The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-09-14
WRANGRL ISLAND.

John Muir thus writes 10 the San
Francisco Bulletin:
Wrsngel Island is one Of the thous.
ands OF picturesque bits of this cool
end Of the continent carved out Of the
solid by the Ice of the glacier period
not by separate glaciers such as nov
load the mountain tops. aud flow. river
like. down the valleys. but by broad,
continuous ice-sheet that crawled slowly
southwark. covering all the Ian ! and
much that Is now sea, grinding on. un-
halting through unnumbersd seasons.
and modelling the comparatively simple
and festureless pre- glacial landscapes
TO the marvellous beauty and variety OF
the present day.
The island is about fourteen miles
long, separated f,om the mainland by
a narrow channel or ford, aud trend
ing north and south iD the direction of
the flow Of the ancient ice shoet. From
the tops Of its highest hills down TO
the waters edge ell around il. is densel =
planted with cOaiferOus trees that uever
suffer thirst IN all their long century
lives. that never have been wasted by
fire, and have never vet been touched
by the Ak of the lumberman. Abun.
dance of snow keeps them fresh and
lusty through the winter. abundance of
rain aud soft, shady clouds makes them
grow luxuriantly through the summer.
while the many warm days. hslfcloudy
half clear. and the little groups Of pure
sundays, enable them to ripen their
cones and perpetuAt. the species in
surprising strength and beauty.
ALASKAN FORESTS AND GLACIERS
The forests and glaciers are the glory
OF Alaska. ard it Is not easy to keep
my pen away from them. Nevertheless.
l want to try TO sketch this little far
away town and its people. md will
gladly return to the trees aud ice some
other time after l have observed fur
ther.
A ROUGH PLACE.
Wrsngel is . rough place. the rOugh
l ever saw. No wildcat mining ham
let in the grizzly gulches OF California.
brush State, spproachesi it in picturesque
devH-may care abandon. 1t is IL moist
dragglcmeDt If unpretertious wooden
huts and houses that go wrangling and
angling along the boggy. curving shore
OF the bay for mile or 80. in the gen
eral form Of the letter s. but without
manifts,ing the slightest subordination
IN hn 70 AZ ha ~
building laws OF any kind waatever.
Stumps and logs block the two crowded
streets. each stump and log. Oh account
Of the moist climate, s.Oss- grown and
grAss.tuited on their tops. but muddy
aud decayiIg ut the bottom and down
the sides below tho limit Of the hog
line. The ground in general is de.
graded bog. oozy and Shiny. too thin to
walk in, too chick to swim in. These
picturesque Obstructions. however, are
not much in the way, for no wheels Of
wagon or carriage ever turn here.
There is not horse on the island. aud
but one CIV. the domestic animals
are represented by few hogs Of breed
we'll calculated to deepen aud compi-
cate and complete the mud. and Il sheep
or two. brought on the steamer r NUT
ton.
Indi, m, mostly of the Stickeen tribe.
occupy the two ends O. tho t,wn, tho
whites. of whom there are perhaps alb ,ut
forty or fifty. tho middle portion. oppo-
site the wharf; but there il no detsrmi.
nate line Of demarcAtion. the dwellings
Of the Indians being mostly as large
and ~ solidly built Of logs and planks
rs those Of the whites.
THE FORT.
The fort is qusdrangulsr stockads
with dozen block and frame buildings
located upon dry. rising ground just
back Of the. business part Of the town.
1t was built shortly after the purchase
Of Alaska by our own Government and
was abandoned in ls72-reoccupied by
the military in 1875. and finally absn.
doned and sold to private parties in
1877.
In the fort and about i. there are a
few good, clean homes and people, gol-
den nuggets Of civilization which shine
all the more brightly in their sombrs
surroundings. The ground occupied by
being drained around the outside 10 dry
and wholesome. though formerly por.
ticn :of the general swamp; showing
how easily the whole town could be
made clean. ct least as far ~ the
ground 10 concerned. Were it removed
as it is t. the sunshine of California.
with all its miry squslor. It would be.
come . reckinG center of pestilcnce;
but here. beneath shady clouds and
washed oy cool rains and the fresh
briny sea. it is ever safely salubrious
Although seeming to rest uneasily
among mire and s.u,ups. the houses
squirming at all angles. as if they had
been tossed and twisted by earthq quake
shocks, leaving but little more geome-
try in their relations to one another
than may be observed amoug the mo-
rAine blocks Of . glacier. yet Wraugel
is . tranquil place-trsnquil as the
lovely hay and the islands outspread
in front Of it or the deep evergreen
woods behind it. | have never yet
head q noisy brSwl among the people.
nor stormy wind in the streets. or =
clap Of thunder. or anything like
storm sound in the waves along the
beach. At this summer season OF the
year the abundant rain comes straight
down into tn, lush vegetation. stormy
and tep,d. The clouds are usually
united. filing all the sky. not racing
along in threa,enlng ranks. suggesting
energy # an overbearing destructive