The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-07-02

tO ANoliiC ie iCduhCd oAh VI SA6hs weeks time. Just reflect minute on my trip. I passed through Ju- neau on my way west on June i2, and I am back here on July 2, and just follow what I've seen. Cordova, Valdez, Seward with its beautiful harbor, several days at railroad headquarters at Anchorage, a pleasant night in the Curry Ho- tel, several fine views of glorious Mt. Mckinley, the Matanuska farms, the Chickaloon coal mines, the river town of Nenana and the birch-lined streets of Fairbanks; the hothouses of the Panama Val ley with cantaloupes, melons cu- cumbers, and tomatoes, and the wonderful field crops of acres and acres of peas, beets, celery, lettuce, radishes, wheat, oats, barley and potatoes. Gold dredges are inter- esting. pocket mining is exciting but agricultural development is the backbone of every people.
 Makes Plane Trip
 From Fairbanks I flew to the Kuskokwim, landing at McGrath where two boats year have so far seemed good service. Mt. Mckinley from the west is different moun- tain from the view that Sydney Laurence gives us A little more fatherly, not so omnipotent. Then on around Lake Minchumina with myriad smaller sister lakes where we counted many moose, and Major Elliott and I discussed the time when countless beaver farms might dot that virgin area. Then the winding Kuskokwim, nayigable for 500 miles or more, yet I had until recently only vague idea of its location. A few hours in Mo- Grath showed me the possibilities of mink farming. Then we passed onward over the energetic diggings of Ophir and Tacotna through an- other lake region.
 "The wild valley of the Innoko far from the beaten track. Inter- esting? Yes, and also useful and rich in fur farm possibilities. Up and over the mountains and then like the blare of a trumpet, the mighty Yukon River burst before us.. As wide as the Mississippi and twice as deep. Navigable for 2,500 miles, and full of pep and wild life.
 This impressed me more than anything in Alaska A powerful river cruising her way to the ocean and forming highway to millions of virgin territory More moun- tains of reindeer moss, ranges for millions of deer, and then we drop ped in on the interesting Eskimo and Lapps of Unalakleet. This sec- tion is already prosperous. Plenty of fish, big herds of deer and healthy outdoor life. The entire village gathered around our air. plane to sing songs of welcome for our visit. I can still hear their clear, well-trained singing My Country 'Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty
 up and onward around the Sound into the Midnight Sun. At 12 o'clock Old Sol played hide and seek with us behind the mountains, showing his face between crevices and then dodging behind points of rock until just as we hovered over Nome, he turned his trail up- ward with a beautiful silvery sum- rise. Down we zoomed on the housetops of the city and out rushed the motor cars in wild scramble to be the first to well come us at the landing field.
 Nome Port of Hospitality
 -Four big planes were on the field at Nome and commercial travellers as well as Government agents were making use of this rapid. modern method of trans portati6n.
 Times have changed. Nome is now only six or eight hours from Fairbanks and the women of Me- Grath get their butter and fresh tomatoes in 8 few hours from Fairbanks, 300 miles away.
 "The name of Nome is too short. It should be altered to Port Hos pitality, for there we ate con- stantly.
 Carl Lomen tells me there are now over 100000 reindeer in AL aska. Nome is the center of this deer industry which will soon pro- duce to Alaska an income equiva- lent to that of fishing. When we had exhausted the reserve supplies of this far western city we again took to the air, and, heading for Nulato, sighted dozens of herds of the famous deer.
 "On to Ruby, we crossed the Yukon River 30 times, and we hopped over the Koyukuk River as a schoolboy would a crack in the sidewalk. The landing field on the beautiful hills at Ruby was in perfect condition. The mosquitoes were in force. reminding one of early days on the Missouri River flats at Omaha.
 Minor repairs to tire at Ruby and we were off to Panama. Again