Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-18
Resources Shown in Seattle
Exposition.
NO NEED TO ExAGGERATE
Exhibits Enough to Prove the I'm
portance of the Country.
GOLD BOOTH WORTH $1,25o,0O0
Great Deposits Of Coal and an I'm
mense Supply Of Oil-Work OF
Sheldon Jackson.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Speciai Correspondence Of The Star and tht
Chicago Record Herald.
SEATTLE, Wash. September Il. 1902
This is essentially an Alaska exposition.
because Seattle Is the gateway to Alaska,
the starting place of Alaska enterprises;
the deposit Of Alaska treasures and the
depot of supplies for the vast army OF
wealth seekers who have gone into that
section of our territory which used to
be called the frozen zone, but Is now
represented to be something entirely diff
ferent People who come to this ex-
position are assured that Alaska is a
fine farming country as we'll as treas
IRE house Of gold and other precious
metals, and a wonderland for scenery.
but if they are not careful the boosters
will make themselves and their country
ridiculous.
Many readers may remember what a
setback the Northern Pacific country
suffered because Of silly and exaggerated
statements that were made about it In
the newspapers and the magazines when
the railway was first built out to the
Missouri river. The late Gen. Hazen OF
the army, who was commanding mill
taTy post UP there somewhere. wrote a
s0fies of articles in which he represented
that the climate of North Dakota and
Montana was similar to that of louisiana
and asserted that the soil would produce
everything that would grow elsewhere In
the United States. Some witty COM
mentator dubbed it THE Banana Belt
and that name stuck for a long time and
delayed the development of. the country
more than most people would believe.
with that example in mind. the Alaska
people would do we'll to be moderate IN
their boasting about that country and
the opportunities that exist there for
immigrants. The contents of the Alaska
building at the exposition are enough
TO convince any one of the great and
growing Importance of that section of
the United States, and 1t is not necessary
10 do any lying about it,
This exposition was suggested by an
Alaska man. Godfrey Chelander. He was
disappointed at the meager and made
quite display of the resources Of the ter
ritory at the Portland fair. and began to
egitate the idea of holding a purely
Alaska exposition at Seattle in order that
ditions in the territory might be prop
erly set before the public by actual OBJ
ject lessons. The idea Immediately be-
came popular. and the result is the pres
ent exposition, at which not only Alaska
but the rest of the Pacific slope is repre-
manner
Resources of Alaska.
The Alaska building, which contains
$4,000 square feet Of exhibit space. is
divided into seven departments: Agrf-
culture, horticulture and forestry: furs,
animals and birds; fish and fisheries;
mines and minerals: transportation
ethnology and native work; schools;
woman's work and art, and each de-
partment of this classification is admi-
ably installed.
On either side of the main entrance
are the following reasons why Alaska
should be here:
Discovered by Vitus BerinG 1I41.
Settlement by Russians 1884.
Purchased by United States 1861.
Price paid, S7.200.OO0.
Area in square miles. $4,000
Coast line miles. q. 600.
Census 1900, whites. &c, 50T.