The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1938-08-11
]. E. Mccarthy
Writes Home
Curry, Alaska
July "a, 1888

Curry, Alaska
July "a, 1888
We left Seward at II am.
July % ad for sixty miles Wound
around ana thru the coast
range over a difficult piece OF
scenic rallroading lncluolng the
famous loop district where the
load winds like a snake at one
point making a complete circle.
We passed many glaciers and
rivers carrying glacial milk and
after about three hours came
out on the Turnagaln Arm of
Cooks Inlet which was eX-
plored and named by Capt.
cook in 1778. The tide of this
inlet is one of the largest IN
the world, being exceeded only
Dy that of the Bay of Funday.
I met a Mr. Nettleton on the
train, who for eleven years had
been a forest ranger in this
district with headquarters at
Birds Point on Turnagain Arm.
He pointed to a mud flat of
miles in extent at the head Of
Turnagain where he had sailed
a boat in early days. The wa
tiers of the glacial rivers emp
tying into the inlet drop their
silt when they reacn the still
water and slowly build up the
lana. MIR. Nettleton said that
the miles of mud flats visible
from the window had been built
up six or seven feet within the
past thirty years. I actually
saw land in the making.
The trains in this county do
not run at night. The Alaska
railroad owns many of the no.
tells and they believe in pat
ronizing them. So, when night
comes, we tie up and 60 to a
motel. We arrived at Anchorage,
a city of three thousand, which
S the railroad center and claims
to be the best city in Alaska,
about 400 pm. ana stopped for
the night. I learned here that
Alaska in 1886 produced salmon
to the value of S44, O79.213 and
minerals to the value of S23,-
$4,000. I have not yet learned
the value of the furS taken.
Secretary Seward paid Russia
S7.OOO,OOO for the entire terri
tory and the deal was derided
as "SeAard's Folly"
In Montana, the upper limit
OF tree growth is between H.
900 and 10000 feet. AS we tray
elled north, the timberline grad
approached the water un-
tn at Seward it was barely
1000 feet above sea level. After
leaving Seward, the line low
cred and the conifers gradually
decreased in size. The ever
greens are mostly Engleman
spruce but I thought I recog-
nized from the car window, the
stately, spire-like Alpine frs
which I had missed farther
south and which in Idaho grow
at the eight to ten thousand
foot level.
The flowers, both wild and
domesticated, grew IN profus-
ion at Anchorage. Peonies are
still in bloom. Dahlias are seven
feet tall with blossoms as large
as a dinner plate; bleeding
heart shoulder high; auuilegia.
head high with large beautiful
variegated bloom; pansises
three inches in diameter, del
phlnlum blooms that I could
not reach; strawberry plants as
large as potato vines and white
clover bloom a foot above the
ground. Grandma says lit amt
sou Truly this is a land of
superlatives.
North of Anchorage, the train
wound for 1870 miles thru a Sill
undulating, undressing
country of glacial origin inter-
:Spered with meadows deposited
by the wide many-channeleu
meandering ugly rivers, all of
which carry varying amounts
OF glacial milk. The ground is
covered with a dense growth
OF willow, dwarf birch end 9TH
er brush above which stand
groves of poplar interspersed
with stunted spruce. We crossed
scores of streams and OCCASION
ally. we would bridge a large
muddy river, carrying silt to the
sea and I must say again that
l now know where most of the
water in the Pacific comes from.
At Matanuska, IS miles
northwest of Anchorage, we left
the main line and rode six
miles to Palmer, the local CEN
ter OF the Federal Relief Emer-
gency Administration, being adj
turnover even before November
voting will be nearly 16 per cent,