New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-13
ALASKA MAY BE A STATE.
,,ov- v5, GOT THE BIG TERRITORY
MORE THAN MINING POSSIBLE
THERE

..,, ,-,- .-,v arything about Alaska. grand
,s,fer-. da-naua,I James Henry last night, when
~ had worked u his lessons for Monday until he
was tired.
.ya-- grandfather knows something about every =
,tfr-- sand the .oy's father quickly. and then he
$3.50 o,-- If Tie room tor fear some questions
night be put TO NM
..wen. thar is d strange subject for youngsteT
Of vour age" aid the grandfather. Nv hat set
Won thinking 10. Alaska
zone Of the boys brought nugget o. gold 10
school yesterday" replied the boy. His father
has been in Alaska for than year. When
be got home his own son did not know him. because
he had grown whiskers all over his face lie say :
that Alaska is the richest place IN the world and
that whiskers grow faster there than anywhere
else
4 don't know much about the fertility O. Alaska
as a HtaSkers growing country. but ii is certainly
rich in gold and other minerals. the old man said.
IT is ID Ing territory nearly GGaooo square miles in
all That means that II is large all Of The
United states east e the Mississippi River, leaving
out Mississippi. Georgia. FLORIDA and Alabama II
is hard To imagine a territory as big a that"
Il looked in the atlas to-day to see where Alaska
was" declared James Henry. and il looked on
the map as though il was not joined to the United
States al all. Did get il like We did the Phil
irpines. 10y a-htlns somebody"
We got A L4ska many years ago by buying il. as
we bargainel the Danish West Indies few
weeks ago. We got II from. Russia tor S7-2Got.D
many times over
Why did the Russians sell il 50 chcaply, them
demanded the BOY.
They did not know how valuable the country |
was Russian traders who hunted fur bearing ami |
mails were the only people who derived benefit !
from, the country Americans developed the scaling
Industry which has paid the government in rentals
as much as Tie whole territory cost. Then the /
mining industry developed. As much $7.e,1 GO |
has been taken from big mine near the town !
Of Juneau. The mineral districts just begin 1
ming 10 be developed and tell how |
much they viii yield in the end. So You see, it /
vas very good bargain"
VIII Alaska ever become State. grandfather" |
IF YOU had asked that question five years |
ago ! would have answered that it was possible !
but extremely improbable. Now il is most likely |
10 be made a full-fleiEed State. and il will not be
many wears hence either. If mining and hunting !
the only possible industries it might have al
ways remained a territory, but Alaska is going to |
be great agricultural country. In spite OF the |
long winters, when the thermometer goes forty or
fifty degrees below zero At times, they are able 10
grow wonderful crops.
Only a few d.ys ago 7 reading Of the hay /
which grew al Holy Cross Mission, the Yukon. /
i was so high that the cattle could not be seen
when turned into The meadow to Craze. At Eagle /
City a mining town. they grow barley, wheat and /
cats in many varieties. As fine potatoes, cabbage
peas and lettuce as ever grew in American gar
den are raised every summer at Sitka- There are
large areas O. fine grazing lands for cattle il the
interior so Hha- more could you ask?
II will be Wis FOR you to keep a close eye on
Alaska James Henry. It is going to develop rap
idly in the next years and 10y the time you are
grown up Will be d fine place for Z young man /
begin life"