The Wrangell sentinel., 1931-12-18


 in the Alaska College at Fairbanks, last summer took little known trip to the Arctic Ocean which she describes most interestingly in a recent issue of the Collegian. The article follows:
 My one months stay at Aklavik was terminated just the day before Colonel and Mrs Lindbergh arriV- ed on their trip to Japan. Although was thus deprived of the pleas ure of seeing and probably meeting these celebrated people, l could vi, idly picture to myself their re- ception at the mouth of the Mac kenzie.
 If t were not for aviation Aklavik would be quite inaccessible. There are three round-trips a year made by a steamer of the Hudson's Bay Transportation Company. To ob- tain passage on the first it is nec- essary to make a reservation months ahead. There are usually quite a Jew tourists cn the two later trips I He OAHEI dHBAodNA bg boeAN 10 " way of Point Barrow and Hersehel Island, sometimes a hazardous trip. This year the boats were a month late getting to Herschel, on account rf the ice. The Baychimo. the Hud- sons Bay supply boat. was caught in the ice on its way out. Aklavik can not be reached by automobile or train
 I reached Seattle early in June. making the trip from Fairbanks by train and boat. After a few days visit there I departed for Edmonton via the Canadian National. From there to Waterways, which Is the head of navigation for the trip down the Mackenzie River the AL berta and Great Waterways Rail- road runs a train "of sorts" We averaged about ten miles an hour on this run but were assured of our good fortune by the people who had made the trip in earlier days when there was no diner and they disembarked to cook a meal or to fish at every favorable stream.
 Waterways is at the junction of the Athabasca and Clearwater RiY- CTS, about three miles from Fort McMurray, where I spent a day sightseeing. 'The Northern Echo" left Waterways June Is with pas sengers and freight. This steamer is of the stern-wheelCd, wood-burn- ing type familiar to all along the Yukon. It is very small, however, and not particularly eommodious but we were on this boat for only three days.
 Near Lake Athabasca Is Fort Chippewyan, the most picturesque of all the posts on the whole trip. The site consists of mass of rocks all brightly colored in yellow, red and orange, from kind of moss.
 After crossing Lake Athabasca we entered the Slave River and went as far as Fort Fitzgerald on the "Nrthland Echo" From here it is necessary to make fifteen mile portage because of rapids in the river. Passengers and freight are transported to Fort Smith by automobile During three-day wait at Fort Smith l had an op- portunity to make a trip to the rapids, a very scenic part of the river. We visited at Government House, the Mounted Police Bar racks and the Hudson's Bay Post. Many Of the passengers went swim ming in the river every day and there were also golf and tennis ier diversion.
 The Distributor finally had all the freight aboard and departed on the first trip of the season down to Aklavik. Fortunately only one other tourist was on board. There were Northern Trading and Hud- sons Bay employees and officials. These two companies have posts at all the villages down to the mouth of the Mackenzie. There was a women writer aboard planning to write publicity for the company who was told by one of the old timers" that they had had quite a few writers down in that region before but that none, to his knowledge, had ever done the country any good Missionaries, Ro- man Catholic annd Anglican, quite few Mounted Police, going to their various stations as far as Victoria Land and Coronation Gulf, Judge Dubuc with his court party, radio operator and his family. 2 doctor, a nurse, mining prospectors and trappers, all these were on the passenger list. some for the entire trip, some from post to post.
 The various villages were neat and attractive, the Mounted Police, Signal Corps. Hudson's Bay Con- pany and Northern Trading Com pany each maintaining clean. well-painted compound. The homes of the Indians were less well-kept but they were not very numerous. Both the Roman Catholic and Ang-