The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-13
A BLUE FOX INDUSTRY
Farms Established by the Indians
in Alaska.
SKINS BRING BIG PRICES
Sea Otter Pelts Sold for 500 Each-The
Great Farms Will Eventually
Supply the Whole
World.

| Special correspondence to the New
York Sun from San Francisco says:
United States Commissioner G. r. Ish-
am of Unga island, Alaska, is here on
his way to Washington, where he is go
ing in connection with matters relating
to the Indians of Unga and the sur
rounding islands.
| "Unga island is the great center of the
| sea otter and foxskin industries said
the commissioner, "and virtually all the
inhabitants are engaged in hunting one
or both of these. The catch is very
| important, though the number of ami
mails is not large. For instance, this
year the II islands Of the Shumagin
group, including Unga. produced from
the surrounding water "a sea offers.
| The value Of these skins is $500 eacn,
| or $23,S00. Besides this, the islands are
| producing blue and black foxskins in
large numbers. One island alone had
produced up to the time I left 80 skins,
worth $40 each, or 5000. This is moth
ing to what it would produce were the
Indian trappers determined to get all
they could.
"Other islands are also producing
steadily The truth is that there las
been no disposition till now for long
while to harvest the foNskins. The
black foxes were planted originally in
Unga, Sanak, Belkofsky and other ISL
ands by the Russian American TTur
| company to augment the scant supply
left after the company's men had been
long trapping on the islands. So well
has this been recognized that the ISL
ands are known on many maps .as the
Black Fox islands. After the United
States had had the country for some
years our government leased the II ISL
ands to different traders and Aleut
chiefs for the purpose of raising blue
foxes. The islands were well stocked
with the blue variety and these have
been crossed with the black in many
cases and an unusually fine fur has e.
suited.
AT first when the blue foxes We're
brought to the islands they were Kept
in cages and there fed. When their
young ones got big enough to lake care
of themselves they were turned loose.
After a few years there were lots of
foxes. The old ones were turned loose,
too. to scurry about as they pleased.
So now there are foxes everywhere, and
those Interested are just beginning to
eaten them. IheSe! great tOX farms are
undoubtedly destined to supply a iarge
part of the foXskins of the world.
Take the raising and trapping of
foxes and the catching sea otter togeth-
er, and it is quite a big industry. Now
the whole Indian popula ton of the isl
ands, consisting of a261 full-bloods and
half-breed Aleuts. is engaged in it.
This year the natives of Bekofsky ISL
and caught II sea offers, enough to
carry the whole village of $50 people
through the winter in good shape. The
Indians go forth on the sea in their
bidarkas and shoot the offers with shot
guns, as rule. In some cases they use
nets. but shooting them is the usual
way. These otter skins are the very
best found in any market in the world.
Il am going to Washington now to
try to get the government to erect rude
board houses on the islands for the Use
of the Indians in drying salmon, and
also desire to get a medical dispensary
and doctor for the Indians. Diseases
of different kinds have broken out
among them. Substantially. the Aleuts
need besides this only flour. tea and
ammunition, and these supplies they
can buy of the traders from their otter
and foXskin catch. There are plenty of
Goldfish. eggs of wild fowl and some
game in addition to the salmon, as
general thing, but once in a while there
is hard year, and then the Indians
live on roots and herbs.