The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-11-06
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great length of the days. that growing season is
worth about 200 Of 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
ber suitnbie for paper pulp are awaiting a ready
market while Its fisheries are the greatest on this
continent.
Mr.. Miller of Washington.-I have been over
nearly all Of Alaska have gone into the hills
with my pack my back. ! have teamed what
few provisions had 200 800 miles with 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 ssaschsd
the world for metals during the war. We have %
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 graxng
on mountain side. The Aleutian islands are full
Of them. There are 10000 or 100000 reindeer in
Alaska. They are gOdsend to the natives. They
60 out with their little herds An Indian or an
Eskimo may not have over % or SO reindeer, but
he herds them,as q careful husba ndman takes care
Of his little flock of sheep. Incidentally they are
cleaning out the wolves and lynxes and the other
prsdstary animats that sinfest the country. The
reindeer support the natives. And truly believe
that with the great grazing lands that there are in
Alaska, the future development OF the reindeer
az u substantial source OF meat supply for our
country Is one Of the most promising that we have
before
Now the climate there IL not bad. Over in ths
interior. in the Yukon valley the atmosphere IN
dry. and with the temperature 25 degrees below
zero you can wear an ordinary hat all dav lone
and your ears will not get cold. When You 20 out
to the coast you get the moisture. Going away
from the coast into the Yukon valley Won ~
a mountain chain some 1000 feet high and
when you get over that chain you are in the Rreet
arctic slope. have come out Of that valley with
the thermometer AZ degrees below zero, where I
could stay out doors all day without dlscomfort
and have dropped over that mountain chain on,v
30 miles and come out to the coast where IN.
Thermometer was degrees below zero and have
nearly perished with the cold. The interior 4.
cold, dry climate Animals can forage all v,r<..
In the interior country.
1t would surprise some OF you to know that in
that country the ground is eternaliy frozen. M
one has ever dug through the frost, and ttey hav.
been down a thousand feet.
The fields Of barley and rye and wheat e-.
grown the top of ground that is frozen for
thousand feet beneath. 1t thaws on the surface
in the summer time 1t gets very warm Thar.
is daylight 16, Is and "a hours in the day and
crops mature quickly. They come right nm ovor
night OF course in the winter the nights are, lon,
and dark and cold. but the summer seasons are ds
lightful. The thermometer goes up to so IN .na
95 in summer. but In the winter it becomes ercead
ingly cold. The cOldest weather ever saw in tha
Yukon valley was CS degrees below zero Thar \.
cold weather, and 1t is dangerous weather: but :.
you go down the Yukon river. and perhaps sou
miles from the mouth. there is a Catholic mission
the Holy Cross mission. There is one of the mos,
beautiful apple orchards have seen perhan.
80 acres of the most beautiful young apple trees
Just coming into bearing. And grazing over broad
acres of clover WAS of the finest herds of Jer
sey cattle have ever seen All that in land thar
is frozen. 1t ls queer country. Every rule of the
geologisrs Ia reversed when you get to Alaska
And tell you. gentlemen. just sure as God
the future will unfold for Alaska and the Ameri.