Douglas Island news., 1909-05-12
A Plea for the Roadhouse

The hostelry, caravansary, hotel or roadhouse, call it what you will, has oc- cupied more or less conspicuous, though mble, place throughout the history of the world. The first refer ence to it which we recall, is contained 1 in the Old Testament, what time the sons of Jacob were travelling from Egypt to their home, and, stopping at a caravansary, their sacks of corn, pur- chased at the Pharaoh's granarieS, were examined and "the cup was found in Beniamin's sack," placed there by or. der of Joseph, his brother, sold by his elder brethren into Egypt but who had found favor with the king.
 i It is of the caravansary-the road house in the present day of Alaska however. that we wish to speak. Throughout the great west it has been the precursor of the ever advancing tide of civilization. It has been in it's humble but practical way, developer of territories and mighty states; it's pioneer proprietors have done their 1 full share toward the birth and deVel- opment of commonwealths, and the service thus rendered have been fof#he distinct spread of civilization. The roadhouses that dotted the trails in the pioneer days of the west were a neces. sity caused by the westward march of the star of the empire. They were es- tabllshed at points where they were needed by the wayfarers, and around them grew as time passed, settlements or towns. They gave an impetus to the tilling of the soil and the settlement of the surrounding country, and that situation is exactly true of Alaska to- day. The roadhouse is prime neces- sity, not only to the welfare and com fort of the pioneer-the prospector, miner. merchant-in short all those who find it necessary to travel, but it affords as well base of supplies for contiguous territory.
 The establishment of roadhouses, for instance, in the Seward peninsula country has been the means of saving many lives, has enabled new discover ies to be made and accelerated the mineral development of that region. And what is true of the northwestern portion of Alaska applies with equal force and directness to the great ln. terior country, where miles immeasur- ably spread seem lengthening as they %. with here and there inviting way side houses offering rest and refresh ment for "man and beast and mala' mute dog" And around and about them you may notice the first efforts of man directed to the tanning of the wilderness and the development of the soil, in the form of patches of garden, where fruit and vegetables are grown. and where the luXuriant bloom of flowers may be seen, gladdening the senses Ol weary uuuSuSIS Ou Cu0 Cl aiA' And from the garden patches on many au Alaskan trail is slowly but surely being demonstrated the potential agri' cultural possibilities of certain great sections of the territory, for the road house is d miniature experiment. sta tion. Soon these will have been de- veloped iuto farms, and thus will eX- tensive areas be brought under mans domain and made the homes of con- tented and prosperous people.
 This is a plea for the roadhouse, which is often the object of anathemas rather than blessings from the unthink- ing. It is a necessary adjunct of our progress toward full development of the great natural resources of this com monwealth, and should be encouraged instead of being handicapped, as has been the case in recent ill-considered egisIation.-Katalla Herald.