Douglas Island news., 1919-03-07
ANCHORAGE HoNoRs
 PIONEER WOMAN
Funeral of Mother" White Was Largely Attended Out of Respect
 for Her Memory

. .NNNl Nulln tHN 'iH'i ''t'''
 pended for an hour the other after
 noon during the funeral services for the famous pioneer woman. More
 than thousand persons followed tho cortcgo to the cemetery and, with bowed heads, listened to the brief prayer that committed the remains
 to their last resting place
 With the passing of Mrs. White, ! thc Cook Inlet country lost its most widely known resident and one that for twcnty-scycn years had taken a leading part in directing its des- tiny and developing its resources. Her death. which was preceded by several months illness, was Che com
 sequence Of cancer.
 Mrs. White was born In 1867 in Scotland. Because her birth oc- cured on Washngtou's birthday and on account of her mo,hcr's great admiration for Che United States, she was named Martha for Martha Washington. With her parents she came Co America when she was
 seven years old. The family made ts home in New York As a young woman she was married and with her husband moved Co what is now North Beach. Gray's Harbor Wash mgton. where they took up a home
 stead. There m the course of a few years. she attained rcnown for risk ! ing her life Co save three sailors shipwreckcd off a British bark For . this feat she was awarded gold med ! als by congress of Che United States and Che Chamber of Commerce Of Portland. Oregon. One of the great consultations of her declining days was the recollection Of short visit she made about a year ago Co North Beach. She was signaly houored . by the genial greetings and hos pitabIe receptions given her by the citizens of che town. some of whom | ia years gone by. had witnessed her
 heroic deed on a gole-swept sea.
 Mir. and Mrs. White. when they
 came Co Alaska. settled at a small ! village near Tyonic, on Cook Inlet There Mrs. White gave birth Co her | daughter. also named Martha the ! first white child born u the Cook Inlet country. and there Mrs. White.
 made a widow and forced Co support
 son. daughter and herself cn- gagged iu her first business venture. | She opened a small store. Her trade almost entirely was with Indians.
 who paid for their purchases iu mrs. She had prontcd to thc eN- | tent of several thousand dollars when pay dirt was struck at Hope.
 on Turuagaiu arm. and. with her 1 two children. she stampede dthcrc. At Hope. Mrs. White went into ! che hotel business. and then by grub stalking prospcctors and investing in
 located claims became heavily in-
 tcrestcd in mining. During Che ace uviucs at Hope and ot che neigh boring camp of Sunrise, she made md lost in mining several comfort ! able fortunes. In later years. she delighted Co tell when iu a rcmin-
 iscent mood. of trip she made Co ! che States Co visit her children, then
 in boarding school, on which occo- sion. before leaving Hope, she sewed | for safe-kceping while travelling, | S5O.OOO in currency -chcchaco mon cy-in her skirt.
 Mrs. White came Co Anchorage at | the time the government laid out the town. At Che first auction sale
 of lots. she bought a piece of prop crty on Che principal business street and erected on it two-story hotel Its appointments are modern. but aside from this fact the personality of its proprietor always assured it of good patronage Mrs. White died
 there.
 During the participation of the United States in the world war Mrs. Whites loyalty Co the nation 's cause found expression in efforts that she cxcrtcd to raise funds for
 the Red Cross. She was not an of- ! iicer of the organization. Her as- pirations were directed to obtaining liberal contributions to its treas Iury For instance early in 1918,
 while travelling over the winter trail from Anchorage Co Seward, she found a mans wooleu sock, badly worn,
 which had been thrown away by a trail musher. She sold it for 5000.
 The sale was negotiated at an auc- ! ton she held during an entertain
 ment one evening in the social hall
 of the southbound steamship. A few
 months afterwards, on her return Co ! Anchorage, she planned, arranged hand managed the Days of '9S,'
 which was given under the auspices
 of the Order of Alaska Pioneers AS
 result of this affair. she turned
 over Co the Red Cross nearly $2,0OO.
 Mrs. White. by thousands of her ! friends and acQuaintances, was
 known and will be fondly rcmcm-
 bered as "Mother" White. To some
 the term mother" when used in