Another Archie Ferguson Tale
Adds Hilarity to His Legend
Editors note: Here is another
chapter in the adventurous and
sometimes hilarious life of Archie
Ferguson, 69, fromer Kotzebue bus
inessman and bush pilot, who with
his wife, Linda now spends his
winters in Mexico and his summers
in Candle oin the Seward Peninsula.
(From the Nome Nugget)
This spring Archie and Linda re
turned from their usual winter in
Guadalajara, Mexico, by way of
the Alaska Highway. Deciding that
he needed a vehicle which would
Sawmill Clinic
Is Scheduled
All persons interested in sawmill
operations, either now or in the
future, have been invited by the
U.S. Forest Service and the State
Division of Lands to attend a two
day sawmill clinic in Fairbanks Oct.
10-11.
The Fairbanks clinic will be the
last of three held in Alaska this
month. A similar clinic was held at
Wasilla last week, and one is being
held in Homer today and tomorrow.
Conducting the clinic are. two staff
members of the U.S. Forest Pro
ducts Laboratory at Madison, Wis.
They are Charles Hallock. sawmill
specialist and Erwin Bulgrin, who is
in charge of log and tree grade re
seacrh at the laboratory.
Hallock will illustrate and demon
strate mill adlignment and main
tenance techniques, as well as the
latest methods employed in saw
ing for quality and maximum grade
recovery.
Bulgrin will concentrate on the
grading of logs and trees. The Fair
banks clinic is centered about white
spruce, Interior Alaska's most po
tentially valuable tree.
The first day’s meeting will begin
at 9 a.m. at the Smokejumper Loft
of the Bureau of Land Management
Fire Control Station, 3% Mile Air
poi't Road. During the second day
thei-e will be a field trip to the Guy
Lindsey sawmill, 19 Mile on the
Chena Hot Springs Road.
Invitations to the meetings have
been sent to 84 sawmill operators
in Alaska. However all interested
persons have been invited. It has
been asked that those planning to
attend send notification to the Alas
ka Division of Lands Office, State
Office and Court Building, Fair
banks.
| take him from his home to the camp
—through whatever—at a speed of
at least 40 mph, he purchased
a 4-wheel-drive pickup, put a 16
foot boat on top and AVz tons of
merchandise for “Linda’s Store” in
back, and drove it to Anchorage
this March.
Out of this trip came yet another
story to add to the dozens for which
Archie is famed. Quote — “When I
approached the customs I knew I
had to do some fast talking to get
through, because I didn’t have my
vaccination shots. You know if you
take those guys' minds off what
they're supposed to be doin,’ some
times they forget to ask- all of them
questions. Linda and I were in the
truck with our cat—his name is
Hercules—sitting between us. He's
a big white cat and has been all over
the country with us.”
“Well, I asked those guys if they
ever saw such a big cat before.
This customs guy looked at that
cat and asked what kind he was.
I told him it was a special cat —
it was half cat and half rabbit. I
don’t think he believed me right
away, so I told him a bunch of
stuff about how I have to bring in
lettuce and cabbage because that is
all he eats."
“I told him about all of the guys
that I had been bothered with out
side to let me put the cat on exhi
bition. Pretty soon this fella and
the other guy there got to tellin’
each other that its nose sure looked
like a rabbit and the legs were sure
rabbit legs — anyhow they
convinced each other that it sure
was the first half cat-half rabbit
they ever saw.
“They got so excited about it that
they was tellin’ the tourists, and
pretty soon a guy came through
that got real interested. I told some
friends about the big joke on those
guys and pretty soon one of 'em
sent me a clipping out of the Fair
banks paper. I sure did get through
that guard place too. Anyway, they
got to talking so much about Her
cules they forgot to ask me about
my shots.” The clipping read as fol
lows: “Would like to buy, or infor
mation, leading to offspring result
ing from mating of rabbit and cat.
Clay Childress, Lawrenceville, Illin
ois."
It is presumed that Archie will
live forever, and will, as long as he
is alive, and long after he’s gone,
continue to provide us with a good
laugh for he is a True Alaska Char
acter.
Mr. Businessman:
An ad in TUNDRA TIMES will carry the
message of your goods and services to all
parts of Alaska.
Help increase Alaska Native spending
power by supporting TUNDRA TIMES, the
newspaper devoted to bettering economic
conditions in the state.
Contact: TUNDRA TIMES,
Box 1287, Fairbanks
CONSERVATIONIST OFFERS REBUTTAL
TO ATTACKS BY RAMPART BACKERS
Editors note: Early in September
a group of prominent Alaska busi
nessmen and politicians gathered
in McKinley National Park to map
strategy for “selling" the idea of
Rampart Dam on the Yukon Hiver
to the nation.
The Tundra Times covered that
meeting and our last issue reported
the speeches of Sen. Ernest Gruen
ing and his subordinate, George
Sundborg, who lashed out at the
nation’s conservation movement for
opposing the dam.
Following the Mt. McKinley meet
ing Fairbanks' Mayor Darrell Brew
ington took to television in Fair
banks, and repeated the sentiment
for Rampart that came out of the
McKinley meeting.
Because of the strength of the
attacks against individuals and
groups who do not see "eye to eye"
with the pro-Ramparters, Television
| Station KFAR-TV, Fairbanks gave
equal time for opponents to present
l views on the expensive and contro
versial project.
Miss Celia Hunter, secretary of
the Alaska Conservation Society,
one of the groups named by Sund
borg as against Rampart, took the
offer.
In the following article the Tun
dra Times will attempt to point out
the highlights »f her speech. Space
alone does not allow us to print it
in its entirety. She spoke on KFAR
TV for half an hour, on Sept. 25.
Excerpts from speech given by
Celia Hunter, secretary,
Alaska Conservation Society
“I'm not going to talk about
ducks. Not that I'm not concerned
about ducks, and not that I'm not
personally convinced that build
ing Rampart Dam and flooding ten
million acres of ideal waterfowl
nesting area won't eliminate a lot
of ducks. But the value of a duck
varies from person to person, and
there are other negative aspects to
the 'Let’s Build Rampart Now’ cam
paign that I want to comment on.
"I want to talk about money . . .
The money these people are reach
ing into our pockets for is not
chickenfeed. (A proposed request
to the State Legislature for promo
tion funds.)
"The figures of $100,000 and $300.
000 were quoted at the McKinley
Park meeting. And what do they
intend to do with this money of
yours and mine? Gus Norwood,
who is not an Alaskan, but who is
executive secretary of the North
west Public Power assn., indicated
that over $100,000 would be needed
for hospitality and publicity alone
for the first year . . .
“In the first place, how can they
be so certain Rampart is going to
be an unqualified boon for Alaska
until all of the reports covering the
geology, the hydrology, the fish and
wildlife resources, the sociolocical
aspects, and most important, the
real marketability reports are
in? . . ,
“The only report on the feasibili
ty of construction Rampart Dam
which has been released to date is
the so-called “D & R Report" on
the market for Rampart Power.
Hand Crafted Study
“A study authorized at consider
able expense by the Corps of Engi
neers, which was hand crafted under
the watchful eyes of the Rampart
Dam Advisory Committee, and
which was released prematurely
due to political pressures last year
“I wonder if the people who hear
these glowing optimistic forecasts
of the bustling industrial empire
. . have realized that this report
is not tbe final word on selling
Rampart power? t
“The bona fide report on the sale
ability of Rampart power will not
bo prepared under the auspices of
the Corps of Engineers at all, but
under the guidance of the Bureau
of Reclamation of the Department
of the Interior . . .
“There is a very important docu
ment which was signed by Secre
tary of the Interior Stewart Udall
and Secretary of the Army Stahr
in March 1962, and which carefully
divided up the authority and re
sponsibility for development for the
natural resources of the state of
Alaska . . . including water and
power development . . .
“Consistent with its responsibili
ties for marketing of power pro
duced at federal hydroelectric pro
jects, it is also agreed that the De
partment of the Interior shall be
responsible for the operation and
maintenance of the completed hy
droelectric projects in Alak, Alas
ka .. .
“The leading economist, Dr. Ed
ward S. Shaw, of Stanford Univer
sity. a member of the Rampart Dam
Advisory Committee, is reported
to have disagreed with the econ
omic forecasts of the D&R report.
Other leading economists also dis
agree as to many of the conclusions
reached in this (the D&R) docu
ment.
“ So there it is in black and
white. No matter how hard the
Let’s Build Rampart Now people
push, no matter how much money
they manage to shake loose from
the State of Alaska treasury and
individual contributors, thev are
buying a pig in a poke until not
only the Corps of Engineers reports
are completed and published, but
also the additional studies and re
ports now being prepared by the
Department of the Interior . . .
High Volume I'Se
“I quote here from the Arthur D.
Little report entitled: ‘Potential
! For Use of Alaska’s Energy Re
sources.” which was prepared at
the direction of the government of
the State of Alaska, dated 1962:
“ ’Regarding the larger hydro
electric projects, it should be noted
that it is not correct to speak
without qualification of low-cost
hydroelectric power. Low-cost for
any particular project must be ac
companied by high-volume use.
‘‘The larger hydroelectric projects
proposed for Alaska as capable of
providing 2 or 3 mill oower. would,
with the exception of the first
stage of Yukon Taiya iSoutheastern
Alaska) produce a quantity of pow
er many times the ability of pres
ent Alaskan industry, commerce and
population to absorb. Growth of the
existing economic base, even over
several decades, might not be suf
ficient to produce a base load suf
ficiently large to reduce costs of
power from these million kilowatt
propects to levels below costs readi
ly available in other parts of the
U. S.’
Beal Power Needs
“Let's get our facts straight: Are
we talking about Alaska's very real
and pressing need for power here
and now, or are we talking about
the fast buck of construction
money? ... We do need power for
the immediate future and Rampart
won't get power on the line for
possibly 20 or 30 years . . .
"Does Alaska need one big ‘go
for-broke' construction project,
which puts us right back in the old
boom and bust routine, or do we
need stable step-by-step building
of our economy, using what We
have, and planning for the imme
diate future?
“Might not these visions of mil
lions of dollars of construction
money during the period of build
ing be a smoke-screen for an even
ghostlier future for the Interior
and Fairbanks? We may find our
selves over-expanded, and over ex
tended, with educational, trade and
service facilities built for the boom
that went and left us high and
dry . . .
Devil’s Canyon Dam
“If power costs in the Fairbanks
area could be dropped from the
present 60 to 70 mill per kilowatt
cost to something like the 6 or 3
mill cost promised from the Devil's
Canyon Dam on the Susitna River,
and that power be delivered here
in a fraction of the years necessary
to get Rampart Dam going, this
should be considered very serious
ly .. .
“One notable feature of this dam
(Devil's Canyoni in addition to it3
location adajcent to existing rail
transportation, is the clean bill of
health given it by Fish and Wild
Life Service biologists.
“Devil's Canyon has none of the
hazards that plague Rampart, It
will be built in a steep narrow
canyon, with a far smaller acreage
under water. No migratory fish are
involved and damage to other wild
life habitat would be negligible . . .
“And what about other possibili
ties for power generation? Atomic
power is a reality . . . The Kenai
and Gubik gas fields represent one
of the largest known reservoirs of
natural gas in North America . . .
Alaska has coal . . . And what abouli
the gigantic tides of Cook Inlet?
“Maine is harnessing the tides in
the Passamagquoddy project. I
have heard Rampart advocates
pointing to this project and de
manding equal expenditure for pow
er in Alaska — Have we done any
research on harnessing our tidal
power?
Real Rampart Cost
”... How much Is Rampart
really going to cost us? . . . Tha
Corps of Engineers usually quote a
figure of $1.3 billion to cover cost
of the construction, the railroad
to the clam construction village
and power transmitted to tide
water . . .
“Not included in this are items
like the indemnity payments for
persons who suffer loss of lands
and hunting grounds clue to the
dam . . . payments could continue
all the way to the mouth of the Yu
kon River . . . Such payments can
reach staggering proportions over
the years.
“Neither does the figures cover
mitigation costs, and this program
(restoration and improvement of
fish and wildlife habitat* is manda
tory whenever an impoundment
floods game and water habitat . . .
“I plead with you my fellow citi
zens, to take a long, hard look at
every aspect of Rampart Dam. Ask
honest questions and seek honest
answers ...”
Flour Sacks Used
For Underwear
As Well as Parkas
Murphy Dome. Alaska
September 26, 1963
Dear Friend Editor:
Back in the 30's I was trapping
up the Koyukuk River. There was
a big celebration (potlatcht, native
dances, singing, and dog racing
Christmas and New Year.
One morning early, we were bum
ming around for something to drink,
home brew or anything. One woman
started cooking for their dogs. All
of a sudden men and women holler
ed. When we ran out the house,
the woman had cooked herself by
slipping and the boiling dog food
all over her body.
First thing I noticed was the writ
ing on her underwear. It read,
“Pillsbury’s Best" across her sto
mach.
We were using flour sacks for
underwear and you Eskimos wai
using then for parkas.
Pred Stickwea,