The National tribune., 1903-04-02
REINDEER IN ALASKA.
Development IF Arctic and subarctic Regions
Dependent on Reindeer.
(National Geographic Magazine.)

Dependent on Reindeer.
National Geographic Magazine)
The original motive in bringing the
reindeer to Alaska was purely philan-
thropic-to give the native a permanent
food supply. $3.50
Since then the discovery of large and
valuable gold deposits upon the streams
OF arctic and subarctic Alaska has made
the reindeer necessity for the white man
as well as for the Eskimo Previous to
the discovery of gold there was nothing to
attract the white settler to that desolate
region, but with the knowledge of valti-
able gold deposits thousands will there
make their homes, and towns and villages
are already springing into existence.
But that vast region, with its perpetual
frozen subsoil. is without agricultural re-
sources. Groceries, breadstuffs, etc, must
be procured from the outside. Steamers
upon the Yukon can bring food to the
mouths of the collaborating streams. but
the mines are often many miles up these
nnnavIgable streams. Already great diff
ticulty is experienced i'm securing sufficient
food by dog-train transportation and the
packing of the natives The miners need
reindeer transportation.
Again, the development of the mines
streams hundreds of miles apart necesSi-
tate some method of speedy travel. A
dog team on a long journey will make on
an average from II to 20 miles Il day.
and in some sections cannot make the trip
at all. because they cannot carry with
them sufficient supply of food for the
dogs. and can procure none in the country
through which they travel. To facilitate
and render possible frequent and speedy
communication between these isolated
settlements and growing centers of Ameri-
can civilization. where the ordinary roads
of the States have no existence and can
not be maintained except at an enormous
expense, reindeer teams, that require no
beaten roads. and that at the close of a
days work can be turned loose to forage
for themselves. are essential. The intro
duction of reindeer into Alaska makes pos
sible the development of the mines and
the support of million miners.
The reindeer is to the far north what
the camel is to desert regions, the animal
which God has provided and adapted for
tie peculiar. special conditions which
exist. The greater the degree of cold, the
better the reindeer thrives. Last Winter
days journey with the temperature at %
degrees below zero. On long journey
through an uninhabted country n dog
team cannot haul sufficient provisions to
feed themselves. 4 deer with 200 pounds
on the sled can travel up and down the
mountains and over the plains without a
road or trail from one end of Alaska to
the other living on the moss found in the
country, where he travels. In the four
months travel of 1000 miles. from Port
Clarence to the Kuskokwim Valley and
back. by, Mr.. w. A. Kjellmann and two
Lapps. with nine sleds. IS96-'97. the deer
were turned out at night to find their own
provisions. except upon a stretch of the
Yukon Valley below Anvik. distance of
10 miles.
The great mining interests of central
Alaska cannot realize their fullest develop
ment until the domestic reindeer are in
troduced in sufficient numbers to do the
work of supplying the miners with pro-
visions and freight ard giving the miners
speedy communication with the outside
world
The reindeer is equally important to the
prospector. Prospecting ut distance
from the base of supplies is now impOssi-
BILE. The prospector can go only as far
and tools viii last. and then he must re- |
turn. With 10 head of reindeer, packing |
100 pounds each. making half ton of
supplies. lie can go for months. penetrat- |
ing regions hundreds of miles distant.
Even if no more reindeer are imported |
from Siberia, if the present rate of in
crease continues, doubling every three
there is no reason why it
should not-within less than % years
there will be at least 100000 domestic |
reindeer in Alaska. This is a conservative |
estimate and allows for the deer that die
from natural causes and for the many that
will be slaughtered for food. In 30 wears
the number NAV reach nearly 1O,OOO,OOO
head and Alaska will be shipping each
wear to the United States anywhere from
500 600 to 100000 reindeer carcasses
and thousands of tons Of delicious hams
and tongues At no distant day. it may
he safely predicted. long reindeer trains
from arctic and subarctic Alaska will roll
into Seattle and orr most Western cities
like the great cattle trains that now every
hour thunder into the yards of Chicago.
Before the end of the present century
Alaska will be helping to feed the 200
OOOO 600 men and women who will then be
living within the present borders of the
United States.