Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1903-03-19


Heron of the Eight cavalry, speaking
OF an interesting exploring expedition
to Alaska about which little has been
published. After the rush to the gold
fields in 1895, the War department.
early in 1899. decided to send Lieuten-
ant Heron to Alaska with instructions
to discover. II possible. feasible
route for railroad from some point
on the Pacific coast near the head Of
Cook inlet, through the Mckinley
range Of mountains, into the interior
of Alaska. at some point on the Yukon
river. At that time the interior of
Alaska, the vast wilderness which lay
beyond the snowy peaks and glaciers
of the Mckinley range, was wholly un-
known and unexplored, no white man
having ever set foot in this virgt0
forest.
1t was a strange land Of mystery,
about which the few white traders
along the coast heard strange tales,
but into which none had the courage
to penetrate. Quitting at Suchitna
station. at the head of Cook inlet,
Lieutenant Heron, accompanied by a
party Of five men from the Fourteenth
infantry and fifteen hardy Oregon
range horses, left that point on June
8, 1899, crossed the mountain range
and on December II reached Fort Glib
bon, on the Yukon, where the party
remained until the following May rs,
1900, when they returned to the United
States.
Everything was new and different
from what we had all our lives been
accustomed to-" said the lieutenant,
land we were obliged to spend large
part of our time daily doing and saying
things which to us seemed entirety
superfluous. For example. when we
reached our starting point at the head
OF Cook inlet, with our fifteen pack
horses, the crowd of Indians congre.
gated to witness our arrival, bolter for
the timber, frightened almost speech
less at the sight of these animals. This
was the first time any of them had ever
seen horse.
"a few days later body Of miners
arrived who had decided to take a
short cut to the Yukon by route
somewhat different from ours. They
were we'll equipped, and among other
property had seven big army mules.
The latter were turned out to Craze,
and in so doing they came near losing
their lives. The Indians thought they
were some new variety Of moose, and
could hardly be restrained from shoot
ing them. One old mule wandered into
an Indian village not for from the sta
ton, and approaching a birch bark
lodge tenanted by squaw, three chill
dren and a dog, stuck his ugly head
through the door and began scratch
ing his neck on the top and sides of
the opening. The inmates were so
frightened that they bolted through
the rear OF the lodge and fed, scream
ing at the top Of their voices.
81 employed two Indians, good hunt
ers and members of one Of the Cook
inlet tribes, to act as our guides, but
soon realized they would be Of little
service. The Indians OF Alaska, both
on the coast and in the interior, have
q peculiar custom Of hunting only
within the bounds of their own terri
tory. The boundaries are fixed by In
tertribal laws, as old as the hills over
which they run, and any violation Of
the code is sufficient to produce war
between the tribes, unless the offender
is severely punished. This, however,
seldom happens, for the treaty obli-
cations between tribe and tribe are
looked upon as sacred. Consequently,
I discovered that while an Indian
might be thoroughly familiar with the
topography and geography Of the
region Of his tribe, the chances were
that he would knew less Of the country
beyond the tribal llults than we cur
selves. In addition 20 these tribal
laws, there is another general agree
ment which the coast and interior
tribes entered into centuries ago,
whereby the former never cross the
Mckinley range. They live and hunt