Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-06-27

DuI-Sucn cost. cake OF COIIl-
pressed yeast was SC but was later
cut to &c. The bought
supplies are lost some place and what
we buy comes from the Anchorage
merchants. The tools we need so
badly are also sidetracked some place
it seems it should be easy to locate
these cars, but week after week goes
by and no results. The tools at the
Commissary now come from Anchor
age also. A broad axe costs $500
and the handles $1.O0 each. A COM
mon wash tub is $500 and everything
else in comparison.
When we first came most of the
men were set to work unloading cars,
making doors for tents, and numerous
jobs at so cents per hour. But only
a few continued working and the rest
had to loaf around. Remember the
grocery bill kept mounting, neverthe-
| less. Later the men were told that
due to the short time till snow flies
it was up to every man to get out
and cut logs for his house, and keep
track of his time at soc an hour.
Prepare Homes.
Now they are told to cut logs but
no pay at all, so in other words, the
house, barn, etc., that you assume
$4,000 mortgage for-yOu can cut
logs for and build yourself and you
still pay the same and buy your gro
ceries, too. Don't think that I am
mistaken because Pat Hemmer Of
Wright, Carlton county, and / were
elected to represent our group of colo
nists at our weekly get-to-gether with
officials. We got this information d.
rectly from the officials. We have
had two such meetings. Each camp
has two representatives, a man and
a woman. There are nine camps in
all.
BY camps, mean outlying terri
tories lying closer to land drawn by
people occupying those camps. This
camp, right at the station still has
the original 67 tents occupied by Min
nesota families who arrived here
May 10. Many of the Minnesota fam
lilies have moved out to other camps
from four to nine miles away and
Michigan and Wisconsin families are
still moving in here.
Our forty is about eight miles out
on the south side of butte which
cuts off the north Alaska wind. We're
very satisfied with the land and its
location. We traded three times to
get there and about thirty other fam
lilies are in our group. All of the
Carlton county people except the Law
renee VasanOja and Henning Benson
families, are with us in the so-called
California of Alaska.
But there is no road out there so
i'm order to get there the men got busy
and made temporary road in order
to tote out equipment to start log
ging. They left this morning with
one team and about 25 men and eats
to last a week. l expect some ia
return tonight and others after try
ing it few days; for all work and
no pay won't go over so big after
they start thinking.
Don L. Irwin, who is in charge OF
the project is man in every sense
Of the word. capable, level-headed
and always calm when it seems the
average fellow would tear his hair
He, as well as we, realize that some
one or perhaps many are doing ev-
erything to make the project unsuc.
cessful For instance, the machinery
for the road commission for all the
new roads necessary here, went down
somewhere between here and Seattle
Reports are that it has been recOv-
cred, but nevertheless it has retarded
progress.
Mrs. Fohn-Hansen, Alaska's home
demonstration agent. has spent some
time getting acquainted with the
women and will be back to spend the
rest Of the summer here when the
is to start. She has shown us a great
number of things the Alaskans do
and make-glOves, mittens, ETC., from
leather. mitts and sox knit, weaving
of all kinds, such as scarfs and rugs,
and she wore a dress of beautiful blue
material she had woven and made
herself.
Personally, l am having the most
wonderful vacation l ever had. Nc
cows, chickens, pigs, sheep or tur-
keys to tend or worry about. In fact
nothing to worry about. That seems
too perfect but it is true. I'm sure
some of the difficulties concerning
I