Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1903-10-24
ALhsKA's BIG GROWTH
Rapid Development of Our
Northw .stern Territory.
SOON TO BE CROSSED BY RAILWAYS

Mineral, AS r1culturaA ana FOreSt
Wealth tO Be Observation-Disclosures
Fisheries Rich Beyond Calculation.
Alaska being a topic Of the hour,
now that the boundary decision has
been given il favor Of the United
States there is timely interest in the
story told by William r. Stewart in
the current " orld's Work Of it's won
derfully rapid development. The whole
vast stretch o the far northwest, Ca
madam as well as American, is now
repeating the wonderful story Of Cali
fornias magical growth.
Within year or two Alaska will be
traversed by railroads almost from end
to end. Nome, the western terminus
Of the railroad system of northwestern
Alaska, is already city of $4,000 pop
ulation. The railroad tracks that run
to Nome are fartheSt north of all the
world. They are almost within the
arctic circle. Nome has good hotels,
daily papers, banks, electric lights, tele-
graphs and telephones-in short, a COM
plete outfit of civilization. 1t is con-
nected by cable with st. MichaePs and
by telegraph with Dawson and Skag-
uay.
When the railroads now building and
projected are completed it will only
need short northern spur from Rus
sia's great Siberian railroad to give all
rail communication from New York to
Paris. Meantime Dawson is the city
to which all railroad building leads.
Dawson has $4,000 population, and it's
municipal equipment includes all mod
ern improvements. Its assessment for
taxation is over $11 100000. 1t is now
installing a $5,OOO,OO0 water supply
plant.
The Yukon river is open to naviga-s
ton from May to October, and forty
stern wheel steamboats, ply between
Dawson and st. MichaePs, covering the
1,6OG miles in about ten days.
Primarily the railroads so far have
been built to tap the enormous min
eral wealth of Alaska and the Cana
dian Yukon. But, contrary to old no
tons, there is immense agricultural
and forest wealth to be developed in
the Hudson bay, north Saskatchewan
and Peace river districts. Nearly a
thousand miles north of the boundary
between Alaska and the Canadian
northwest. in the valley Of the Peace
river wheat, barley and oats are grown
in quantities limited only by the num-
Der of farmers The most northerly
roller process flour mill on the CONT
nent has just been built at Vermillion.
The wheat which took the first prize
at the Centennial exhibition of 1876 at
Philadelphia came from the Peace riv-
er country, which is estimated to con
tain more than 100000 acres Of good
grain growing SOIL
The postal service of this empire in
embryo is wonder. Mail steamers
leave the Pacific coast daily, bringing
bags from Sitka, Skaguay, Nome and
other points by all manner of means
wagons, dog sleds, etc. Russian rein
deer carry the sacks over frozen lakes
and snow covered hills with remark
postal official in the world serves in
Alaska He is paid $4,000 a year for
the mail fortnightly to Fort
Yukon, providing his own dogs and
sleds for the purpose. Alaska has now
upward Of 100 post offices, and mails
are collected and delivered regularly
beyond the arctic circle.
The fisheries of Alaska are rich be-
yond calculation. Its cod banks are be-
lieved to equal in wealth those of New
foundland More than half of our en-
tire salmon product is Alaskan. and
last year it was worth 100000, ex-
actly what we paid Russia for the |
whole territory.
The winters of Alaska are less rig !
orous than those of Wyoming or Mon |
lana. and horses and cattle are worked !
there without fear of being frozen.
The cold is intense, but there are no
storms. Except on the coast of Be-
ring sea all the hardy vegetables are
grown with marked success through |
)ut Alaska and the Canadian Yukon,
south Of the arctic circle.
AS a measure Of Alaska's growth it |
Is noted that her total foreign trade,
all she bought and all she sold, in
1892 was less than $4,000 in value,
while for the fiscal year ended June
30 last it reached total of $35.00O,000. |
American and British settlers are
pushing steadily north into this great |
:erritory in about equal numbers, and |
Mr.. Stewart says that "the entire
Canadian northwest is already more
American than British in it's admins
:rative system"
President Roosevelt, speaking at Seat
lie in May last, predicted that men
now living would see Alaska one of
he greatest and most populous states
If the entire Union" 1t may be that
t will become too great and populous
FOR one state or even for two. Its !
area is larger than that of eighteen Of I
The present states of the Union, in /
Guiding New York, Pennsylvania, vir- ,
yinia, Indiana, Louisiana and Maine. |
70 use another comparison, Alaska in !
:ludes more territory than the British |