Evening star., 1943-01-12
Mrs. Albee Tells
Of Pioneering on
Alaskan Highway
C0IOred Movies
OF Yukon Sh0wn
Army Daughters
By Gretchen Smith

The story of an American wife
who two summers ago with her hus-
band and two small children trav-
eled by foot over 1,100 miles Of
rough Yukon country where the
great Alaskan highway is now being
completed was told in fascinating
detail by the traveller, Mrs William
Albee, at meeting yesterday Of the
Daughters of the United States
Army.
Members of the society, many
whose fathers and grandfathers
helped as Army officers bring peace
to the Far West in the turbulent
days of pioneering, heard the young
matron describe how she carried
her pack, cooked meals over camp
fires, washed clothes in wilderness
streams and made the family mocca-
sins during the summer Of 1910
while on a special mission for the
National Geographic Society.
Colored motion pictures taken by
Mr.. and Mrs. Albee and their 8-year-
old son Billy accompanied the lee
ture, which was shown at the WASH
ington Club.
Honeymoon in Wilds.
The speaker explained how she
first travelled to Alaska II years ago
as a bride and after a honeymoon
spent in the wilderness living on the
food of the land" hiking 1900 miles
In seven months, she and her hus-
band decided to remain in the Far
North.
There her two children, Billy and
little Jo-Evelyn, were born in an
Eskimo settlement, where the AL
bees were school teachers, postmaSt-
ers, cooperative store agents and
the keepers of some 1,500 reindeer. I"
Mrs. Albee's description Of her life
in the Yukon sounds like q modern
Swiss Family Robinson, with each
member of the family from 5-year-
old Jo-Evelyn to Bill Albee, her hus-
band, living life of health and
happiness in the primitive wilds.
Beds were made OF spruce boughs,
she said; food included wild cur
rants, blueberries, mushrooms, game
and fish, supplemented by about 40
pounds of staple foods, such as
sugar, vegetable tea, oatmeal and
sugar.
BILLY and 10 took as much re-
sponsibility as we would give them" !"
Mrs. Albee said. Her statement was
supported by pictures showing Billy
carrying water. bringing in his first
game, a wild duck and grouse, and
helping his father saw wood, while
little Jo-Evelyn provided berries
gathered in the woods and assisted
with the family laundry.
Scenes Of the Yukon.
Scenes of the Yukon country,
showing upper ranges of the Rockies
with attitudes of 5000 feet, the
clear blue waters of Lake Francis
and the richly wooded sections in
summer, make the Albee picture
outstanding.
Their camera also caught an un-
usual scene of cranes flying in v
formation from Siberia to the
feeding grounds of South America.
"As those cranes are seen flying
in v formation, our bombers are
now flying above the Highway, trav-
elled daily by thousands of trucks"
the speaker commented.
Mrs. Albee recommends "life in
the wilds" to all mothers of delicate
children courageous enough to un-
dertake such a venture.
80 Evelyn gained 5 pounds and
Billy gained A." she concluded.
The program, which was given for
the benefit of the Red Cross Day
Nursery, sponsored by the Army
daughters, had a record attendance.
Mrs. Albert c. Wedemeyer, presi-
dent of the Washington chapter, in
troduced the speaker. Tea was
served following the lecture.