The Alaska prospector., 1903-06-18
My Impression of Valdez.
BY Gko. W. CHIrsoN.

as it nllgnt Oe, DecauSe l nau spent several days trying to overcome the effects of the rolling of the sea between Sitka and the place of my destination, but as ! reached the dock and heard the calling of the newsboys and saw the crowd of peo- pie who were there tO welcome the boat, and notice the general stir and hustle that seemed to pervade the very atmosphere, I made up my mind that the place 1 was com ing to was worth while. Of course, Tn the short space of a month one hardly has the time to delve into the mathematical certainties, but the impressionist would see great possibilities. To my mind it is the coming town of the northwest, and our church must obtain a strong and permanent fOothold. The peo- pie are more than kind to us, and while we regret, of course, that there are not more of them church members, yet we see in that, only an additional reason why we should plant ourselves so firmly in the hearts of the people who are there that in time they will all come to look upon the "now little" Epi- phany Church as one that the name represents. As one looks around Valdez and sees the land locked harbor, the mountains in all their grandeur, and the beauty of the bay and the islands, one can readily understand why we call our church the Epiphany; for if these wonders of nature do not make manifest the God above us, and teach to men the fact that there is power and above all which rules the universe, one can hardly know where to go to look for such manifestations.
 The people of Valdez themselves, ; arc among the best in the world. found them not only open-heart- . ed and generous, and willing to do anything for their fellow-beings, . but also friendly to the church. , One receives the impression that !. among such people growth of a , town is assured to be one that will be a credit to the entire country. The majority of the men l met i. gave me the impression of "Valdez and business" first, after that Gen joy life;" and where one finds man who has the seriousness of life at heart, and feels that he has time for some of the enjoyments, then you will find a man who will do anything to make the place of his adoption better. Oi course, I cannot say anything about Valdez without remembering the "MOose." Fraternal societies as a rule are built upon that great principle of "the brotherhood of man," and the "Moose" being distinctly a Valdez society to which the majority of the citizens belong, shows the ex- tent to which this brotherhood of man is felt in Valdez. I certainly congratulate Valdez on having a society so worthy of its members, and men who are so worthy of the society.
 l arrived at Valdez about April 22d and my friends were there to meet meet me. l was hurried across what seemed to me pretty hard trail of snow and ice (since then l have found out it was wharf). reached the corner of street, at least l supposed it was corner, for there 1 was turned to the left and followed my guide as best could. It was rather dark and the trail might have been straight at one time, but the only thing found straight about it was where the drops went off, and l found one foot looking after the other, finally we reached the "resi- dence" of my host. A very nice little three room cottage, which looked mighty good" to me after the rough trail. My guide forgot that the trail was new to me, and