The Colorado statesman., 1922-04-01

more to look around in the
Land of the Midnight Sun
According to the original plans, the presidential
party will go by special train to the Pacific coast
probably alighting at San Francisco. Seattle will
be port of call. Thence the route will be through
the Inner Passage and on to Alaska. Presumably
Juneau, the territorial capital, will be visited. Ac-
cess to the government railroad, now practically
completed can be had either at Seward, its south
ern terminus, or Mt Anchorage, on Cook Inlet. The
road runs from Seward straight north to Fair
banks, about 400 miles. NIaylower, the presiden-
tia yacht, is likely to be sent through the Panama
canal to be of service somewhere along the coast.
A wonderful vacation trip worth the while even
of the President of the United States of America |
And the President is known to be lover of the
beautiful and majestic in nature and loyal friend
of national parks and of such scenic enter
prises as the National Park-toPark highway. In
cidentally effort is being made to get the Pres
dent to visit on this trip one more of the nation
al parks and the proposed presidents Forest"
on the North Rim of the Grand canyon.
In Aaska-"The Frozen North" we used to
call 1.-THE President will have chance to see
various things that are far out of the ordinary
There isn't space here to catalogue them but here
are a few that any man would be glad to see
AT Ketchikan stream plunges through the CEN
ter of the town. And in the stream is salmon-run
where millions of salmon to be making
incredible leaps to ascend the rapids.
Juneau is the Alaskan capital. There the Presi-
dent take automobile and drive IL miles
right to the edge of Mendenhall glacier. It'll be
weather. He can pick flowers by the
way. He'll see vegetable gardens, strawberry beds
and wheat fields surrounded by giant forests and
overtopped by peaks white with everlasting snow.
OF course the President will strike somewhere
the Yukon-one of the great rivers of the world
and grandly scenic for the greater part of its 1900
miles
The President is likely to run across a big herd
of reindeer anywhere from Point Barrow to the
Alaskan peninsula. There are about 900
Of these "Camels of the Frozen North" One of
these days are likely to be eating reindeer meat
instead of beef; several thousand carcasses are
to be shipped in from Nome this year
The seal rookeries on the Pribilof islands should
be worth seeing; there were 55271S of these curl
Gus animals according to the seal of 1920,
and they are increasing, although Uncle Sam takes
more than 25,000 skins year.
1t is to be hoped that the President visits the
new Katmai National monument-"rhe Valley of
Ten Thousand Smokes" Katmai volcano on the
Alaskan peninsula blew its head off during three
days in June of 1912, covering all Alaska with q
thick coating of dust. The explosion left crater
$500 feet deep and eight miles around, with lake
at the bottom. Close by is valley several miles
long. from which shooting up thousands of
steam Jets, some of them a thousand feet high.
1t is u sample of earth in the making. Some day
these steam jets may cool off enough to become
geysers, like those of the Yellowstone. In the
meantime, cooking is 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, OF the great noun
tains of the world and the central feature of the
22OO square miles of Mount Mckinley National
park 1t rises 10000 feet above level and is
most impressive. 1t is wonderful preserve of
Alaskan wild game-caribou, bighorn moose, deer
and bear-which live and breed there in immense
numbers At present this park Is inaccessible but
the government railroad will touch the new east
boundary line established by recent act of con-
gress Then there will be a rush of tourists-very
few of whom Will reach Mount McKlnley's glacier
covered summit.
So Alaska has the makings of mighty interest.
ing vacation trip for the President and his party
But don't get the idea that the Presidents trip
Is wholly and solely vacation pleasure trip. For
the truth is that it is a combination of pleasure
and business; IL 1t breaks ffty-hfty the pleasure
angle Is In luck. For Alaska is one OF the admin
istrations problems" And the President is
ported to think the Alaskan problem important
enough to warrant frst-hand information.