Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-03-04
BLEAK REGIONS OF ARcHANGEL
Base of British and American Troops
Operating in Russia.

Operating in Russia.
Archangel, Russia, where joint AL
lied and American expeditionary force
has been in conflict with Bolshevik
troops, is described in bulletin Of the
National Geographic society, issued
from its Washington headquarters.
THE city of Archangel, where Allied
and American troops have their head
quarters, was the capital Of the Arch
angel province, or government, under
the cars regime, vast, barren, and
sparsely populated region, cut through
by the Adriatic circle" the bulletin
says.
West and east, the distance across
the Archangel district is about that
from London to Rome, from New York
to st. Louis, or from Boston to Char
lesion, S. c. It's area, exclusive Of in
terror waters, is greater than that OF
France, Italy, Belgium and Holland
combined. Yet there are not many
more. people in these great stretches
than are to be found in Detroit Mich,
or San Francisco, Cal, or Washington,
DC.
"The climate is extremely cold. In
the northern parts the ground does not
thaw the year round. The port Of
Archangel is ice-bound six months in
the yaar,..and sentirsiv free -frern zfee
only three months.
"Arable land in all this territory is
less than 1900 square miles and three
fourths of that is given over to pas
turage. The richer grazing land sup
ports Holmagor cattle, breed said to
date back to the time Of Peter the
Great, who crossed native herds with
cattle from Holland.
Rocky, barren plains stretch south
of Archangel city and these, with the
swamps and marshes to the east, and
more plains and lakes to the south
west, form about half the province,
while a third more is overgrown with
forests. There also are tundras. cover
ed with lichens, where reindeer find
pasturage.
About fifty miles from the mouth
of the Dvina river, which affords an
outlet to the White sea, lies the city of
Archangel. Norsemen came to that
port in the tenth century for trading.
One. expedition was described by AL
fred the Great. But first contact with
the outside world was established In
the sixteenth century when Sir Rich
ard Chancellor, an English sailor, stop
ped at the bleak haven while attempt
ing a northeast passage to India. Ivan
the Terrible summoned him to Moscow
and made his visit the occasion for
furthering commercial relations with
England. Thirty years after the Eng
lishman's visit town was established
and for the next hundred years it was
the Muscovite Kingdoms only seaport,
chief doorway Of trade with England
and Holland.
when Peter the Great established
ST. Petersburg as his new capital much
trade was diverted to the Baltic, but
Archangel was compensated by desig-
nation as the capital Of the Archangel
government. Boris Gudunov threw
trade open to all nations, and In the
seventeenth century Tartar prisoners
were set to work building a large ba-
zaar and trading hall. Despite its iso-
lation the city thus became cosmo-
politan center and up to the time OF
the world war Norwegian, German,
British, Swedish and Danish cargo YES
sells came in large numbers.
Every June thousands Of pilgrims
would pass through Archangel on their
way to the famous far north shrine,
Solovetsky Monastery, situated on an
island little more than half days
boat journey from Archangel.
1.-The city acquired its name from
the Convent Of Archangel Michael. In
the Troitzki cathedral, with its five
domes, is a wooden cross, fourteen feet
high, carved by the versatile Peter the
Great who learned the use Of mallet
and chisel while working as a ship
wright in Holland after he ascended
the throne"
L