The Red Cloud chief., 1919-01-02
HAS UNIQUE TITLE
Sinrok Mary Reindeer Queen Of
Alaska.
AppelIatlon Accorded Her Through
Ownership OF Herds OF Valuable
Animals - Loved Throughout
territory for Generosity.

Coal barons, merchant princes. cat
tie kings---wc nrc nil familiar with the
iigurative nristOCrncy Of wealth: but
more picturesque and unusual IL the
title popularity accorded To Slnrok
Mary, the reindeer queen Of Alaska.
Mary's career, rs IL Is related In the
Sunset Magazine, is one unique In the
world of business and philanthropy.
In 1893 Mary Anti>nrlok, half Rus
sian. half Eskimo. was IL round-fnCed,
brlght.cyed, sleek hatred young woman,
prctty-wc have her own innOccntly
frank word for it-nnd bride. The
government had Just decided 10 i'm.
port reindeer from Siberia to Alaska
and had sent Lieutenant Bcrtholf. In
the revenue cutter Bear. 10 negotiate
the purchase He needed m inter.
prefer, speaking both Russian and
Eskimo. and Mary was engaged. She
was glad of the opportunity, but I'M
willing TO leave her husband so he
was engaged, too. as n sort of odd job
man aboard: hut Mary was the rccog
nized head of the AntlSarok firm. She
mnde herself irtclllgently and success.
fully useful aUong the natives with
whom II was necessary 10 deal, and on
returning To Alaska she was well paid
with n goodly number of reindeer
These animals we're the origin OF
herd that flouriShcd and increased
amazingly, and became. indeed, sew
oral herds. Mary is now raising deer
enough to supply thousands Of con-
sumcrs: and reindeer meat Is tender,
pnlatable and delicious, so much so
that but for the difficulties of trans
portation, II would probably become n
staple food throughout the country.
Mary IL rich woman. but she lives
simply In a cluster of cabins. perched
upon n rocky promontory thrusting
seward fringed with ever-beating
surf
1t is common knowledge throughout
Alaska that no one was ever refused
food and lodging nj Mary's cabin; II Is
also known that, although open-hnnded
and free, she is shrewd bargainer
and possesses remarkable commercial
sagacity. Few traders. n any, have
been nble TO get the advantage OF her
In business deal. There are those
in her employ who at times complain
Of her MS harsh mistress, for in busl-
ness she expects everyone to live ND to
obligations and Is so strict In that re-
gard that II is hard at times to recon.
clle this severity with her natural atti-
tude OF easy generosity. But with
Mary business Is business, and philan-
thropy is quite another matter
Toward the hungry, the helpless and
little children her tenderness is un.
failing and her bounty lavish. She
has no children OF her own. hut she
has adopted numerous family-not
a pretty baby or two carefully select
ed for health and charm and promise,
but such forlorn, abandoned and neg.
lected waits and strays as came un-
der her notice In remote and law.
less zone. There are all races and
colors, declares her biographer, Mona
Marquis Snyder, but Mary Is merci-
fully color-bllndl She gives them all
a mothers care in so far rs she Is
capable educates them after a fashion
and, when they drift out of the home
eddy into the greater life current. she
sees the boat well provlsioned.
One deed of generosity viii never
be forgotten In Alaska. In 1898. only
five years after the founding of her
herd Of reindeer, word came that
more than four hundred whalers had
been caught in the ice packs Of Point
Barrow and were slowly freezing and
starving. They were five hundred miles
away from Mary Antisarloks snow
covered cabin; they were many more
miles distnnt--and miles OF the north
ern wilderness, Icy, rocky, storm-swept
and terrlble-from sources OF civilized
supply. Quite simply and as n matter
OF course, Mary, reservlng only few
head for domestic necessity. started
her whole herd Of reindeer northward
10 the rescue. She received no per-
sonai appeal, asked no advice. awaited
no Instructions, made neither bargain
nor effort to protect her interests. She
saw her chance for first aid, and gave
II, Instantly and whole-heartedly.
Later, the government replaced the
sacrificed deer with interest and gave
her the thanks she deserved. But since
that day II Is for more than her bust
ness ability that the reindeer queen
Is respected throughout Alaska