* ALASKA MAKES HUGE *
* RETURN FOR PURCHASE *
In tin1 sixty three years of American
occupation,Alaska's commerce, includ
ing precious metals, lias attained the
huge total of $2,589,126,648, accord
ing to authentic figures derived main
ly from reports made to the Depart
ment of Commerce of the United
States by the United States Customs
Service. This is nearly 360 times the
$7,200.00(1 paid by the United States
to Russia in 1867 in return for the
Territory.
Prior to 1905 no complete records
of the territorial commerce were
compiled; but sufficient data has
been preserved to indicate imports
valued at $172,420,615 and exports
amounting to $314,288,778 between
1807 and 1906.
Since 1905 accurate records have
been maintained by the United States
Customs Service and are set forth in
the following table, showing for the
period from 1905 to the end of 1930.
total imports valued at $701,135,219
tilsaml exports including precious min
erals, amounting to $1,398,162,006.
Imports Exports
1905
1906
1307
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
192 1
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
$172,426,615
19,372,192
18.234,611
lir.730-.257
19.528.973
18,586.697
15,688.370
22,'ll 7.7 >5
22.440.863
22.273.S5I
23,793.687
32.378.975
41.034,363
41.587,959
3S,925,594
38.383.973
20.209,228
2 7,648,733
31.295,672
32,580.051
33,199,511
32.131,020
36.370,310
32.629,763
31,174,838
33.012,927
$314,2.88,778
32,019,001
29,672.665
31,151.463
32,921,317
30.015.467
35,192.906
■12.462,371
36,461,086
41.205.52 I
51,560,803
80,712.941
01,684,998
85,310,208
70.688,748
69,882,727
45.745.338
59,886,360
62.773.338
61.015,032
62,22::.::;:,
81,404,121
57.552.467
74,843.040
71.583.621
57,156,69.:
SS76.561.864 $1,712,450,78-1
Total Exports $1,712,450,78 1
Total Imports .. 876,561,861
Total Commerce
$2,589,012,618
**********
* Comparative Size—Alaska
And the United States *
*********<
If a map of Alaska were drawn to
scale and imposed on one of the Unit
ed States, the main boundaries ot
Ihe former would include Iowa, prac
tically all of Kansas, Minnesota, Wis
consin and Illinois, and about half of
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebras
ka and Missouri. The mainland would
reach from central North Dakota to
Lake Superior and from the Canadian
border to the Mason-Dixon line. The
Alaska "pan handle” would reach
from lower Illinois through Kentucky,
Tennessee and Georgia to the coast
of Soutli Carolina, while t lie Aleut
ian islands chain would extend from
southeastern Kansas through Okln
homa, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona
and into California to a point about
midway between San Francisco anti
Los Angeles.
» POPULATION OF ALASKA
**********
When Alaska was ceded to theUnitet!
States in 1867 the population was esti
mated at 30.000 of which two-third
were E kimos and other natives. Th<:
white population in Alaska exceeded
40,000 ill 1915, tlie highest figure for
exotics. Some twenty-five thousand i
to thirty thousand men visit Alaski
annually seeking employment in fish
ing, mining and other industries. The 1
United States census reports from
18S0 to 1030 for Alaska are as fo! I
lows:
1880 33.420 !
1800 . 32.052
1000 . 63.602
**********
* Importance of Alaska Fisheries
The fisheries of Alaska produced
in 1930 fish and fish products and ;
shellfish totaling 358,435.705 pounds i
valued at $36,615,429. This output in
cluded canned salmon valued at $30,
084.228 and halibut valued at $1,402.
269. in addition to large amounts of
herring, cod, trout, and other vanities
of small fish. In addition 355 whales
were taken in Alaska waters, yield
ing products valued at $170,265.
Over ten thousand persons were
employed in the industry, in addition
to 8 steam vessels, 682 motor vessels i
and 5,253 small fishing boats.
1910
1920
1930
55.0-0
59,278
HISTORIC SITKA
Sitka was the first capital of Alas
ka. Historically it is one of the most
important places on the Pacific coast.
The Russian headquarters were estab
lished here in 180t, at which time it
became the capital of Russian Amer
ica. Here also the great domain of
Alaska was transferred from Russia
to the United States.
ALASKA TERRITORIAL SCHOOLS
Anchorage, Cordova. Douglas. Fair
banks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Nome Pet
ersburg, Seward, Skagway, Valdez
and Wrangell all have four-year high
schools. Grade schools are also main
tained in there towns and in a number
of other places.
Citizenship night schools are main
tained in six communities. One hun
dred eighty-six students are enrolled.
Studies are pursued in arithmetic,
grammar, reading, spelling, penman
ship, United States history apfl civics.
i
HOW THE WORLD LOOKS FROM FAIRBANKS, ALASKA.
**********
* LIFE IN ALASKA <
Whenever a fiction writer desires
to give his story about Alaska local
color he fills It with gunmen, bliz
zards, dogteams, dance halls and their
women, and throws in all the wild
anr wooly Imaginative touches lie
thinks necessary.
In all truth, life in Alaska Is simi-.
lar to life in any other part of the
United States, with the distinction
however, that the poor man has tai
more independence in the northern
territory can earn more money, as ;■
rule, and has beter chances for ad
vancament. The man with little cap
ital and initiative will find in Alask.'
good opportunities for investment
as will also the man with great cap
ital.
Alaska has eighteen incorporated
towns. For a few months the ground
is covered with snow, but tlie ther
mometer seldom goes below zero ir
the best populated portions of the ter
rltory. From being a land where n<
white people lived years sixty year?
ago it has become a country of homes
and children. Each town has church
es, none is without a public library
fraternal orders maintain good build
ings and clubrooms. Each town has at
least one baseball team and outdoot
tennis is played in most towns. Dane
tag. socials, theatricals and other in
door amusements provide diversion
during the winter seasons.
**********
* ALASKA'S NATIONAL PARKS *
Mount McKinley National Park in
■Mitral Alaska is the second largest
national park in the United States,
it was created in 1917, primarily to
protect immense herds of mountain
sheep and caribou. The park has an
area of 2.645 square miles and con
tains Ml. McKinley, highest mount
ain in North America and also the
highest in the world when measured
from its base, which is only 2,000 feet !
above sea level.
Alaska contains three national mon
uments, Katmai National Monument,
in which is situated Mt. Katmai, the
gigantic crater of which is known as
•‘The Valley of Ten Thousand
Smokes'; Sitka National Monument,
and Glacier Bay National Monument,
the latter being the largest national
monument in the United States.
SCHOOLS FOR THE
NATIVES OF ALASKA
Schools for the education of natives |
and their medical relief are maintain
ed at ninety-five different places. Car
pentry, cooking sewing and the rais
ing of vegetables are taught. Prac
tical work in sanitation, first aid and
methods for better living are empha
sized.
ALASKA COMMERCIAL BODIES
Anchorage, Cordova, Douglas, Fair
banks, Haines, Hyder, Juneau, Ketch
ikan. Nome, Petersburg, Sitka, Sew-;
ard, Skagway, Valdez and Wrangell
each have a Chamber of Commerce or
Commercial Club. J
Fairbanks Great Circle Map
Showing Proposed Location of Pacific
Yukon Highway
By Ernest Walker Sawyer, Department of the Interior.
A map showing how the world looks
from the standpoint of Fairbanks,
Alaska, has been published by the
Commissioners recently appointed by
the President to study the feasibility
of the proposed route from Seattle
to Fairbanks, Alaska. It shows a gen
eral location of this proposed arterial
highway which will connect Alaska
with the rest of the United States
and in doing so will open up over one
third of the province of British Col
umbia and will pass for hundreds of
miles thru the territory of the Yukon.
This map is considerably different
front tlie ordinary Mercator's Projec
tion. It is a Great Circle Projection,
having Fairbanks as the center. The
distances from Fairbanks to any
point on the map are correct to scale
and are measured along the great
circles. Wherever there is a small
circle such as at Tokio, Paris, or Los
Angeles, the distance is accurate. The
intersections of the parallels of lati
tude and longitude are also accurate
and those small circles and inter
sections were used as control points
to draw the coast line.
The directions are the leaving di
rections as taken along great circle
Irom Fairbanks to the cbntrol point.
It is remerkable how little distortion
occurs in the map as compared to the
Mercator’s projection. The arctic sec
tion especially has almost no distor
tion.
in fact it is only when you get 5,000
miles from Fairbanks that the dis
tortion is at all apparent. A Mer
cator’s projection is not accurate
either as to distance or direction. This
map, therefore, is considered super
ior to a Mercator’s projection.
You will find on the map the lo
cations of the stations which the
Geophysical Union are locating to
study the polar and magnetic re
gions in collaboration with the Car
negie Institute.
You will note how Tokio, London,
and New York are aM about the same
distance from Fairbanks. Also, Canton,
Rome, and St. Thomas. A straight line
from Seattle to Tokio goes through
the Aleutians and sailing directions
Irom San Francisco and Los Angeles
to Tokio pass only 750 miles south
of Seward. It shows very well that
Alaska is a long way from the pole
and it is interesting to note Lenin
grad is straight north of Fairbanks.
It brings out very well how Alaska
dominates the Pacific and will have
some influence in future navy and
army studies of the Pacific, which
will, perhaps', bring us an aviation
squadron in Fairbanks and Seward
and an improvement in aviation
fields there..
Did you know that Fairbanks and
Honolulu are approximately equi
distant from Manilla?
The ordinary route of U. S. Army
transports from San Francisco to
Manila is through Honolulu, a dist
ance of about 7.700 miles. They could
be routed via Seward in which case
the distance would be 7,300 miles, a
saving of 400 miles. Incidentally, they
could fill their bunkers with coal
hauled to the coast to the profit of
the Alaska Railroad.
A table is attached showing a few
exact distances as calculated by ex
perts of the General. Land Office.
Several hundred control points were
accurately calculated to produce this
map.
One very important thing is that
this shows the north half of the world
exectly as it looks to a citizen of Fair
banks. Geography should be studied
from the position of the observer, not
from a distorted viewpoint as is giv
en by Mercator's projection, which
ordinarily creates in a child's imag
ination an utterly preposterous idea
that the world is like a cylinder. Every
child should be taught geography
from a globe and he should be able
to visualize what the world is like
when viewed from Washington, Chi
cago, or Fairbanks. This map has
been shown to hundreds of scientists
and educators and universally they
express surprise that London is north
22 degrees east of Fairbanks and only
4,220 miles from Fairbanks.
Airplanes, ships, radio, and also the
air and water currents, disease, and
animal and bird migrations are along
lines laid down as the base of this
map. 1
The primary purpose of the map !
is to draw attention to Alaska and its
tremendous strategic position and
value.
TABLE OF DISTANCES AND INITIAL BEARINGS FROM FAIRBANKS,
ALASKA, ON GREAT CIRCLE LINES TO SEVERAL IMPORTANT CIT-'
IES.
Fairbanks, Alaska
London, England
Paris, France
Berlin, Germany
Petrograd, Russia
Tokio, Japan
New York, U. S. A.
Washington, D. C„ U.S.A
Los Angeles, U. S. A.
Honolulu, U. S. A.
Manila, P. I.
Latitude
64" 50' N
51° 31' N
50' N
30' N
57' N
39’ N
43'N
53'N
05' N
18' N
35'N
48°
52”
59”
35”
40
38
34°
21°
14°
Longitude
147° 40' N
0° 06' E
2° 20' W
13° 24' E
30° 18' E
139° 44' E
74° 00' W
77° 02’ W
118° 15' W
157* 61’ E
120° 59'B
Great Circlo
Distance in
Direction miles from
from Fairbanks. Fairbanks.
N 22°
N 21
N 12°
N 1°
N 87°
N 83‘
N 87‘
S 44°
S 13°
N 82°
26' E
29' E
57' E
14’ E
56' W
23’ E
11' E
27’ E
42'E
29'W
4,220
4,430
4.270
3,820
3.510
3,260
3.270
2,460
3.040
5,350
»*»*****••
* ALASKA INDUSTRIES *
***•****•*■
Limited space precludes other than
the mere mention of a number of im
portant Alaska industries. The value
of furs exported, exclusive of fur-seal,
has averaged over a million dollars
per year over a long period. The prin
cipal fur-bearing animals are ermine,
mink, marten, muskrat, fox, beaver,
bear, wolf and wolverene.
The reindeer of Alaska now number
approximately 800,000. Of this num
ber two-thirds are said to belong to
Alaska Indians and Eskimo and the
balance to whites. Reindeer are the
source of a large portion of the meat
supply of several thousand Eskimo in
the Seward Peninsu 1 a. Kotzebue
Sound and Kuskokwim River dist.
ricts. The Lomen Reindeer Corpora
tion, of Nome, are the principal ex
porters. In 1930 reinder meat total
ing 1,560,48!) pounds and valued at
1157,918 was shipped from the Terr
itory
Shipments of reindeer by-products,
■iuch as hides, meal and offal in 1930
possessed a value of $47,350.
Fur farming is a thriving industry,
particularly in southeastern Alaska,
Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, and
jn the islands bordering on the Alas
ka Peninsula. Blue fox, silver fox,
mink and marten are the fur-bearing
animals most propagated.
Sheep raising is also developing in
to an important industry on islands of
the Aleutian Peninsula. Wool sltip
Inents in 1930 amounted to 69,557
pounds, valued at $16,520.
Agriculture, as yet a minor Alaska
industry, is increasing rapidly and is
lestined to become one of great im
portance. There are immense tracts
jf land in the Matanuska and Tanana
River valleys which are of demon
strable agricultural value. In addit
ion there are numerous smaller tracts
along the coastal region and other
points in the interior which are suit
able for agricultural purposes. Esti
mates by the Department of Agricult
ure place the area of agricultural and
grazing land in Alaska at 61,000,000
acres, exclusive of the great tracts
which are suitable for reindeer. There
are far more agricultural lands in
Alaska than in the entire Scandinav
ian Peninsula, which suports a popu
lation of more than ten million per
sons. Approximately 2,500 acres of
larm land is under cultivation in the
Tanana Valley. Thye is a flour mill
it Fairbanks which converts many
:ons of Alaska grown wheat into flour
mutually. The principal products of
Alaska farms in addition to the small
grains, are small fruits, such as straw-1
terries, raspberries, currants and
gooseberries; potatoes, rutabagas, car
ets, celery; and numerous garden
vegetables.
The United States government
naintains five agricultural experiment
Rations in Alaska, each devoted to
he development of agricultural pred
icts which will thrive in the territory.
Reference Works On Alaska *
Those desiring further information
regarding Alaska, its history and
physical characteristics, will find ac
curate material in the following
works on the Territory:
HISTORY OF ALASKA, 1730-1885.
Volume 23 of the works of Hubert
Howe Bancroft. San Francisco: A. L.
Bancroft and Co., 1886.
Contains in considerable detail the
history of the Russian occupation of
Russian America.
ALASKA AND ITS RESOURCES. By
William H. Dali. Boston: Lee and
Shepard. 1S70. Early explorations in
Alaska.
ALL ALASKA REVIEW for 1929. By
Cordova Daily Times.
HANDBOOK OF ALASKA. By Maj.
Gen. A. W. Greely, U. S. A. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
A compendium of information regard
ing Alaska.
ALASKA, AN EMPIRE IN THE
MAKING. By John J. Underwood. New
York Dodd, Mead and Co., 1928.
An attractive book describing pres
ent day conditions in Alaska.
TRAVELS IN ALASKA. By John
Muir. Boston and New York: Hough
ton Mifflin Co., 1915.
Brilliant descriptions of the scen
ery, glaciers, and natives of south
eastern Alaska.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALASKAN LIT
ERATURE. 1724-1924. By James
Wickarsham. Miscellaneous Publicat
ion No. 1 of the Alaska Agricultural
College and School of Mines, Fair
banks, Alaska. 1927.
Contains the titles (more than 10.
900) of all histories, travels, voyages,
newspapers, periodicals, public doc
uments. etc., printed in English, Rus
sian, German. French. Spanish, etc.,
relating to, descriptive of. or pub
lished in Russian America, or Alaska
from 1724 to 1924.
FAR AND NEAR. By John Burroughs.
Boston and New York: Houghton
Mifllin Co.. 1904.
THROUGH THE GOLD FIELDS OF
ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS. By
H. De Windt. New York and London:
Harper and Bros., 1898.
ALASKALAND. By Mrs. Isabel Am
bler. New York: The Alice Harriman
Co., 1914.
ALASKA—THE LAST FRONTIER.
By W. H. Allen. Travel, Vol. 17,1911,
July. pp. 452-455,488-490.
ALASKA AND THE KLONDIKE. By
Angelo Hailprin. New York: D. Ap
pleton and Co,. 1899.
ALASKA THE GREAT COUNTRY.
By Ella Higginson. New York: The
McMillan Co.
TRAILING AND CAMPING IN ALAS
KA. By Addison Powell. New York:
A. Wessels, 1909.
ALONG ALASKA'S GREAT RIVER.
By F. Schwatka. New Yory: Caswell
and Co., 18S7.
AL5ASKA, ITS SOUTHERN COAST
AND THE SITKAN ARCHAPELAGO.
By E. R. Schidmore. Boston: D. Lo
hrop and Co., 1885
TEN THOUSAND MILES WITH A
DOG SLED. By Hudson Stuck. New
York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1914.
THE ASCENT OF DENALI (MOUNT
MCKINLEY). By Hudson Stuck. New
York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1914.
ALASKA. ITS NEGLECTED PAST,
ITS BRILLIANT FUTURE. Philadel
phia: The Sunshine Publishing Co.,
1897.
ALASKA, THE GREAT BEAR'S CUB.
UNCLE SAM'S ATTIC. 1930, Mary
Bee Davis.
W. A. Wilde Co., Boston.