Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-11-06
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great length of the days. that growing season is
worth about 200 Of our days. So that they are
enabled to grow crops suitable to take care of
large population and take care of the stock that
they may produce. The crops are wheat, oats,
rye, barley hay, and they have produced alfalfa
which makes good crop. Its vast forests of tim
Der suitable for paper pulp are awaiting ready
market, while It's fisheries are the greatest on this
continent.
Mr.. Miller of Washington have been over
nearly all Of Alaska. I have gone into the hills
with my pack on my back. have teamed what
few provisions had 200 or 800 miles with a dog
team out to my diggins. The greatest copper
mines on the face of the earth are within the
territory of Alaska You know how we searched
the world for metals during the war. We have 80
per cent of them In Alaska. They are there await:
ing the hand that will develop them.
Something has been said here Of the reindeer
situation. There is prettier sight in the world
than to see thousand head of reindeer grazing
mountain side. The Aleutian islands are full
of them. There are 10000 or 100000 reindeer in
Alaska. They are a godsend to the natives. They
go out with their little herds. An Indian or an
Eskimo may not have over 25 or 80 reindeer but
he herds them as a careful husbandman takes care
Of his little flock of sheep. Incidentally thew are
cleaning out the wolves and lynxes and the other
predatory animals that infest the country The
reindeer support the natives. And truly believe
that with the great grazing lands that there are In
as substantial source of meat supply for our
country is one Of the most promising that we have
before us.
Now, the climate there is not bad Over In the
interior, In the Yukon valley, the atmosphere is
dry, and with the temperature 25 degrees below
zero you can wear an ordinary hat all day long
and your ears will not get cold. When you 60 out
to the coast you get the moisture Going awav
from the coast into the Yukon valley Won 90
over mountain chain some 1000 feet high and
when you get over that chain you are in the great
arctic slope. I have come out Of that valley with
the thermometer AZ degrees below zero where 4
could stay out doors all day without discomfort
and have dropped over that mountain chain only
30 miles and come out to the coast where the
thermometer was degrees below zero and have
nearly persisted with the cold. The interior 10 a
cold. dry climate. Animals can forage all winter
in the interior country.
1t would surprise some Of you to know that IN
that country the ground is eternally frozen. No
one has ever dug through the frost, and theV have
been down thousand feet.
The fields OF barley and rye and wheat aro
grown on the top of ground that is frozen for a
thousand feet beneath. It thaws on the surface
in the summer time. 1t gets very warm Thara
is daylight l6 ID and "a hours in the day. and
crops mature quickly. They come right mn ova,.
night OF course in the winter the nights are I'm.
and dark and cold, but the summer seasons are do
lightful. The thermometer goes up to 80 90 and
95 in summer, but in the winter 1t becomes excaed
ingy cold. The coolest weather ever saw n tho
Yukon valley was 6S degrees below zero That "a
cold weather, and 1t is dangerous weather hut 40
you go down the Yukon river. and perhaps 500
miles from the mouth, there is Catholic mission
the Holy Gross mission. There is one OF the most
beautiful apple orchards have ever seen pertains
80 acres of the most beautiful young apple trees
just coming into bearing. And grazing over broad
acres of clover was one of the finest herds of Ter
sey cattle have ever seen. All that in a land that
is frozen 1t is queer country. Every rule of the
biologists is reversed when,you get to Alaska.
And tell you, gentlemen. just as sure as God
the future will unfold for Alaska and the Ameri-