Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-07-12
"M0LLIE" GARFIELD
LIVES IN a TINY TOWN IN FAR
OFF ALASKA.
ENTERTAINING AT LETTER
From Madison Lady En- Route to
Join Her Husband at Nome-Flow-
ers Abundant-Mission School and
Old Church-Sad Problem Regard
ing Native Girls.

Mrs. j. S. Thomson, nee Lillian
Conover, who with her husband left
Madison early in May for Nome,
Alaska, writes entertainingly of her
trip. Mr.. Thomson has extensive
mining interests at Nome, and while
he was in Alaska last summer, Mrs.
Thomson was employed by a music
company of Madison. He re-
turned last fall, and, together
they spent the winter in Chi
cago, going to Alaska again as soon as
navigation opened. They sailed from
Seattle, May II. She writes from
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to her friend,
Mrs. w. W. Harrington, her impress
sions, and says: This is the 18th
Ounce and we are still at Dutch Har-
bor," she writes. There is talk of us
leaving sometime tomorrow. If it
wasn't that we ought to be on our
way | should not care If we didn't
go for two months. Dutch Harbor is
delightful place at this time of the
year. Today is perfect-warm and
nice. The snow is rapidly disappear
ing from the lower mountains, and the
flowers are blossoming in abundance.
never saw such lovely violets as
grow here. Some Of them are almost
as large as pansies. There have been
thousands of people here all picking
flowers more or less and there seems
to be no decrease in the supply. The
varieties are chiefly violets, buttercups,
cowslips and a white flower resembling
the strawberry blossom, only much
larger. 1t has a very peculiar name,
which l can neither pronounce nor
spell. Then on the mountains grows
sort of myrtle, which has beauti-
full flower, cup-shaped and pink, which
afterward yields a red berry about the
size of cranberry, which the natives
eat. These, together1with brake and
moss, constitute the fora of this
part of Alaska. There have been %
boats in here at one time, so you can
imagine the crowds of people. We
have on board, including the crew, $40
There are six buildings in Dutch
Harbor. In the one dwelling house
lives Mrs. j. A. Garfeld's daughter
Mollie Her husband is in some sort
of business here and so they live here.
There are one store, three warehouses
and hotel But the mountains are
what make the place. They are mag
nificant with their snow white crests
seemingly reaching up to heaven s
gates. | wouldn't care for nicer place
t. spend the summer. Prices of sup
plies are but very little higher than
at Seattle and some things are just
the same. OF course prices will go up
at Nome. We have had nothing to
complain of in the way of weather or
anything that the good Lord has any
thing to do with, but if he will forgive
us for coming on this boat we'll
never offend in the same way again.
On the home trip last fall DR.. Wilkin-
son, as leader, and the passengers con-
tributed toward handsome gold
watch and presented it to the captain,
endeavoring to show him their APP
probation of the excellent service
given them. Since coming this far
pr. Wilkinson left the boat and took
passage for the remainder of the
journey on the St. Paul. Really l
couldn't describe it on paper. Finally
things got so bad that the passengers
held an Indignation meeting and hand
ed in set of resolutions to the cap
tain, and since, then the meals have
been improving and the dishes are
washed at any rate, but often times
the bowls are put on the table unwiped
and we have to either wipe them on
the edges of the table cloth or bring a
towel to the table and wipe them on
that. There are a great many infiuen-
tial men on board and the boat will
get pretty well advertised. Mr.. Hol-
lock, city passenger agent for the
Northern Pacific. who is being sent
nOrth in the interpsts of that corn