The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-10
NATURAL HONE
Of REINDEER
Alaska May Have Ranches for
Their Growing
TO HELP ENTERPRISE
Government Has Appropriated
Much Money
TO HELP ENTERPRISE

At no distant day Alaska will have
great reindeer ranches like the cattle
ranches of our Southwest, and they will
be no less profitable.
1t is only twelve years since DR.. Shell
don Jackson brought his first herd Of
reindeer across Behring Strait fromm ST.
IBERIA and started his reindeer colony at
Unlaska, of the bleak coast of Alaska.
Today there are six thousand head IN
the herds distributed along the coast
from Point Barrow TO Bethel, and less
than one thousand of them were i'm
ported from Siberia. But the reindeer
enterprise is still in its infancy.
There are four hundred thousa nd
square miles of barren tundra in Alaska,
where no horse, COW, sheep or goat can
find pasture; but everywhere on this
vast expanse of frozen land the rein
deer can find the long hbrous white moss
which is his food. There is plenty of
room for ten million of these hardy ami.
mails.
DR.. Jackson's motive in bringing rein
deer from Siberia was not to start an
industry which some day soon viii be
worth S10O,O9O,0e0. His purpose was pure
ly philanthropic-to give the natives of
Arctic and subarctic Alaska a new food
supply. AS the General Agent of Edu-
cation in Alaska he saw, in 1900, that
unless something was done at once the
United States would have to choose be-
tween feeding the twenty thousand and
more natives or letting them starve to
death. The modern hunter, with his
L. Sro I'D
found the whales, walrus and seals such
easy prey that he was ruthlessly des-
sroying them. Also the wild caribou.
that the native had easily captured be-
fore, had been frightened away and was
rarely seen Dr. Jackson believed that
the domestic reindeer. which for cen
Northern Siberians. would thrive in Alas
Ma. and he proved that he was right
In 1894 congress came to his assistance
with an appropriation of $1,000 and dur
ing the last several years it has made
an annual grant Of $4,000 for the i'm
porting reindeer and helping the enter
prise in Alaska.
The Siberians were at first unwilling to
part with any Of their reindeer. They
were superstitious, and. above all, afraid
of competition and loss Of trade across
the Strait. Captain NJ. a. Healy, who
was commissioned TO purchase the deer
40 1891, was obliged to sail from village
to village for I,5O0 miles along the ST.
berian coast before he found an owner
willing to barter his reindeer for Ameri-
can goods. None would sell deer for
cash. OF recent years Siberians have
been but little less reluctant TO part with
their deer, though they could easily spare
many thousands from their herds.
With careful training the Esquimaux
make excellent herders. They are by
nature good imitators, though not IN
yentive. and readily learn how to take
care of the reindeer. to throw the lasso,
20 harness and drive the deer, and to
watch the fawns. Siberian herders were
ut first imported to teach them, and
later the more intelligent and efficient
Iaplanders. who have learned by CEN
turtles of experience to give 10 the breed
ing of reindeer the care that we give 10
the breeding of cattle
The United States government loans
certain number Of the reindeer 10 the
mission stations. or to individuals who
have shown their ability. reserving the
right after three or five years, Of call
Inc unon the mission or the individual
TO- the same number Of deer as COM
posed the original herd loaned. In 1894
t,7e CONGREGATIONAL Mission at Cape
ps.ince of Wales was granted the loan or
one hundred deer The mission has since
rid hack the loan, and now possesses
i1 IFS own right one thousand head.
#.acb owner has his own individual
mark. which is branded on the LETT or
- door
Z Raising reindeer in Alaska is simple
And the profits are enormous rich
narket awaits the reindeer farmer, es-
peciaIiy at Dawson.
A fawn during the first four years costs
The owner less than a dollar year AZ
che end OF the four lears it viii bring ~
the mines from $50 TO 500 for its meat
or If trained to the sled or for the pack
As easily worth 500 to $50.
The fawns are very healthy and but
very few die. The does are prohtao'e
and after they are two years OF age ada
q fawn to the herd each year Tor ten
vears Last year out Of fifty does two
,,aars or more Of age in one herd forty
eight had fawns and Of these only hNe
died three of which were lost through
accidents or by cerelessness or the
herder.
The reindeer are so gregarious and
tiuid that one herder can easily guard
a thousand head The herder knows
that IL a few stray off ne need not LOOK
for them as they will soon become
frightened and rejoin the main herd
The does make almost as good sled deer
as the bulls and geldings they arr
sliehtlv smaIlerand less enduring
The Chukches deer cost in SIBERIA
about 81 a head for fun grown doe OF
bull. The fawns born in Alaska are
larger and heavier than the parent
stock.
The reindeer COW gives about one tea
cupfu Of very rich milk. nearly as thick
as the best cream, and this makes &c
licious cheese. Mixed with little water
the uilkforms a refreshing drink. The
Siberians and Laplanders save the blood
Of slaughtered deer and serve il in pow
siered form. From the slnews touEh
thread is obtained. The Alaskan rein
deer can darby equal the speed OF the
I.spiand deer. which Paul du Chaillu
describes as making from one hundred
and fifty TO two hundred miles day,
and sometimes twenty TO twenty five
down hin in single hour. A pair Ct
them. however. car pun a load Of I'VE
h,,ns7red to seven hundred pounds at the
rate Of fhirty-five miles day and keep
n an weeks at time. ". \. K1s.imaaa
drove his reindeer express one winter
ninetv-fve miles in a single day
Reindeer teams during the last winter
~srrses the United States mail from