The Cordova daily times., 1916-11-24
[ EARLY DAYS IN ALASKA ARE
 RECALLED

The apprehension of gentlemen of the green cloth by officers of tho jaw
 in Anchorage the other day recalls the early days of the northland. when gambling and kindred vices were the rule, rather than the execution as now. We do not propose to dtscuss the moral aspect of the subject. other than to say it is well for Alaska that public gambling, especially with the paraphernalia employed therofn-sucb as the roulette wheel. the faro table and the like - and the dance hall
 are no longer permitted within ie confines. But being in a reminiscent mood, we wish to hark back to the o,I days when every thing was "wjd, open with the ceiling as the Iinf. 7"
 Scarcely decade has passed since gambling of all kinds and dcscriptiors tIourished as the green bay tree throughout the vast domain of the northland. Who among the oIdnme.- does not viyidIy recall Lee Gufbrip,. Board of Trade and the Packtrain s1- Ioon' the popular gamblne resorts of SkagWay. the worst in the world" as It was termed? Who has not seen Brooks, the packer, after compIeting trip over the White Pass summit
 come into resort there, dolye into his pockets for half dozen "twep- ties" and with the prodilaIitv or a Coal Oil Johnnie" invite "cyervhnd in the house. to take drink with him. And about everybody would take something, too So dense was the crowd that packed these resorts. in the days Of ninety-etght and ninety. nine, that one would haze to push his way through the mass of humanity to get seat at the games Of chance.
 In the earIy days of Dawson. Nome and Fairbanks, as well as the lesser towns and communities, the same con ditions existed. save that in the bi. gold camp the wagers laid were large. At Nome. for instance. it Was not lu- common to see some plunger, or fool according to your viewpoint. risk a thousand dollars on the turning Of s card at for table. All Nomcljos, of. course. recall Tex Richards Northern saloon and gaming house. the most popular resort in that camp. Tex uss an accommodating fellow in the mat ter of gambling, and you could go as strong as you wished to. The strong
 CT you went the sooner you were broke, because in those days th.t gambling houses employed light fin. gered gentlemen as dealers whose business was to see that you didn win. Faro is held up by the gambler as the fairest game of chance. He. tells you that the only percentage against you is the splits" As d mat ter of fact all a faro dealer requires to know as what 'system you p}av. and he can lut yOg out oG business at his whim or caprice. That's what he is well paid for. Gambling pararhce- nalia and gaming devices are made to win, and they do win, as many ln unsophisticated individual has found to his sorrow.
 While Tex Richards place enjoyed the run at Nome other gambling re- sorts were well patromzcd. The So.. ond Class saloon Wyatt Eerps Cor ner and "Lucky" BaIdwins tough den - all were crowded with patrons and spectators.
 And in those early days in Alaska there was the dance hall. the side part ner of the saloon and the gambling te- sort. The more pretentious towns had from one to a half dozen of tbe#e resol ts, where maids - young and old - with manufactured compIeNious and with none too much wearing ap- parel, fitted about from man to man among the spectators. asking each in turn to have a dance with her, or buy some liquid refreshments, or both usually both. Every year was leap year in those old days that have passed away You didn't have 10 ask a woman if you could have the rie1s- ure of a dance with her, in these pub lie dance halls. She always asked
 you, and whether you could dance or not mattered not at all to hcr, Shed drag you around the hall somehow once or twice and call it a fine dance and tell you you were swell dancer
 Who has not heard of the "Hurrah" block at Nome, so-callod because there was a solid block of buildings
 located right in the center of town
 devoted to gambling, drinking and dancing The like was never seen be. fore. It will never be seen again.
 The unknowiug might ask. what were the public officials doing while this condition of vice and liberty of action existed? The public officials of the ea"ls days of Alaska Were do- ing about what everybody else was
 doing. They participated in the games, danced with the maidcns and