The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-12-25
A LETTER FROM FAR AWAY ALASKA
Rev. F. n. Bradshaw Writes Interestingly of His txper'
fences as Missionary Away Up in Alaska.

shines just about 20 hours every day
and the stuff grows very rapidly. and
this season is not a representative
one even for Alaska. Usually it is
nearly one month longer.
There is fine native grass here.
1t grows as tall as timothy, and does
very well for hay, though not so
good for teams as imported hay.
This grass is plentiful enough to
fatten large herds of cattle if it is of
the right kind. Some say stock will
not do we'll on it, others deny this.
Really from what I've seen I believe
dairying and cattle raising might be
made a profitable industry in Alas
ka. But the productions in Alaska
in the future may be only what they
have been in the past, gold, copper,
coal, fish, etc.
You, perhaps, will want to know
about the gold produced by Ruby the
season just closed. In round num-
bers 100000 have been taken out
of the various creeks. Some very
rich spots have been discovered here
but it is only in spots-''spotted" as
the prospector terms it. The pay
streaks so far have not been contin-
uous like those of Dawson, Fair
banks and Nome. Ruby is new
camp and has wide virgin territory
around it. There will be town here
for many years to come. More gold
will be taken out next year than
the present year and new discoveries
are being made ever and anon. Just
now Poorman creek sixty miles to
hn nf NV &c loi
attention.
There has been quite stampede
away from Ruby, and in fact, from
all Alaskan towns into the Shu-
showna district at the headwaters
of the Tonana river. Reports come
in mid summer of a very rich find
and these reports continued to pour
in and the stampede fever seized the
town and as result there are not
over 800 people in this community
But many of the stampeders will be
back again, as this new discovery is
not enough to justify large camp.
1t may develope into a large camp,
no one can tell the future of these
placer mining camps. Things may
be bright today and dark tomorrow
and vice versa.
Perhaps my friends would like to
know what l am doing and the ma
ture of my work as missionary.
Well, do my own cooking, my own
carpentry, wood cutting, etc. So
you may know ! am busy. Help is
so expensive here that l cannot af-
ford to hire things done so l do them
myself. Since coming here l built
me a cabin, made my own furniture,
made seats for church, etc. If the
stampede had not struck the place,
we would have been able to build
church this fall, but so many left
that we found it possible to rent good
quarters at mere nominal sum Of
SIS per month. This winter ] am
to get out and cut a set of logs for
church and have them hauled in so
that when the winter breaks We can
put us up neat comfortable church
building. The log building is the
kind for this country. It can be
made the warmest and most SUBJ
stantial.
We have good attendance at
church services and the singing is
people of Alaska are at all inferior,
it is just false impression. The
average intelligence here is higher
than any place have ever seen. The
people are brave, self-reliant and
very individualistic. Only such peo-
pie could cope with the conditions
here, and the timid and fearful do
not stay long in Alaska. l am very
proud of the people here and very
proud of my work.
Last Sabbath ! told the children
of the Sabbath school that in all
probability old Santa Claus would
make Ruby his starting point this
year for his yearly journey through
out the land. AS Santa visits the
Sabbath school children of Leon /
want them to remember that we
have given old Santa good reports
of you and he will doubtless tell you
of our Christmas tree way up north
here on the frozen banks of the
lonely Yukon and will bring you our
best wishes. -.
Today ! was out cutting wood for
winter and as came back / had to
climb high hill where l could get
a splendid view of the Yukon river.
/ caught myself stopping more than
OuCc DIS i AOOhcu uO"A OA IAAS
mighty river running full with float
ing ice. The banks are all solidly
frozen and covered with snow. As
far as the view permitted both up
and down stream, we could see a
white band of ice and snow on either
side of the river, while between were
huge ice foes floating down the cen
ter. The water looked an inky color
and the contrast between the snow
covered cakes of ice and the water
was marked and very beautiful. It
is not strange, then, thst sone should
stop as I did and drink in the
beauty and majesty of it all, not
even thinking the fact that the last
boat for the season had left Ruby
two weeks ago and that we people
of Ruby were now ice locked and
snow covered for eight long months.
Well, one consolation in it and that
is am no longer a .'cheechako" but
a full fledged "sour dough" for ];
have seen the ice 60 and the ice come
In the Yukon.
il you have never read Services