Missionary Tells
Of Hard Life Here
From Jacksonville, N. C.
Daily News
Ladies how wouict you like to pay
45 cents a quart for milk; 52 cents
a loaf for bread: 39 cents a pound
for bananas; and 33 cents a pound
for just plain old cabbage? If you
lived in Anchorage, Alaska, you
would have no choice. Neither
would you have fresh meat, fruit
and vegetables as we are able to
get at the local supermarkets.
Mrs. D. L. Whaley, wife of Rev
erend Whaley, Free Will Baptist
minister, has experienced paying
these prices but this experience is
really in^nitesimaj compared to
others she can relate. (The Anchor
age telephone book lists the Wha
leys as residing on International
Airport Road.)
In April 1958. Rev. and Mrs.
Whaley with their two sons, Ver
non and Rodney, left Jacksonville
and their ministry to be mission
aries in Alaska. They are home on
furlough at the present time and
for first hand information concern
ing our 49th state, they can furnish
the latest statistics with much add
ed color.
Alaska is a iromier ianu m cvuj
respect, according to Mrs. Whaley,
with all its gory sin, common
people, alcoholism, fast money and
fast living. Anchorage is known as
the city of drunkenness.
Statistics reveal that Alaska has
the highest rale of divorce of any
State. Drunkenness is especially pre
valent among women and their
children delight in telling of their
first thrill at getting intoxicated,
according to Mrs. Whaley.
The crime wave among the youth
takes first place in the country.
There are probably near 1.000 tav
erns in the city of Anchorage. Mur
der is everyday occurances with
husbands killing wives; wives kill
ing husbands: and children killing
parents. The laws are very lax and
few people are ever punished.
Now that Alaska has become a
state, it is hoped and believed that
more laws will be enforced and the
Standard of living will be raised.
The State of Alaska is one-fifth
the size of the United States. Three
fourths of the state is in the north
temperate zone, the remainder be- j
ing north of the Arctic Circle. The
length of the growing season aver
ages 160 along the southeastern ,
coast, therefore only leafy vege- ;
tables and Quick growing foods are
planted.
From December through Febru
ary there will be only five hours
Of daylight. The children are un
able to get out of the house to
play for months at a time because
of the severe cold. Men are un
able to cause of this cramped con
dition, it is believed emotions be
come disturbed which is the main
reason for crime and alcoholism.
Natural gas has recently been
piped to Anchorage which is a
sign of progress, and a housing de
velopment is being built. Mrs. Wha
ley says that a house priced at $10,
000 here would cost $32,000 there.
They are all frame buildings; no
brick is available.
Transportation has always been
a problem in Alaska since there
are only 1,711 miles of first class
roads. Air transportation is the only
means which covers the entire state.
A set-up known as bush planes is
operated between villages and in
remote places.
Boat service is the next most im
portant means of transportation but
in many areas in the interior,
freight boats arrive only twice a
year.
The Eskimo and his dog team
is very realistic in many parts of
Alaska where they serve as the
only means of transportation.
Strangely enough Mrs. Whaley
says, the educational system is one
of the best and so are the medical
facilities. All teachers are English
speaking United States citizens and
| in Anchorage they all have an A
j certificate.
The doctors are considered the
best in the country. A modern hos
pital is under construction and all
specialists may be found there. An
office call costs $7.50 and a normal
j checkup will range from $25 to $35.
The natives arc inferior, simple,
filthy people with many super sti
' lions. Most of them live in poverty
I with no knowledge of the outside
I world.
Rev. Whaley is director of Free
Will Baptist missions in Alaska
and the first church established
was in the basement of their home.
, Sunday school classes were taught
j in bedrooms. Now they own a
j church building and the family
lives in a comfortable apartment
adjacent to the church.
Mrs. Whaley says they have had
many trying and disappointing ex
periences but on the other hand
they have had many more reward
ing experiences. When they win
someone to Christ they forget all
the challenging and heartbreaking
moments they went through.
The family will be returning to
their mission field within the next
few months more ready and willing
than ever to take on the challenge
of converting souls to Christian
dom. Truly it must be said, they
are a sincere and dedicated couple.
People Sure
Change a Bit
By Mary Angela Steve
Times Staff Writer
STEBBINS — When I was very
small, about seven years old. I re
member that all of our people liv
ed in log houses, had kozems where
men took baths, and had kayaks
and umiaks that did not have
rpotors.
But our people didn’t mind using
sail boats, rowing their umiaks, or
hunting with their kayaks. Time
has passed and our people have
worked to improve themselves.
Now everyone has lumber houses, j
motors, light plants. There are no
more log houses, no kayaks, no
umiaks.
People sure change a bit.
Our men here will round up the
reindeer in November and will do
some butchering for the meat mar
kets. The men will handle the rein
deer in the corral the first week of
December, earmarking and casterat
ing them. All people who would
like to watch reindeer handled in
corral are invited.
“BIRDS” KEPT BUSY
About half a million dollars worth
of helicopters (4 of them) are now
in Whitehorse hangars for the win
ter. Property of Klondike Helicop
ters, the “birds’ this pase summer
ranged as far north as the Arctic,
and south to Watson Lake, mostly
on government jobs, survey, min
eral and oil exploration.
I
Violence May
Flare at Kodiak
At, least one Kodiak fisherman
has suggested that fishermen arm
themselves against Russian trawl
ers who are destroying their crab
fishing gear, according the Channei
Light, the student publication of
(Ml. Edgecumbe High School.
And Alaska’s senior U. S. Senator
|E, L. “Bob" Bartlett has warned of
a possible international incident
and has urged the U. S. State De
partment to act now to protect ;
| Alaska fishermen's rights on the
| high seas.
On November 8 Captain Albert
“Coogan" Peterson of the boat, I
Oceanic said he observed a large |
Russian stern trawler dragging
through the area in which he had
30 pots out.
At least half of the pots were lost.
According to Peterson, the trawler
went right through the pots, which
were radar marked according to
advice of the U.S. State Department,
picked up its trawl, unloaded it.
then put it back into the water and
went back through the pots again.
The incident occurred approxi
mately seven miles south of Sitki
nak Island.
According to the Channel Light:
“As early as 1937. king crab was
being caught and canned in the Ko
diak area. It was not until 1951,
however, that the harvesting of king
crab was carried out on a large
scale in that region. It was done
only after there had been much ex
perimental fishing for king crab by
private companies.
"Around 1940. Japanese fisher
men fished crab from the Kodiak
and Bering Sea areas, but they
didn’t fish on such a vast scale and
didn’t create the problems the Rus
sian fishing fleet does. This is the
first time in history that there is a
(Continued on Page 6)
Do Caribou Read Newspapers?
Could it be that caribou read'
newspapers?
This is a question the Tundra
Times is posing as plans for a large
caribou hunt have vanished into the
vapor of an unusually warm fall
with very few caribou to be seen.
In the October 15 issue, the paper
printed an article how six interior
Indian villages W'ere eagerly await
ing the caribou to cross the Taylor
Highway in large numbers as is
their custom.
This year the caribou must have
been tipped off about the hunt
which was very successful last year.
At any rate the caribou crossed
in uncommon places in small num
bers and completely outwitted
Alaska hunters, both native and
non-native.
The regional office of the BIA
had arranged for the word to be
flashed the moment it appeared the
caribou would be crossing the high
way. But they waited and waited
and the word never came.
The BIA had planned to send a
bus to transport hunters from the
villages to the hunt area.
As it became apparent that the
caribou would not cross as is their
custom, plans were altered. Spencer
Graves, adult education teacher,
and the Rev. A1 Smith, both of
Tanacross, cooperated in transport- !
ing small groups tot he potential j
—-------1
Give a Hobby for Christmas
• Plastic model cars, planes, • Games—Chess, Monopoly
ships # HO model railroad sets
• Art supplies
• Plastic motorized engines • Car racing sets
Write us for a catalog — Mail orders filled promptly
HOBBY HOUSE
419 2nd Ave. — Fairbanks, Alaska
MUSIC’ TEACHER—Marlon Walrath tunes pianos at Kotzebue in
his spare time. Walrath is teaching 90 students there at the present
time. The instruments range from trumpets to French horns.
—Photo by Sandy Jensen
Kotzebue Music Teacher Slavs Busy
Letter to Editor
Anac,
Juneau. Alaska
November 8. 1962
Dear editor:
Thank you for the compliment
ary copy Vol. 1 No. 1 of Tundra
Times received some time ago. This
is also to offer congratulations on
a fine edition and wish you and
the staff all of the best in produc
ing a paper with a reputation for
dignity and responsibility.
Sincerely,
Don Burrus
' Manager
I hunt area between Mile 95 and 105.
But they went far beyond Mile 105
and did not see an animal or any
tracks.
Neither the BIA nor Fish and
Game officials could explain the ,
reason the caribou did not cross as
they normally do.
Last year, according to Robert j
Rausch, fish and game biologist,
about 2,000 caribou were harvested.
This year only about 400 animals
have been taken.
According to Rausch, in about
February if the caribou arc avail
able, the season may be opened
especially for the residents of the
area around the six villages so they
can harvest the caribou which is
considered highly desirable.
The Villages -were depending
upon the taking of the animals for
a great part of this winter's supply |
of meat.
* By Lois Jensen
For the first time in history, tha
study of music has been embedded,
in the BIA school at Kotzebue,
Alaska. Most probably the first time
in history, a class of Eskimo stu
dents north of the Arctic Circle are
being taught music.
Harlon Walrath. instructor, spent
15 years teaching music in Balti
more, Maryland before coming to
Kotzebue. His assignment was the
fulfillment of a life-long dream to
live in Alaska.
He ‘‘fell in love with the north”
when he visited Southeastern Alas
ka and Kodiak in 1945 when he was
Iwith the Navy.
“These Eskimo children are very
adept at music and extremely co
operative,” he said.
“I have 90 playing now but about
I 50 more want to study music as soon
as we have enough instruments.”
I Forty of the children are playing
■ symphonettes. The remainder use
an assortment of trumpets, coronets,
trombones, french hoyns. violins,
and so on. A vocal chorus is also on
the curriculum.
Last summer students from Mt.
Edgecombe gave a short course
in music which was attended by .
some of the children. However,
many others have never before seen
the instruments they are learning
to play.
In his spare time. Walrath has
been tuning pianos. He said there
are approximately 10 or 12 in Kot
zebue. some of which are in Eskimo
homes. Ocasionally he acts as sub
stitute teacher but his real love is
for music.
When asked what he thinks of
the Arctic, he said, I love the
country. I intend to make it my
home.”
JOISAS BROS. OF ALASKA
9 Fur$ # Gifts
• Souvenirs >• Parkas
SERVING ALASKA IN ALL MAJOR CITIES