Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-01-07
BOISE WOMAN TELLS
OF ALASKAN WINTER
MISS JUDITH WATTS WRITES IN
TERESTiNGlY OF LIFE AT
ANCHORAGE, THE NEW Gov
EMINENT TOWN "coMFoRT
FIRST" Is SLOGAN IN DRESS.

Miss Judith Watts writes entertain
ingly Of her life in Anchorage, Alaska.
Her last letter is dated Dec. Is, 1915,
and came part the way by dog team.
Miss Watts writes:
THE Capital News of Nov. %
reached me a couple of days ago. Pa
pers from the outside world are a
great treat and those from Boise are
carefully kept and passed around as
precious treasures. from one old Boise
tunate in having found very COM
Portable home with a Mr.. and Mrs.
Brown. About 90 years ago Mr.. Brown
lived in Boise and worked for the
morning paper. Here he works in the
office Of the Anchorage Daily Times.
PROGRESSIVE TOWN.
Anchorage is really most progress
sive. The man has just this moment
come into the house to wire It for
electric lights. We have not yet ar
rived at steam heat or a bath room,
but hope to get a bath installed in
the spring. We have one water tap
in the house. Last year people had
to fetch their water from wells and
paid 10 cents bucket.
"On Fourth street, which is the main
street, we have concrete sidewalks in
parts. Several philosophical men in
the town have made an effort to get
a skating rink fixed. They hope to
have it ready in a few days. Last
week it was too cold to flood it. The
thermometer registered SO below at Z
a. m. one day, and for several days 1t
never got as high as zero.
MAIL BY DOG TEAM.
Mail arrives by dog team from Sc
ward twice week. 1t is 125 miles.
but part of the journey is done by
train. think it is about 80 miles at
the Seward end. The dogs are left
at the road house and the sleds are
put on the train.
Another Capital News, Nov. 90, has
Just arrived. Second class mail is
very irregular during the winter.
They say that some of 1t does not turn
up till spring. The newcomers are
called "chechahcos" and after you have
wintered in Alaska YOU are a sour
dough-" The latter name originated
in the fact that the rrospectors and
those setting out on the trail made
their hot cakes of sour dough and APP
parently that was principally what they
ate.
THE way people dress is odd, but
very sensible. Comfort first" is an
absolute necessity. Very few leather
boots are seen on the streets. The
men wear felt boots, q suppose Ameri-
cans would call them shoes), or packs,
which have rubber soles and leather
legs. Most Of the women put heavy
socks over their boots and cut holes
through for the heel. The hole for
the rest of the sole soon makes itself.
There has been very little snow and
they need 1t badly to make good trails
and make freight hauling possible.
MINING BOON EXPECTED.
"A big mining boom in the Willow
creek district is predicted for next
spring. Cook Inlet is not absolutely
closed up and gas boats arc out most
of the time, running TO Knik and Turn
again Arm. I heard the opinion ex-
pressed that big boat could get in.
but they don't try 1t as they could not
get insurance. There are treacherous-
ly strong tides here, which open up
channels all the time, but there Is al
ways a great risk of being caught be-
tween the ice. The sun rises at 10 a.
M and sets shortly after p. m,
but We don't light up till 3 or just
after. The sunsets are lovely. Occa-
sionally, on very clear days, we can
sec Mount McKinle., just as the pink
reflection from the sun touches 1t.
must stop IL ] am to each the mail.
| II is O'clock here. 1t must be Q in
Boise"