Wichita eagle., 1888-11-14
AN OLD RUSSIAN FORT.
IRREGULARITIES OF A MUsCOWTE FOR.
LITIGATION IN ALASKA

PkCUGlARtTiE Or n MOSCOVTE FOR.
LITIGATION IN ALASKA
| Old Defenses Of Fort Wrangen-A Mill
tary Post In Name Only-Russians and
| Indians-Curios for sale-Blankets.
Alaska Scenery.
| Names Of places in this territory which
have military designations may inspire a
sense Of security to outsiders unacquainted
with the country For instance, upon hear
ing Of Fort Wrangell one would naturally
conclude that such a post would furnish
ample security for a reasonable scope Of
country. Yet the nearest troops are at Port
Townsend, nearly 1000 miles distant by
water, if we except a small company of ma
rines at Sitka. Fort Wrangell is military
post only in name Ii is about $50 miles
southeast of Sitka by the waters Of the inletS,
but by the bi-monrhly steamers IN a north
east course its distance Is more than SEQ
miles
It is one Of the old Russian settlements, and
was one Of their most prosperous trading
posts. The main part Of the village is on
moderate slope, with a lofty chain of noun
600 inhabitable acres there, and upon them
was crowded all there ever was of Wrangell
in its most prosperous days. On the north
side Of the village is higher knoll, and on
this stand the old defenses of Fort Wrangell
A high wooden palisade or stockade sur
rounded the area set apart for military pur-
poses; the stockade is gone, but the buildings
all remain in u fair state Of preservation. The
fha r4ff.
and the barracks for the men stands on the
north side Of the quadrangle, and is a solid
log building boarded over and made impen-
etrable to bullets The government house
stands on the west side of the square, and is
built of the same material.
This building on the seaside is adapted for
defensive purposes. On the east side of the
quadrangle is a large log and boarded build
ing which was used in the old Russian days
as a storehous- and its outer front was
adapted to protective and defensive purposes.
A PECULIAR STRUCTURE.
At the southeast corner of this square
stands the most peculiar structure of all,
and one more suggestive Of the necessities Of
defense than all the rest 1t is the block
house OF bastion, and upon its safety and So
curity depended the safety and security Of
the entire post. Ii is Solidly built Of logs,
and is about twelve feet square ct the ground.
1t rises in these dimensions to about twelve
feet, the height OF the palisades, where is sec
ond story Of wider dimensions, extending en-
tirely over the margin of the FIRST. Its walls
are not parallel with those Of the first, but it
is placed diagonally across the first, SO that
its corners do not conform to the corners Of
the first In thus being wider than the first
story, and extending over it on all sides, rifle
men could defend it, not only by aiming out
ward, but downward on the outside of the
palisades. Such defenses were common in
Pennsy lvania New York and Ohio 100 years
ago, but they are now only historic memo
ries. while the Russian block house at Fort
Wrangell still exists IS a meInento Of their
occupation, and is rapidly going to ruin.
There are only few Russians left at
Wrangell. not more than a dozen OF pure
bloods. There are quite q number of the
mixed race, Indian and Russian, still there,
but the bulk of the deniZens Of tho place ere
natives. These relics of Russian peasantry
and the half breeds are as a rule more worth
less than the native or Indian. The houses
of the old Russian settlement are rapidly
disappearing from lack Of care and through
the wet climate, which is destructive of TIM
ber About 500 Indians have their winter
home there. During the canning season they
go out long distance up the inle5s and take
salmon and other fish for the canneries.
W hen that season is over they return to
Wrangell, spending the winter months IN
hunting the mule deer, sometimes attacking
the great brown bear Of the adjoining noun
tains but giving over most of their leisure
time to gambling. There are twelve or IF
teen Americans in the village, some in public
employment, some in mission work teaching
the Indians, some in saloon keeping, and the
rest in traders stores.
CURIo5 FOR SALE.
A remnant of the Old Russian town stands
below the fort along what was once perhars
street. relic of a rough wooden sidewalk
and some boarded up old fashioned, narrow
windows suggest traffic. On this broken and
dilapidated walk score or two of old squawa
and decrepit men squat on their haunch1,
and expose for sale the curios with which
they hope to tempt the tourist. These natives
are adopts at construction, and offer for sale
nicely formed bracelets and rings manufac-
tured from coin silver obtained at the can
neries for fish. They also have wooden
spoons and bowls for sale, made from the
beautiful yellow cedar of this coast, orna-
mented with carved grifins Of curious design.
In trading with the Athabascan Indians Of
the interior, in the British doniniops, they
procure a white, coarse wool from q sort OF
mountain goat or sheep, and this is woven
into blankets variously colored, mostly gray
and white, and figured over with grifins and
nondescript figures of O ike nature, Alaska
for a thousand miles and more is only strip
Of coast about So miles wide or the mainland.
The Indians of the interior are never per-
mtted by the coast natives to come to tide
water. The coast natives have time out Of
mind constituted themselves the niddlemen,
and have done all the trading With the In
dams of the British dominions
After leaving Fort Wrangeu ono sees no
white settlements again for many hours
steaIning up the ill-et At Tongass Narrows.
where little glacier river comes with a roar
out Of the deep notch in the surrounding
mountains, one comes upon the few isolated
buildings of the Loring fish caunery. Four
or five whites are here among host Of M
tives, the latter furnishing the fish to the
works Nothing can be more lonely than tbs
situation OF that meager settlement, many
miles by land and water from any white
neighbors or succor CT any kind From here
long steaming brings usto Berry's cannery.
1t has Is few white people and is In as lonely
a notch in the mountains by the seaside as
Lorlng's Indians il tents and huts near the
works and a few whites are al We see Il
takes all night, fast sseaning, before we
reach signs of civilization again ct juneau
City and Douglass Island. TIE seat Of the
great gold mining industries Of Alaska
From these points the steamer picks is way
up the narrow caonels. fearful of hidden