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PRESENT BARROW LAYOUT—Barrow, the top of the world city
built on a thousand feet of permafrost, has started an extensive plan
ning and civic impropement program. The city, plagued by a num
ber of federal withdrawals, is somewhat "hemmed in” and one of
the things being planned is how the village can expand. With the
advent of natural gas availability next year, the population of the
village is expected to increase greatly. In upper right of the sketch,
note the proposed dam across the lagoon separating Barrow from
Browervllle, —University of Alaska Sketch
Barrow Becoming Modern .
(Continued from Page 1)
The federal agencies at Barrow as
well as the Arctic Research Labora
tory are making available equip
ment to be used on the street pro
ject and other projects.
Dependable Power
In May of this year Golden Val
ley Electric Association decided
they would expand to Barrow. The
project will cost about $500,000.
This weekend about $75,000 worth
of equipment, including poles, wire,
and transformers, were loaded
aboard the North Star for delivery
to Barrow in early September. Im
mediately thereafter Golden Valley
Electric Association supervisory
personnel, utilizing as much local
labor as possible, will construct the
power distribution system and con
struct a power plant building. Two
75-kilowatt generators to be used
on a temporary basis will be flown
to Barrow. It is hoped that power
will be available in about six weeks
thereafter or sometime in October.
Options To Buy
Golden Valley Electric Associa
tion has an option to buy the two
small generating plants now in op
eration at Barrow, one owned by
the Barrow Cooperative Store and [
the other by the Barrow Power and
Light Co,
Next fall Golden Valley Electric
Association plans to ship to Barrow
two 500-kilowatt generators. The
generators can be operated either
With diesel or natural gas.
Golden Valley Electric Associa
tion system will be tied in with the
present system belonging to the
federal government and power will
be sold to the agencies. At present
the agencies power facilities have
just about reached maximum out
put and additional generating fa
cilities are needed.
Eventually it is felt that the j
Golden Valley Electric system will
be taken over by the village council
at Barrow and operated as a coop
erative member of the Rural Elec
trification Association.
Browerville will be included in
the village townsite and its residents
will also have power available.
New Airport
In addition to new streets and
house arrangements, in the near
future Barrow is to get an airport,
the money for which was approved
in a recent state bond issue. About
800 acres adjoining the village has
been withdrawn for this purpose.
One of the critical problems of
Barrow is that there is little room
for expansion for homes because of
the large number of federal with
drawals.
Expansion Problem
Adjacent to the airport is a 4 or
5 acre FAA withdrawal, there is a
20-acre withdrawal by the U.S.
Weather Bureau, and a large with
drawal for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs Schools and U. S. Public
Health Service Hospital.
The village cemetery blocks ex
pansion to the east.
Little Room
For a while there was a question
whether there would be enough
room in the present rearrangement
of houses and creation of streets to
give title to lots to all the occu
pants and still provide adequate
street access, but the BLM now says
all present residents can be accom
modated.
The street foundations will be
constructed of beach gravel and
gravel mixed with silt and tundra
vegetation will be used for surfac
I ing.
Lyle Jones, chief of the Division
of Engineering, Bureau of ^and
Management is in charge of the
townsite survey and layout of the
street pattern. He is being assisted
by Tom Brcwn, a cadastral engineer
with the BLM.
Mark Hunt, chief engineer. Gold- I
en Velley Electric Association, and
William King, construction engineer,
will be in charge of the construct
ing the power plant and distribu
I tion system for GVEA.
Men Selected
Golden Valley has already se
lected two Barrow men to be
brought to Fairbanks for four
months intensive training. Later,
they will be given additional train
ing as the Barrow electric system
goes into operation.
Eventually one is slated to become
Division Supervisor of GVEA at
Barrow and the other will become
his assistant. They will run the
system with periodic help and as
sistance from the GVEA Fairbanks
just as is done in the case of Delta
Junction and Ncnana.
Lagoon Dam
There are also long range plans
for a sanitary disposal system and
a water supply system for Barrow
by the U.S. Public Health Service.
U.£!|P.H.S. is already stockpiling
gravel for a dam to be buitl across
the lagoon separating Barrow pro
per from Browerville.
It is planned for the north por
tion of the lagoon to receive and
treat sewage and the lower portion
of the lagoon to become suitable as
a fresh water supply.
Water is now being brought into
the village in a number of ways.
John Nusunginya has a water busi
ness bringing water in the summer
to the village and ice in the winter
from a lake 3% miles south of town.
Some Barrow people use ice from
pressure ridges for water.
Housing Perhaps
A bill was proposed last year in i
Shanghaied . . .
(Continued from Page 5)
They realized if they panicked, they
would not fare so well. These na
tives were the independent type.
They did not like to be shoved
around. At times they grew im
patient.
Remembering the admonition
their companion had given them,
they had to stay calm in spite of
mistreatment and tense feeling. Af
ter several days, they landed at
some place that was itself the be
ginning of a long journey.
They were always guarded and
most of the time at the point of a
gun and bayonet. They never knew
where their next meal would come
from.
The women managed to sew a few
items to exchange for things they
needed and yet once in a while
some peasant would beg for tea.
After traveling for months, they
reached the border of China were
they were transferred. The treat
ment was somewhat not too severe
but they were still under guard.
All that time they were under
tremendous strain of uncertainty,
not knowing how they were going
to be treated and what their next
destination would be. They never
Knew whether they were to he shot
or wake up — alive.
The two younger men had been
to school and knew a little some
thing about the flag, but not to the
extent of what the flag really stood
for. The older men had hardly ever
attended school. They did know
though that the flag was the symbol
of the friendly greeting and the
shake hand.
So the journey continued on and
on day after day. Finally they
were told that the next stop would
be Shanghai.
Upon entering the city, they no
ticed there were innumerable flags
of different origin flying.
One of these times when they Ink
ed they were approaching a build
ing and in the midst of other flags
there was the good old glory hang
ing. They got off and were so happy,
they cried and hugged each other
declaring. “We are safe and tree!"
What a feeling of relief and securi
ty they must have shared and ex
perienced at that moment!
The American consul took charge
from then on. The people were ship
ped back to Seattle, then the U. S.
M, S. Boxer on its journey to the
North to deliver supplies to schools
brought these natives back to their
hemes, to Kotzebue and Pt. Hope.
Listening to those people relate
their experiences during the ordeal
their Siberian and China journey
keeps one spellbound.
If these men who are sometimes
termed as uncivilized, can declare
the U. S. flag stood at all times for
freedom and security, no wonder
soldiers at the risk of their lives
on battlefields seeing a flag fall
ing, ran and held the pole to keep
good old glory flying.
And yet many of us have a ten
dency to overlook the significance
of the flag. We walk by unnoticing
the flag being hoisted and lowered.
i
Congress for a Barrow housing pro
ject and eventually because of much
substandard and uncomfortable
housing, such a project may become
a reality.
In addition to a million dollar
elementary school just dedicated this
year, a 210-capacity high school is
to be constructed there next sum
mer.
Big Things
With the advent of natural gas
availability, it is also expected that
the population of Barrow will take
a big swing upward.
Big things are happening at Bar
row and many more thing will oc
cur during the next few years. Bar
row likely may become a model
Arctic Alaska settlement—a pattern
for many other Eskimo villages to
follow.
New School
Going Up
At Pt. Hope
According to Billy Weber, most of
the men at Point Hope are working
on the construction of a new school
being built there. The laborers are
making $3.51 per hour.
“This will be a good thing for
Point Hope. They will be able to get
the things they need," said Weber.
Weber said that the Native Store
there was running short of milk,
coffee, salt, and other things. He
said the store has been flying milk
in from Kotzebue to supply the I
village.
Weber is in Fairbanks after be
ing notified by the Laborer’s Union
and is waiting to be called for a
job. He said that if his work lasts
several months he plans to send for
his family to come to Fairbanks to
stay temporarily.
Carver...
(Continued from Page 3)
coming to Alaska at this time, Car
ver said, was to address the National
Association of State Foresters in
Anchorage today.
Carver, accompanied by Robert
K. Coote of the BLM. Washington,
D.C., arived in Alaska last Tues
day, spent a day at Metlakatla.
journeyed from Ketchikan to Jun
eau via the ferry system, had a
conference with Governor William
A. Egan, then flew to Fairbanks
where he met with BLM and BIA
officials. On Saturday he rode the
Alaska Railroad, also under his
jurisdiction, to Anchorage where
he had planned conferences with
state officials including Attorney
General George Hayes. Director of
Natural Resources Phil Holdsworth,
and head of the Division of Land,
Roscoe E. Bell.
9 9 <0
(Continued From Pg. 3)
worked hard but they have seen
results. The effect upon the people
has been terrific. They have devel
oped a strong sense of pride and
accomplishment and a progressive
community spirit.
This year they are doubling their
gardening and community improve
ment efforts.
Last year the villagers planted
1,000 lbs. of potatoes and received
a ten-^pld return. This year the vil
lage is planting a ton of potatoes.
Last year the village had the as
sistance of Richard Birchell, the
BTA teacher and his wife, both with
farming backgrounds. This year the
teacher is on vacation and the vil
lagers are on their own.
This year the vill-'g > is building
a large. 20 by 40 feet gi-penhon-s?
and already has m tv pi- rt- in i*
ready for setting out. The \ - g •
has already gotten more 1; n.l in
shape for cultivation.
One of the keys of the operation
is sufficient fertilizer and irriga
tion. The land is leveled and water
is pumped from the river into irri
gation ditches.
Each of Venetie's 22 families have
their own garden and it is almost a
contest to see which family can pro
duce the most produce. Last year
I the village produced a total of $6.
400 worth of vegetables. This year
the villagers are hoping to double
that production.
The effect of Venetie’s success is
being felt in other villages.
Birch Creek is doing more gard
ening. The Chief of Beaver has
bought about 600 pounds of seed
potatoes and gardening is increasing
there this year.
Canyon Village even communi
cated by radio with Venentie getting
instructions on how to construct a
greenhouse and photographs were
sent to Canyon Village of the green
house constructed last year by
Venetie.
! Bartlett...
(Continued from Page 3>
The Statehood Act provided for
the transfer of roughly 103 million
acres of land from the federal gov
ernment to the state within 25 years,
he pointed out, with the federal
government surveying about 4 mil
lion acres a year.
“The federal government has fail
ed and failed lamentably up to now
to dispatch its responsibility under
the law because it has surveyed
only about a million acres a year.”
“The state has not yet come into
possession of land which will maka
possible the acquiring of land by
individuals, groups, businesses, and
industries.”
Bartlett then commented at
length on BLM vs. state dispute
over the surveying of exterior
boundaries of state selections. When
the first territories became states,
he said they received only 5V» per
cent of the land from the federal
government; that the last four ter
ritories admitted as states previous
to Alaska received 11 per cent of
the land. But he pointed out in
these instances, the federal gov
ernment provided costly interior
surveys.
■W\ih AlusVa. Y»e \.Vie formulas
and procedures used in the past
were completely scraped. He said
Alaska was given the right to se
lect 27 per cent of the land, about
3 times as much as any other terri
tory, but in exchange for this right
the federal government was not re
quired to perform the intensive in
terior surveys that it had done itt
the other states.
He said that the state was requir
ed to select tracts not smaller than
5.760 acres and the BLM wculd pro
vide the exterior surveys of these
tracts. Ever since he said there had
been a quarrel between the state
and the BLM — that the BLM had
disregarded the direction of tlie
statehood act and sought to force
the state to select tracts of from
10.000 to 50.000 acres.
Bartlett said he had inscribed in
the current Appropriations Bill ex
press language directing the BLM
to comply with the law..— that he
felt the long standing dispute would
be settled as soon as the Appropria
tions Bill was passed.
Blanket Claim.. •
<Continued from Page 1*
people of this village for hunting,
trapping, fish wheels, and for cut-,,
ting wood.
"There are eleven rat camps in
use during the spring months. Si>c
fish wheels are in use by the vil
lagers, the rest of the families use
nets.”
For Hunting
••We go 40 miles up the Yukon in
! Hire' of big game, and as far down
vuv.on r~ Waldron Creek. Dur
j ; ,1 pin nil'll ir December we hunt
i* rvi IV.i Y’ V el Flats.
"We 1 -n n-ea of 1040 square
m;i, c fi r h>■' ' ■ ■ fishing, and for
running oor u-iu'"ir.. This is toe
way in which . ,f • fathers and fore
fathers made their living, and we
of this generation follow the same
plan. Many of these traplines have
been handed down from father to
son for generations. Tt is the same
way with the location of fish
wheels."
For Cutting Wood
“We go up the Yukon as far as
Purgatory to cut timber for fire
wood and for building our cabins.
Each family unit requires at least
ten cords of firewood to heat their
cabins throughout the winter.”
Rampart
“There are fifteen families at
Rampart. Sixteen traplines and fif
teen cabins along the trails are used
during the winter months. Fish
camps numbering seven are in us*
in the summer months."
Respectfully submitted,
Neil Simon
Stevens Village