investment of about $40,000,000. The salmon industry alono gives employment to more than eighteen thousand persons, and thero aro ninety canneries engaged In putting put-ting up this delicious fish, tho output being about 4,500,000 cases annually. In addition to tho salmon the Alaskan waters abound In cod, halibut, herring and other edlblo fish, while whaling nets a handsome revenue for at present pres-ent tho mothods of manufacturo havo found a uso for every part of this huge fish. During tho last half century Alaska has yielded walrus hides, old ivory tusks of tho mastSdon found among the gold and sand, aquatic furs and fur seals, worth millions of dollars, dol-lars, tho furs alono shipped In 1916 bolng worth over half a million dollars. dol-lars. Lumber. Tho vast lumber supply of Alaska Is another asset of this treasure house of the northwest for asldo from the large amount of homlock and sltka spruce, red cedar and yellow cypress there is any amount of timber excellently excel-lently suited for pulp manufacture Indeed, at present vast quantities of this class of timber Is going to waste In southeastern Alaska becauso thero Is nobody to handlo It. Thero Is plenty of water power in that section and It only needs to bo set to work in producing wood pulp which Is now on the upward trend In price. Much of tho wood used In constructing con-structing our war aeroplanes come3 from Alaska, tho spruce from that territory has no superior for the work because of its great strength and close grain. Tho logging Industry also flourishes in Alaska, where tho forests aro close to the shoro line. They are sent down the mountains on chutes, bound together and floated to saw mills. Farm Land. For many years thero was an erroneous idea of Alaska's climatic conditions and this kept settlers from going to what was known as "Tho Frozen North." Climatically Alaska Is as favorably situated as tho Scandinavian Scandi-navian peninsula, and In somo parts of the territory Is not an unpleasant placo to live at any tlmo during tho year. For Instance, tho temperature at many points in Southwestern Alaska Is not so. cold as New Tork City In winter nor as warm In summer. sum-mer. Tho atmosphere In this section of Alaska Is tempered by tho Japan current. It is, however, very cold In winter and very hot in summer east of the Coast Range Except in ox-tremo ox-tremo Northern Alaska vegetation Is extremely luxuriant and wondorfully rapid in growth. Nearly every variety of hardy fruit and vegetables grow in abundance while grass flourishes on tho plateaus and forms excellent pasturage pas-turage for cattle. The agricultural experiment station of tho territory has done excellent work in finding' out the various kinds of fruits, vegetables and grains that aro adapted to Alaskan Alas-kan soli and today thero aro many fin farms In Alaska, whoro prize po tatoes and hardy vegetables aro grown ! to perfection. Barley, rye. oats and H sometimes wheat are to bo found as ' H welL Cattle too aro raised in largo H numbers and tho time scorns not far ' distant when tho territory will bo able IH to feed herself. Wild berries grow in I IH profusion, whllo tho wild flowers that IH cover tho hills growing even at tho lf foot of tho glaciors are the most beau- H tlful In tho world. Thriving villages H and bustling towns with all the mod- H crn Improvements have sprung up and ' H the primitive minors hut is rapidly ' H becoming a thing of the past. Tho jf prospector with hl3 bean pot and ; IH bacon who cooked his meals on tho I jH hills has gono out of fashion and tho J H man who comes to seek his fortune In IH Alaska today Is usually a well dressed I IH man with scientific Information and I H somo ability as a geologist and cngl- ' H noer. The development of tho great j H territory has just begun for there are H thousands of acres of land that have I jH never been trodden upon by the whlto H man and undeveloped riches unsur- IH passed In tho world. jH To tho hunter It Is a perfect para- H dlso for bear, moose, caribou, wolvc.- I IH and mountain goats abound; among tho smaller game aro foxes, rabbits H and otters as well as such gamo as H tho ptarlmlgan, swan, snipe, plover, grouse, partridge, wild duck and wild goose All of theso are plentiful as the hunting grounds are not overrun t with sportsmen. Alaska ofOrs tho tourist scenery IH equal to that found anywhere in tho world. It boasts of the highest moun- tain In North America, MU McKlnlcy. IH which lifts Its snow-capped head more r than 20,000 feet above sea level. Its I glaciers, many of which are acccssl- r ' ble, aro the largest In the world with , tho oxcoptlon of somo recently dls- covered near tho south polo, while Its fjords In tho Inland waters rival I in beauty and grandeur those of Nor- I IH Altogether Alaska Is ono of tho f world's wo ders and its development IH during the past fifty years has been 1 far beyond tho hopes of Its most optl- mlstlc admirer and shows tho wisdom I: cf Secretary Seward In sticking to his ' t on opinion and addlrj the "lco bo-" Jj IH to our c.ounfrv's possession w |
