Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-07
ALAsKA's HErTY GREEN.
Rich Resources Of the Far Northland as
Seen by Prof. Dyche.

The orvus dali, the Rocky Mountain
white sheep, is one of the rarest OF
North American mamalia. 1t is so rare
that not one specimen of it is to be
found in a museum in the world. These
sheep have been described by govern
ment scientists and named in honor OF
DIR. William II. Dali of the Smithsonian
Institution, and fragmentary speci
mems have been brought to civilization
by Indians and hunters, but a complete
and perfect specimen was not seen, save
on it's native heights in the mountains
of Alaska, until 1 brought back seven.
teen this fall.
l left Lawrence, Kan, June 1 last
say Dycle in the Chicago Times-Her-
aid, where I hoped to find the white
sheep. l went from Seattle to Sitka
and thence to Juneau. where I had the
pleasure of meeting the most remark
able woman in Alaska, Princess Tom
the Hetty Green of the north, who well
coined me to her home and showed me
her manifold treasures, as we'll as hel
latest husband.
l was introduced to Princess Tom by
Miss Florence Campbell, a teacher and
missionary at Juneau, who was gradu-
ated at the Haskell institute for In
dams at Lawrence. Princess Tom
speaks only commercial English, and
only enough of that to enable her to
drive a trade, at which she is very ex-
pert. Therefore l had to enlist the SER
vices of Miss Campbell to interpret my
expressions of regard.
Princess Tom is short and squat and
about 30 years old. She is keen in her
judgment of men, and took quite a
fancy to me, although she could not I'M
der stand why l had journeyed SO far
for a few paltry sheepskins, while
might have taken back the much more
valuable peltry Of sea offers and blue
foxes. When Miss Campbell explained
to her that 1 was impelled more by
scientific interest and love of hunting
than the love of dollars. she marveled
still more, because the white men she
had met were hunters of dollars.
See, 1 buy a man." said Princess
Tom to me through Miss Campbell. 81
pay 500 blankets for him to marry"
She pointed to grinning, fat-faced
young fellow, who was her fifth hus-
band. she says she will buy you, too,
if you are for SAFE" said Miss Camp
bell, laughing. And when l said l was
not for sale, she took from her finger
a silver ring, shaped like a snake, Won
derfully chased in the Alaskan fashion
and set with a turquoise, and placed it
on my finger as a token of good will.
Then she set about to show me her
treasures and allowed me to photo
graph her. She desired me to photo
graph her fat young husband also, but
he ran off like a bashful boy and hid
himself in the town. Her house, very
comfortable frame structure. modernly
built. is ful, of every description of In
dian treasure, blankets, skins. baskets
of wonderful workmanship, copper ket-
ties and domestic utensils fashioned by
the Russians in the days before Ameri-
can possession. Ter chiefest treasure.
besides her good American $40 gold
pieces, are her sea otter skins. The sea
otter fur is the court fur of both Rus
STA and China. and is therefore in great
demand at ruinous prices. The sea
otter has been so assiduously hunted
and is now SO wary that good skins,
rough dried, are worth any where from
800 to $500 each. In one room of her
house this Alaskan princess has piles
of cedar chests full of sea otter skins,
of which she is in no hurry to dispose.
In all she must own about 500 skins,
and she has a large number of native
hunters out in her slOOps constantly
looking for more so Unsuitable is her de-
sire for them.
To an Alaskan Indian a blanket is a
tangible token of wealth as pony is
to a prairie Indian. Warmth and food
is the end of successful existence to the
fat Alaskan, hence a blanket means
something to him. Passage over the
great stretches of unavailable prairie
is necessary to the Indian farther east
and to him wealth is best represented
by pony. A blanket and a pony; a
blanket and kyak. skin canoe, is
the acme of wealth to both types.
Princess Tom has enough kayaks and
blankets for an Alaskan kings ransom,
if there were such person. Some of
the Alaskan blankets are very beauti-
full. and Princess Tom owns only the
choicest which she keeps in piles in her
treasure room.
The Yakutat Indians of Alaska are
the most expert basket-makers of the
north. They weave them of grasses
and tender willow wood split into long
silky strips. Their decorative methods,
when they forsake totems, are very
similar to those Of the Yaqui and other
southern Indians. Some of their bas-
kets are SO closely woven that they will
hold water Princess Tom, being a
Yakutat, has passion for baskets and
is the owner of some of the finest
specimens it has been my fortune to
see. The mark of the totem is ever all