The Wrangell sentinel. (Wrangell, Alaska) 1909-current, 1928-01-26


fish, mountains and glaciers. all
serve as a lure to keep up the wan
derlust.o
Someone called this country a
treasure house of mountains, fiords
and glaciers. It is more than that
It is continental laboratory Of the
earth's greatest wonders.
Alaska, the land of wildly beauti-
ful scenery. has a native people of
unusual interest. You may see the
villages along the shore. marked by
groups of grotesque totem poles like
ghosts of the past. Do not smile at
these carved figures. for to the ma
tfyes they bear a poetic and sacred
significance.
The totem pole tells the family
history. The natives believe that
they are descended from some fish.
bird or animal. They take such
one as their symbol and carve its
likeness from the trunk of a great
tree. This they paint in many vivid
hues.
Totems are coats of arms. suggest
ing some incident in their mytholo-
gy, which has made the family fam
Gus. In their idea a family was
made famous in proportion TO the
extent that a member of 1t had come
in contact with the spirits in olden
times. This and not money or prop
erty gave the right to a family to
call itself aristoeratic.
What did I vision in Alaska that
babe me go back again and again?
I saw mountains twice as high as
the Alps; glaciers that filled one
with awe, beside which those of
Switzerland are tiny; the beautiful
sight of the Taku. the Mendenhall
and the Malespina glacier, the latter
covering over 1900 square miles,
backed by the mighty Yukon river
that flows for over 1900 miles to the
Arctic Sea.
Probably the flowery blankets of
gold and white daisies. the gorgeous
lupines and larkspur fascinated me;
and probably it brought back mem
cries of the days when as a young
boy tramped over the ice of lake
Superior into the Great Lone Land,
ever seeking the Last Frontier"
Early in April the day begins to
lengthen and the hunter, fisherman,
explorer, tourist or health-seeker
can find no better place for all his
desires. found it so.
Whoever named Alaska as Totem
Pole Land" must have seen Wran-
CELL. as I saw it; for it has more to-
tenn poles in their original positions
than any other place visited by tour
lists.
On all my visits to Wrangell a
very hospitable people made one
glad to see them. Wrangell is a
very beautiful place. situated at the
foot of Mt. Dewey. not far from the
mouth of the famous Stikine River
fby the British called Stikeen). up
which stream, at its headwaters
gold was first found in the Cassiar
region.
will not forget the visits to the
various points of interest, including
the original home of Chief Shakes,
still intact. In 1t are many very
old curios. I saw one of the dane.
ing hats, great curiosity. It has
ears made of native copper, and Is
hundreds of years old. There are
ropes made of cedar bark; old Rus.
sian guns; carved Potlatch bowls,
dancing regalia, and marvellous cos
tunes fashioned by the natives,
derfully hospitable. pleasant and ed
ucated people.
On my last visit to Wrangell ]
was met by Mr.. John G. Grant, one
of Alaska's esteemed citizens, Mr.. j.
w. Pritchett, publisher OF the
wrangell Sentinel; Rev. H. P. Cor
ser, Episcopal missionary; Mr.. Leo
Mccormack of the M C n m a C
Dock Co.. and others. Under their
guidance I had excellent opportun-
ity to note actual facts of much in
terest was also treated to some
fine auto trips by Mr.. Diemart.
Baron Wrangell. the Russian gov
ernor of Russian America. founded
Wrangell in 1929. by establishing a
trading post and fort here, the In
dams and natives coming from
nearby settlement Later 1t became
a Hudson's Bay Company's trading
post. In 1898 1t became the center
Far Uuhffo frodaro and Y11inarc