The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-22
REINDEER IN alaska.
Plans to Stock the Territory, Furnish
ing Meat, Drink and Clothes.

New York Herald.
There is one man who claims that If he
could have had his way Alaska might be
a very different place to live in than 1t is
at present. This man is the Rev. sheldon
Jackson who went to Alaska first as mis-
Sionary, but has now attained the position
of United States agent of education In
Alaska. He has established every govern
ment school in the Territory. and as he
travels about 1900 miles over Alaskan
lands and waters every summer he doubt
less knows more about the country than
anybody else.
His scheme is to introduce reindeer into
the Territory as fast as possible. The eX-
pertinent has been tried and proved a sue
cess. The country would support millions
of the gentle, feet-foOted little animals,
that flourish best in just such a climate,
finding plenty of nourishing food in the
moss, which they get by digging away the
everything snow with their horns and hoofs.
1t is not merely as a means of transporta-
ton that these steedS of old Santa Claus
are valuable. The reindeer's flesh either
fresh or cured, is considered a great deli
cacy The skin is soft and warm, and can
be used for both clothes and shoes. Then
there is the milk, which is good as any
which we buy in the city. They are more
docie than the horse, and are better adapt
ton in the climate of Alaska.
Thus we have embodied in one little ami
NAL, averaging in size from three to five
feet in height, meat drink, snoes, clothing
and the means of tranSportatiOn-nOt 10
mention his possibilities as commercial
commodity for his hoofs and horns make
the best glue known, and his hair has
buoyant quality which makes 1t valuable
for life-saying apparatus In addition to
can live upon such frugal fare as the Alas
kan climate affords. Dogs must carry their
food on their backs, but reindeer feed from
the soil which they traverse. and it is esti-
mated that the Territory Of Alaska is ca
pable of sustaining 100000 of the latter
animals, a number which will support $751;
900 people.
The only difficulty in the matter is the
fact that the reindeer have to be imported.
10h TOT Too off nft 1iT1ur
less than thousand have already been
brought from Siberia, and because of the
prevailing ignorance as to the care and
herding of the strange little beasts six
families of Laps were imported along with
them. "A central station was established
and some of the most intelligent natives
taken as apprentices. They are doing well,
and many are now capable of taking charge
of nerds themselves.
These reindeer were brought from Siberia
to the Teller station at Port Clarence. The
herding of the reindeer imposes a nomadic
life upon those who attempt 1t, as the herds
constantly change their position in search
of fresh food. During the first year or so
in the vicinity of the Teller station the
herders slept in single canvas tents during
the entire winter, and they suffered great
hardships as may well be imagined. Now
they build log huts wherever it is possible.
At the landing station sledges and har-
ness are made, the latter being simply
made and may be put on and secured by
two motions, touching the deer as little
as possible.
About a year ago 130 deer were driven
from the central station to Golovin bay.
Mr.. N. o. Hultburg; the missionary there,
writes: AT first the herd was kept five
or six miles north of the station, where
there was moss in abundance. AS we had
a number of steers, my thought fell on how
to get them trained I ordered the boys to
work with the deer, each day, but il, proved
to be too hard work for them, they are
all very lazy. 1 then ordered the herd TO
be moved farther off. So it was moved to
about thirty miles northwest or the sta
ton. Each Of the boys then had to go
home once week for his own provisions.
and if he came with an old deer Zone that
had been trained before) he had to go back
again with empty sled. In this way
we broke eleven new deer before spring."
The deer bunch together like sheep, and
one man and dog can easily handle a
large herd. In appearance they are almost
the same as the American caribou. Both
male and female have large branching
horns. They can stand almost any degree
of cold and have the domestic instinct TO
a remarkable degree. They are not able to
carry very heavy loads on their backs. but
in summer often carry women, children or
household effects in this way. They can
pull as much as three hundred pounds
though a limit of 1870 or POO pounds is gen.
orally made-at the rate of nine or ten
miles hour for ten hours without
ia