Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-16
RICH ALASKAN LANDS TO
BE OPENED TO SETTLERS
NATIONAL FOREST PROJECT is
ABANDONED
Recently Constructed Railroads Have
Made the District Valuable for
Agricultural Purposes-Date
Set Is September 80

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15.-At distance
of some fifty miles south of the Arctic
Circle 9 $50 900 acres of land will be opened
for settlement in Alaska on September 30
by a recent order of the secretary of the
interior. This great tract has been helu
in reserve for a national forest around
Norton Bay, but the project was aban-
doned, so many were the demands for
entry on land which had been found more
suitable for settlement The spring rush
for Alaska overwhelmed steamship ac-
commodatons and filled up the wharves
at Seattle with household freight, but the
order of the secretary is expected to pro-
long the rush up to the approach of Win
ter Alaska has been in the throes of
general strike and tie-up. but as usual in
such cases this feature is wearing itself
out. These troubles were caused by the
shortage of labor in Southern Alaska
owing to the activity of railway building
and the development of new mines, cul-
minating in a general demand for higher
wages
Agricultural Purposes
Agriculture is proceeding hand in hand
with the efforts of government expert
ment stations, which are constantly de-
termining what will grow which hereto
fore has been exotic to the soil. so far'
all the harder vegetables have been
made to thrive and in the large valleys
of the interior experiments are pelus
made with every prospect OF success "
grow hay, grain and stock feed capaple
of maintaining work animals. me sIeaI
valley along the Susitna river in Central
Alaska. extending north from COOKS IN
let and Resurrection Bay. 1t Is declared
has a mild climate all the year, owing 10
the warm currents of the ocean, ana
will grow almost anything that is raiseu
in temperate zones.
Most important to Alaska has been the
Improvement of the transportation 1acll-
ties. both on steamship and railway lines:
In the Susitna Valley the Alaska central
Railway last year had forty-seven ana
a half miles of standard gauge track in
operation north from Seward. and It's
roadbed in excellent shape. The series
of tunnels and heavy grade work for the
next six and a half miles were 80 per
cent completed last year, and are now
about to be opened.
The seven tunnels of this section are
$500 feet long and with their completion
trains will have fifty-four miles OF track
The line aims for Fairbanks, Monatuska
coalfieds and the Youkon, 400 miles
northward The Copper River railway
had completed twenty miles of road from
Cordova. and it's grade was done almost
to Copper river at the close of last sea-
son. Much of it's heavy rock work
through the Abercrombie canyon of the
Copper river was completed.
Railroads Are Building
The Tanana Mines railway had in oper-
alton when the snowfall began last au-
tumn thirty-six miles of road from Chena
TO Gilmore through Fairbanks. The Cop-
per River & Northwestern railway had
about completed twenty miles of grad
ing north from Valdez and surveyors
were laying out other routes, including
one from Catalla to the Kayak coal
fields, and thence parallel with the Cop
per River railway. The Valdez and 4u-
kon railway had completed its wharf and
laid one mile of standard grade
track. and graded part of its roadbed.
The Solomon River railway had extend
ed it's line to Casadepaga and pushed con-
struction TO reach Council City.
The Nome & Arctic railway has pur-
chased the Wild Goose railroad and
pushed it's line toward Kougarok The
Alaska Short Line railway, with ter
minus at IlIiamna bay, proposes to push
on to Nome. Most of these lines are
anxious to build into the Kayak coal
fields, where coal Is plentiful and of
high grade for cooking and general use.
The permanent white population of
Alaska is now $1,000 with 5000 nomads
at work Nhere and there. The increase
now averages $500 souls year, a figure
which the coming opening of lands is
expected to swell materially. These peo-
Pile shipped to the states last year So
S39 2S6 worth of gold, silver. copper and
merchandise in the form of fish products
Cable, telegraph and mail connections
are being generally extended, and already
Alaska is ambitious to become a state.