The Meeker herald., 1922-04-08
ZN0NGz1~SUW-

u
0AgXS until about the middle Of Septem
'H\ Der. It's quite journey. you
~ NkN know from Washington to Alaska
and back and there reasons
why the President wants month
or more to look around In the
LaAd Of the Midnight Sun.
According to the original plans. the presidential
party will 90 by special train TO the Pacific coast
probably uilghtlng at San Francisco. Senttle will
b port Of call. Thence the route will be- through
tie Inner Passage and on to Alaska. Presumably
Jaeeat the territorial capital will be visited. Ac.
cess to the government railroad. now practically
co0pletcsl he had either ut Seward. Its south
EN- terminus. or ut Anchorage, on Cook Inlet. The
road runs from Seward strnight north to Fair
Aanks, about 400 miles. MnyhOwer, the presitien
tai yacht. Is likely be sent through the Panama
canal to be Of service somewhere along the cOast
wonderful vacation trip. worth the while even
q tho President OF the United States Of America!
And the President II known to be lover Of the
beautiful and Jextic In nature and iOyn friend
ee our national parks and of such scenic enter
psises a. the National Park-toI'ark highway In
cdeatally an e.ort Is being made to yet the Pres
dent to visit on this trip Of the nation
d parks and the proposed Presidents Forest.
On tho North Rim OF the Grand canyon.
In Aiaska-"1'he Frozen North" used 10
call 1.-THE President will have chance to sec
various things that far ont Of the ordinary
There Isn't space here to catalogue them but here
arc few that any man would he glad to
At KetchIkan stream pIunges through the
ter Of the town. And In the stream Is saimon-run
where millions OF salmon nre to he seen making
Incredible leaps to ascend the rapids.
Juneau is the Alaskan capital. There the rresi-
ee0t can tnke automobile and drive IL miles
right to the edge Of Mendenhall glacier. It'll be
summer weather. He can pick flowers by the
way. He'll see vegetable gardens. atrnwberry beds
and wheat fields surrounded by giant forests and
overtOpped by peaks white with everlasting snow.
OF course the President will strike somewhere
~ n kOn Oft tho urpa NJ the
and grandly scenic for the greater pur Of its $500
nIIea
The President Is likely to run a big herd
Of reindeer anywhere from Point Barrow to the
Alaskan peninsula. There ure now about 225.OOO
Of these 't'umcs Of the Frozen North" One NJ
these days we are likely to be eating reindeer ment
instead Of beef; several thousand cnrcasses are
to he shipped In from Nome this year.
The seal rookcres on the Pribtlof islands should
be worth seeing: there were 552,I1S Of these curl
Gus animals according TO the seal census Of 1870
and they are increasing. although Uncle Sam takes
more than 25ONO skins yenr.
II Ia to be hoped that the President visits the
new Katmnl Nutiona, monumenf-"The Valley of
Ten Thousand Smokes" Kntma volcano on the
Alaskan peninsula blew lis head on during three
days In June OF 1912. covering all Alaska with
thick coating OF dust. The, explosion left crater
B.AO feet deep md eight miles around. with lake
At the bottom. Close by Is valley several miles
long. from which are shooting up thousands OF
steam lets. some OF them thousand feet high.
II Ia sample OF earth In the mixing. Some day
these steam lets may cool OF enough to become
keysers, like those OF the Yellowstone. In the
meantime. cooking IL easy In Katmai.
II the President travels on the government rail-
road to the gap In the steel he will have glorious
view Of Mount Mckinley. one Of the great noun
talns Of the world and the central feature OF the
72OO square miles OF Mount Mckinley National
mark II rises 2O.3DO feet above level and IL
mort impressive. II Is n wonderful preserve Of
Alaskan wild gnme-cnrbou. hiyhorn moose. deer
and bear-which live ind breed there In immense
numbers. At present this park Is inaccessible, but
the government railroad will touch the enst
boundary line established by n recent net Of con.
eress Then there Will lie rush Of tOurists-very
few Of whom Will reach Mount Mckinley's glacier
covered summit.
So Alaska has the makngs Of mighty interest.
ing vacation trip for the President md his party.
But don't get the idea TINT the Presidents trip
IA wholly aud solely vacation pleasure trip. For
the truth il that 1t ia n combination OF pleasure
and business; II 1t breaks iiftyafty the pleasure
angle Is in luck. For Alaska Is one of the admin
lstrntion's "problems." And the President Is re-
ported to think the Alaskan problem Important
enough to warrant nrst-hand Information.