The Alaska daily empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1912-1926, 1922-05-19
Alaska, Americ as Scandinavia,
Is the Vision of y y y
"A Former Resident of Sweden

would like to see few thousand OF
hose hardwood made Swedish Firms !
get hold Of land up there for home
stead purposes. If anything could be |
lone, they are the people who cani
10 it. OF course, nothing can be-
lone without powerful government.
In a letter | received the other
lay from a member CT the Alaskan
Engineering Commission at Anchor
lge. Alaska, was told that immi-
grants. ewho had declared their inten
ton to become citizens. are entitled
0 1G0 acres OF land in Alaska for
honest ead purpose This is, OIL
course, always the thing an imm-
grant first looks at when h" steps on
me American shore, but in Alaska
he immigrant must have something
0 do beside his farming. The aver
tge immigrant has no money when
he comes over here and ii must be
possible for him to 22t JOB at
once. and especially 50 for the Al
askan settler. The winter IS long i'll
Alaska and he must have some kind
of work during this season-just as
he had in the old country. The
Alaskan forests should give work for
thousands during the winter; cutting
timber for thee sawmill5 down the
coast and burning charcoal, to, men
ton just one example, then the set
tier would be able to stay on, his
homestead during the summer and, in
time, when he got his farm in good
shape he would not need this extra
work. The government should sup
port the Alaskan settlers with work
whenever thcy need it, however. K
Would Attrac. Thousands
Thousands Of Scandinavian immi-
grants would then 80 up there in
stead Of racing alongside immigrants
from Southern Europe for job down
here. or course, the agriculture is
not going to be the main thing in
Alaska. 1t is hcr riches of minerals
and forests that will give Alaska an
Industrial greatness. The doors have
already been opened for modern cul-
ture to walk in there. The Govern
ment Railroad. which now is ready
is the first big step for cultivating
this rich land OF the North. And
there shall come a time when one
Shall hear hundreds of engine bells
around the Alaskan coal and iron
mines, and in tho forests shall one
/ see thousands of lumbcrjacks Down
! the coast shall one hear the sound
! ing saws from large sawmills and
! ! ar the winchcs buzz from mighty
steamers The Alaskan tourists shall
4 find views CT unforgetting beauty.
when they, in the late summer even
| ing, look down the valleys. Down
there alongside rivers and mountains
shall he sec pretty farmhouses rest
ing in peaceful sleep with the gold
of the sun flowing over it all.
Not "Fatc Morgana"
/ Well. maybe this is a painting from
my native country, but some day one
shall find all this in Alaska, too
/ Indeed there are people who say all
this is only a "Fato Morgana" in re
gard to Alaska. an utopia" that
never can be realized Those are
people, however, who know but little
or nothing abot the northern regions
Iff not before. it surely will be a
reality when the United States has
been blessed with a population of a
European frequency. With my many
years of experience from Lapland
cannot see why Alaska in any in
stance should be lesser qualified for
colonization than the northern part
of Scandinavia. Give Alaska a chance
and very soon 1t will be the Scandl-
nayia of America.