The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-01-09
j. S. HAS LARGE
REINDEER HERD
w. 7. Lopp is Creator and
Administrative Head of the
Animals.
ALSO HEAD OF THE SCHOOLS
He Went to Alaska in 1890
and Has Been There
Ever Since.
Has Been Through
all Kinds of Excite
ment.
ALSO HEAD OF THE SCHOOLS


ago short, stalky man with q quiet
manner, a skin Drowned by much in
door life, and the steady eye OF one
used to looking across great dis
tances, came to Washington with
such small fuss that IL was more
than a week before the reporters were
aware of his presence at all. lie is
| w. r. Lopp, head OF the govern .
ments school system for Esqulmaux
and a man who has spent most Of
his life since 1890 In Alaska seldom
coming out" as he calls n trip down
to the states.
| Lopp was a Hoosier schoolmaster
in Indiana, boy JUST out of college,
when the government sent him and
another young man up to Cape
Prince of Wales on Behring strait
to start an Esquimaux school lie
| expected to remain but two years.
When he went up he and his part
ner were the only white men living
| in all of northern Alaska. They went
alone into n district where the ma
tives were so dreaded that whalers
would not put into port even for ha-
ven in a storm.
Since that time Loplp has seen the
gold rushes go past him Che him
self got the gold fever only once)
he has travelled up and down ana
| criscross Alaska on foot, mushing
with dogs, or driving reindeer, from
| Pt. Barrow, northemmost pinnacle
of the continent down to the Alaskan
peninsulas in the warm Japan stream
and eastward to the Canadian bound
airy.
Before white men came he has
known what 1t Is to be driving eX-
hausted dogs in the bitter cold Of in
terror Alaska with the food dwlnd-
ling; he has been in an EsquimauN
hunting boat scuttled by the tusks Of
an infuriated walrus he has fearless
| ly carried law into rough lawless
winter whaling Stations In the Arctic
ocean; he has faced death in a score
OF forms. But Of all these he will
say nothing lie prefers to talk
| about the governments Alaskan
reindeer herd. OF which he was the
creator, and Is the present adminls-
trative head. 'ii
| 1--WE got the idea Of importing
reindeer from Siberia THAI first year
welwere at Cape Prince OF Wales" he
said "The country then had a bad
reputation But aftor we had
most Of the trouble between Icsqui-
maux language we discovered that
momst of the trouble between Esqul-
maux and the Whites resulted from
| ill trea atment OF the natives. We
| found them kindly good nature1
people. with more native Intelligence
than Indians have, and eager to learn
the white mans ways. Their chief
faults were drunkenness and a tend
ency to steal whatever they could.
1--WE had some trouble with them
at first, but we insisted on having
our way When they saw We were
absolutely just and fair with them,
their attitude changed. We taught
them that stealing and drinking were
wrong and they listened to us. To-
day Il would be hard to find more
honest people than the EsquimauX
living from Cape Prince of Wales
northward, ana drunkenness Is al
most unknown. Also they are the
most advance Of the EsquimauX in
carrying out our teachings OF clean
illness and hygiene.
'qThat first winter we learned that
the Esquimaux wanted to own rein
deer, but that the revenue officers
would not permit the importation.
Some OF the natives even owned rein
deer in the Siberian herds across the
straits. And It seemed a shame that
they were forbidden to bring their
property across from Asia, so near
that the Siberian heights could be
seen over the water on clear days.
10 a at In
permission to import reindeer, But
other government agents had preced-
ed us in this request. Before we
had reply from, our letter that sum-
mer a revenue cutter put into port
with a shipment Of reindeer on board
We were overjoyed to know that the
prohibition law had been removed
and set about getting more
I'm 1892 came the first large i'm
portation. We brought In 1900 that
year, and from these grew the pres
ent herd, scattered throughout Alaska
and numbering over $4,000
"The reindeer policy was gradu-
ally evolved. We impress upon the
I4apps and EsqulmauX that the rein
deer are exclusively their property
and care. For instance, they are
not allowed to sell semale reindeer
TO white men, so that the brood AMI
mails are to be perpetually In inc
custody and ownership of the natives
I'VE usually establish a reindeer
herd wherever we have native
school. The school superintendent
has supervision over the herd, though
the animals are owned by the natives
When new herd is to be started, |
young, ambitious natives are select
ed as apprentice herders for q -FOUR
year term. Tor his first years serV- |
ices, In addition TO his living, the ap-
prentice receives six reindeeri the
second year eight. and the third year
ten, and the fourth year ten 80 that
what you may term journeymah
herder owns "a reindeer. They are
then free to breed their animals ana
sell their calves or stock OF any age
or sex to the other natives,
"Reindeer are food, clothing alu
transportation to the natives ~
food, reindeer Is delicious, RESEMBLING !
l.