Father Of Visiting
Airline Official An
Alaskan Pioneer
Claude E. League, district sales
manager of Trans World Airlines
in Seattle, arrived in Nome today
for his annual sales trip through
Alaska. This is League’s second
trip to Alaska. He made his first
a year ago.
The name of League is not new
in Alaska, as his father sailed
from Seattle in August in 1896 cfti
the SS Alki.
Landing in Juneau, League’s
lather worked in Max Engleman’s
opera house. He had done some
amateur theatrical work in Seat
tle and in other cities throughout
the United States.
From Juneau, League’s lather
was one of the thousands that
trekked through the snow-capped
White Pass to Skagway in 1897
when the fabulous Klondike
strike came.
At Skagway, League went to
work at Jake Rice’s Opera House,
where he met the uncrowned
“'King of Skagway,’’ — Soapy
Smith. Also, in July, 1898, he
heard the shot that killed Smith,
the shot fired by Frank H. Reid,
who was also killed in the shoot
ing.
In 1899, the big strike at Daw
son City was on and League went
there. Not like the present day,
fast, comfortable air transporta
tion to almost anywhere it was
very difficult tor get transporta
tion of any kind at any price.
So League and three compan
ions sailed 640 miles .down the
Yukon River in a 30-foot boat
they had built themselves and put
together with wooden pins.
They left Skagway in early Oc
tober and arrived in Dawson City
on Nov. 11, a few days before the
winter freeze set in. Here League,
while managing the local opera
house, met Alexander Pantages,
a young Greek who later became
a theatrical millionaire.
The spring thaw in 1900 on the
Yukon was early and League and
his three companions headed
down the river in their 30-foot
boat toward the Arctic Circle.
They sailed for days before ar
riving at Circle City. At Circle
City, League met and grub-staked
one of the best known fight pro
moters of all time — “Tex Rick
ards.’' There was approximately
five to ten thousand people in
Circle City at that time, but when
the second and third generation
of League were there last year,
there were only about fifteen peo
ple.
Claude E. Claire, his wife and
their two children, Rosemary and
Richard, visited Circle City in
August, 1951, to see the old build
ings still standing or, rather, lean
ing. They saw also the landing
place where Grandpa League
brought in his boat
From Circle City, League Se
nior sailed on down the Yukon
to St. Michael’s mining camp at
the river’s mouth. At St. Mi
chael’s, he began staking claims
on Norton Sound, into which the
Yukon empties, and on the Nor
ton River, that lies farther north.
Due to bad luck, he lost every
thing when a storm wrecked his
boat on Rocky Point, which was
near a mining village known as
Bluff City.
iFrom there, League took a tug
to Nome, where he again met up
with Tex Rickards. Tex gave him
a job in his establishment, known
as the North Pole. League also
managed a theater in Nome,
where he met Rex Beach and at
Dawson City League presented
one of Beach’s first sketches, ‘‘A
Trip to Bed Rock,” in two acts.
League spent a total of eight
years in Alaska and although he
did not bring out any material
wealth, he did bring with him
the personal experiences of ad
venture in one of the most out
standing periods in American his
tory which stayed with him
throughout his living days.
* * *
Claude h^s fallowed somewhat
in his father’s footsteps in world
travel, having traveled Trans
World Airline’s route from San
Francisco to Cairo, Egypt; having
visited or worked in every dom
estic city served by TWA and
visited such foreign cities as Par
is, Madrid, Geneva, Rome, Ath
ens, Lisbon, and Ireland.
Claude also spent three years in
the South Pacific, 1942-45, with
the Air Force and was in such
places as Australia, Fiji Islands,
New Guinea and a few other
island air bases. He is looking for
ward to seeing the Far East some
time in the future.
* * *
The purpose of Claude’s yearly
trips to Alaska is to contact air
line personnel and travel agents
and to bring them up-to-date on
TWA’s domestic and international
schedules. Another purpose of the
trips is to make available to them
TWA’s extensive film library for
group film showings on foreign
countries.
Claude said he has often been
questioned on Alaska by numer
ous TWA personnel, both in the
States and overseas. He tells, ev
eryone of the beauty of Alaska
and too many travelers have been
missing too much, too long.
TWA’s own personnel are ques
tioned daily regarding Alaska and
have a great opportunity of sell
ing this beautiful vacationland.
Claude said establishment of
the Alaska Visitors Assn, should
do much to stimulate interest in
Alaska travel. The principal
weakness throughout seems to be
a shortage of hotel accommoda
tions.
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I WILBUR WALLUK I
I ESKIMO ARTIST 1
| Nome, Alaska
INK WASH PICTURES OF ESKIMO LIFE
AND ARCTIC SCENES
Any Sise in Black and While
I I
I ETCHINGS ON IVORY TO ORDER — STATIONERY -
S ■
• Orders Carefully Packed and Mailed #
■ I
5 » » « « ~
A. POLET, ESKIMO ARTS * CRAFTS. NOME, ALASKA
§ GUILDED CAGE. A.C.C.A., ANCHORAGE, ALASKA *
1 A.N.S. ARTS fe CRAFTS. JUNEAU, ALASKA
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*
China And Russia
In Top-Level Talks
MOSCOW, (&) — Red China’s
premier and foreign minister,
Chou En-Lai. may see Prime Min
ister Stalin before many days of
the present top-level talks be
tween the two big Communist
nations.
Premier Chou called on Soviet
Foreign Minister Andrei Vishin
sky Monday night.
The talks involve a number of
specific issues concerning the eco
nomic, political and military re
lations of the two countries. They
also are expected to cover the
Far Eastern situation, with spec
ial emphasis on Japan.
Western observers said Stalin
probably would be taking a direct
and personal interest in the pro
gress of the talks and so an invi
tation for. Chou to call at the
Kremlin would not be surprising.
Three Politburo members — V.
M. Molotov, A. I. Mikoyan and N.
A. Bulganin — were among the
official welcoming party. Even
long-term foreign residents here
cannot remember a previous time
when there was such a distin
guished turnout to greet a foreign
guest.
Provision for these talks was
made in the 30-year treaty signed
between the two countries Feb.
14, 1950.
Arctic Sanitary Service
Phone RED 181
mil mi it i ii i min mil i 11111 ini i mu i ii mini in in mm
Announcing New DC-3 Schedule
EFFECTIVE MAY 4, 1952
EACH MON.. WED., THURS.. SAT. ft SUN.
leave Fairbanks 1:00 a.m. arrive Kotaebue 10:30 aan.
leave Kotabue 11:15 a.m. arrive Nome 1:00 pan.
leave Nome 6:00 p.m. arrive Fairbanks 9:30 pan.
THIS MEANS A 5-HOURS LAYOVER IN NOME j
ON MONDAY AND THURSDAY
leave Nome 1:45 p.m. arrive Kotaebue 3:00 pan.
leave Kotaebue 3:45 pan. arrive Nome 5:00 pan.
OUR NEW MAIL SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE APRIL 21
By Cessna 170, 195 and Norseman
EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY
leave Nome 7:00 a.m.
arrive Deering 8:15 a.m.
leave Deering 8:45 a.m.
arrive Candle 9:00 a.m.
leave Candle 9:30 a.m.
leave Kotzebue 11:15 a.m.
arrive Candle 12:00 N
leave Candle 12:30 p.m.
arrive Deering 12:45 p.m.
leave Deering 1:15 p.m.
arrive Nome 2:30 p.m.
| PAUL SPURLOCK. Station Manager I
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* »
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