The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-25

| kuskokwim and Kanana rivers. The head
| waters or this river have not been ex-
| plored, but the ground on the shores is low
and marshy The interior of Alaska is less
! elevated and contains extensive plains. The
| country IS poor in natural products. al
! though salmon abound in the river.
| Fifth-The Yukon division contains 1915
| square miles and comprises the valley OF
| the Yukon river, as far as il lies within
| our boundary. with its tributaries. The di-
vision is bounded by the Arctic division on
/ the north, the l45th meridian on the east
| ana Berlng sea on the west. The south
1 ern boundary lies along line indicating this
watershed between the Yukon and the Kus-
| kokwim, Sushitna and Copper rivers
| square miles and comprises that portion OF
| the continent between the 145th meridian on
] the east ana Bering sea on the west. Yukon
| district on the south and the Arctic ocean
on the north. This division. situated almost
| entirely above the Arctic circle, is known
! only from observa tons made OH the sea-
coast. The vast interior. consisting prob
| ably of frozen mOors and low ranges OF
| hills. interSected here and there by shallow
/ streams, remains almost entirely unknown.
The Meade, Ikpikpung and Colville rivers
| wik Glowing through Selawik lake., the
| Noatak and the kowak empty into
hotHeoue sounu. Inc hellNes report the eA-
| lstence of settlements on all these rivers
! except the Colville whose headwaters no
| white man has ever visited. The coast set
/ Elements between Cape Prince of Wales ana
Point Barrow are visited annually by many
! schooneTs and ships engaged in whaling,
| hunting and trading and the inhabitants
| are better accustomed to white men than
| the natives of any other regions of Alaska~
| They carry on an extensive traffic with the
natives of the Arctic coasts of Alaska and
| Asia. Kotzebue sound is by far the best
| harbor in this section Of the Arctic ocean.
| One of the characteristics of Alaska is the
| network of rivers that covers its surface,
| and that serves as the most available means
| of transportation. In the Sitkan district
| land travel is simply impractiCable. Nobody
| goes on a road savages and whites travel
| by water. In the more northern regions of
! the country. outside of the mountains, is
| n& hnp
! small. with thousands of channels between
| them.
The capital of the Territory is Sitka, To-
Gated on a low strip of land on the west OF
Barnaof island Mount Edgecumbe.
tinct volcano of eight thousand feet, oppo-
site the town, is the landmark of the port.
There is an industrial school, and the popu-
lation was 1,19O in 1890. Salmon fishing and
| curing is the chief industry.
Senator Charles Sumner. of Massachu-
sets, called attention to the fact that the
winter OF Sitka is milder than that of many
European capitals - Berlin. Copenhagen,
Berne, Stuttgart, Vienna or Turin. The
mild climate of the southern portion Of
Alaska is due to the Japanese current,
! which splits on the eastern end of the
| Aleutian chain the smaller portion passing
| north to Boring strait and preventing the
flow of ice southwark, and the other portion
| sweeping south of the islands, bringing
| warm moist atmosphere, which is response
! bic for the remarkable rainfall. To fully
| appreciate how much moisture in the form
| of fog and rain settles upon the land one
| cannot do better than to take walk
| through one OF the narrow Naiieys 10 tns
| summit of a lofty peak. He will step upon
| what appeared from a distance TO be frm
| greeusward and will sink to his waist in a
| shaking, tremulous bog.
| of 1898, is located near the Lynn channel,
| by which there are trails to the Yukon.
| wit cd a
| ment in the town, and Juneau is to-day
| progressive city, with fine buildings,
wharves, electric lights, water works, no.
Wrangel on the northern part of the ISL
and of the same name, is about ten miles
from the mouth of the Sikine and is the
point of departure for traders and miners
| penetrating into the interior by way OF that
river. There are $40 inhabitants.
Douglas City, Douglas island, near
Juneau has q population of 4O2. This is the
location of the Treadwell gold mine, with.
| it is said, the largest quartz mill in the
world. Yakutat, with population OF SOS,
is on Yakutat bay.
Nuchak is situated on on Hl9 9Gilln S
| fifty miles from the mouth of the Copper
river. 1t formerly an important trad
| ing post, but much of the commerce has
| been transferred. 1t was the River
| Kaknu, or Kenai that the Russian min
ing engineer, Doroshin, reported the exist
ence of surface gold in paying quantities.
| After laboring with a numerous party in
the mountains for two seasons. at great
1
pany. he returned with few ounces or the
| precious metal, but he could present no IN
ducement to the corporation to proceed any
| further in this enterprise.
Since that time American prospectors
| have passed years in this region Following
| up the Russians tracks. but not one or
| them has thus far found gold enough to
| warrant him TO work the ind. In former
years Kenai was also the site OF large
| brick yard the only establishment of the
| kind in the colony, from which all sta
| lions and settlements were supplied with
the material for the old-fashioned Russian
About three miles down the coast from
| Kenai there is another settlement deserv-
| ing at least a passing notice. "A NUMBER OF
| Colonial citizens, or Superannuated EN-
poyes of the old Russian company, were
| ordered to settle. some fifty or sixty years
| ago, at Nini1chik. and their descendants
live there still. Each family has quite
| large garden patch of turnps and potatoes
| yielding enough to allow the owners TO
| dispose Of a large surplus to traders and
| fishermen. They have quite herd of cat
| but they are not sufficiently advanced IN
| farming lore to construct or use a churn.
| and the butter Is made in very laborlouS
manner, by shaking the cream In bottles.
| They also raise pigs and keep poultry but
on account of the hogs running on the sea-
| shore digging CLAIMS and feeding upon
| l1elp and the chickens scratching among
fish bones and other offal, both their poul-
| extent as to be made unpalatable.
st. Paul, on the northern part OF Kodiak
| island does a large fur trade. There are
| a number of salmon canneries on the ISL
and Karluk. population 1923. is said to
| have the largest cannery in tire world. On
| the Aleutian islands there are many settle
| ments The one on Ounga island has a
| population of about 700. Belowsky has
| 800 inhabitants. Near Protassof there are
warm sulphur springs and ponds. Iliuliuk,
| on Unalaska island, is a point of consider
| able commercial Importance
| st. Michael's on Norton sound, is one or
the most important localities on the coast
1t is trading post where rival firms have
| esta b!ished their depots for the Yukon
river and arctic trade. The station keepers
| come down from the interior to the coast
at the end Of June or the LIST of July and
each receives his allotment of goods to
take back with him in sailboats during the
| few months when navigation on the river
| is not impeded by ice.
Circle City, between Fort Yukon and
| Belle Isle, had population in 1896 of 1,l50
Missions have been established and hos
| pitfalls proposed There are some forty
! white women in the district.
Winning Ticket.
| New Castle Courier.