Seward Seaport Record
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week.
Seward, Alaska
Member of The Associated Press. The Associated
Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republica
tion of all local news printed in this newspaper, as
well as the AP news dispatches. All. rights of publica
tion of special dispatches herein are also reserved.
John M. Coleman .Editor and Publisher
Mildred Kirkpatrick .-.Managing Editor
Subscription rates: Local Delivery $1.25 per mo. Mail $10 per year.
The
★ *
By Mildred Kirkpatrick
I always enjoy watching the
tourists passing the office on
passenger ship days. There were
not so many today, possibly be
cause of the rain. A few brav
ed the weather, however, to
stroll out Fourth Avenue and
see the sights.
They look upon us as some
sort of curiosity. Many of the
folks from Stateside wonder
what in the world would in
duce people to live in such a
place as this! We watched two
different people today, talking
to themselves as they walked
along. One was enjoying his
conversation very much, smil
ing and nodding—all alone.
The other was giving himself
a serious lecture that didn't
seem to set very well. He
scowled and frowned, shook
his head emphatically. I was
consumed with curiosity as to
his subject.
Last Friday, four tourists
passed the office just as a man
was filing a saw in a building
across the street. The visi urn
could not sec him from the
street. At the same time a
flock of a dozen seagulls soar
ed low. “Why,” one of the ladies
exclaimed, “I didn't know that
those birds made any 1rind of
noise as they fly.” Ah me! It I
ever acquire funds to become
a tourist I shall be afraid to
open my rnr dh. always remem
bering some of these who have
toured arou d me.
It is not at all hard ima
gine some o our friends, upon
returning 1o their hom?$*in the
midwest, as they describe Sew
ard
“A shack town,” they will
prUivaOi) Say Li:> iiiv 4«’
ly at their neat little horn s.
‘Tn a beautiful setting of muun
tains. But my dear! No grass!”
Or, after sampling our drink
ing water toemy and comparing
it with reports of the extra
ordinary amounts of alcohol
consumed in Alaska—“th y ne
ver drink water, it is terribly
muddy, folks in Seward drink
only beer and liquor.”
Tnere are many visitors who
are sincerely interested in A
laska and our way of life. As
proof, the many accounts which
are coming in from the Nation
al Editorial Association tour.
Those people took time to be
interested in Alaskans as people.
We want tourists, v/c need
tourists, and must expect all
kinds. Most of them will not
be insulted by a little fun at
their expense when they have
so much of it at ours.
EAKE"* MUSTC SHOP
and STUDIO
—Exclusively Music—
Certified Teacher
425 FOURTH AVENUE
Telephone Ulack C5
The Inlet Inn
in Homer
NEW AND MODERN
ACCOMMODATIONS
Carl F. Gulley, Owner
P.O. Box 8 Homer, Alaska
The Story of
SEWARD
By Jay Siauier
XIV (Continued)
SEWARD AS A DOG TEAM
TRANSPORTATION CENTER
Nevertheless, a very considerable
number of dog teams operated in
and out of Seward at one time,
many on a regular schedule. Per
haps the first regular dog team
schedule was maintained by Anton
Eide. who in September, 1902 (even
before the actual founding of the
tovn>. obtained a government con
tract to haul the mail between
Resurrection Bay and the thriving
mining camps at Hope and Sunrise.
Mr. Eide built one of the first cab
ins in Seward, located, as were
many others, in the vicinity of the
present First Avenue and the
beach. Three steamers brought in
mail and small quantises of sup
plies: the Bertha, the Santa Ana,
and t e Newport, this latter steam
er onerating on a ’-eo,u1^r onee-a
month bas's. Since there were only
a few res!ding in Seward prior to
August. 1903, it may be assumed
g’cate i r nil m
fre'g! t brought in was carried by
dog te o to re nes • f the Upper
Kenai Peninsula and Turnae.in
A- n.
;■ iv l>1 ? *
show how long Anton F ’ • n
tinued his regular run out o ?w -
ard. But we do know, from old pic
i no. . .e • •--.inis "tees
c,e ' ( r- ' at tit d- • "> • m : ‘
h:.\w on a ver\ familiar sight on
• pm of S’ward during
each winter. We know, too, that
sledding both horse and dog, was
one of the Alaska Transfer’s main
operations. It is recorded that when
the Company was purchased by H.
V. Hoben and A. L. Davis from the
prior owners, Charles Christensen
and Joe Laubner, about 1909, the
inventory included twenty sleds of
various descriptions.
We know, furthermore, that
Brown and Hawkins, the pioneer
mercantile firm, made a specialty
of preapring ^shipments for dog
team delivery/ Each package had
to be within certain definite limits
as to weight and measurement.
Eggs had to be wrapped individu
ally in tissue, then re-packed in a
crate, which was enclosed in a
canvas case to prevent freezing.
Of even more interest were the
shipments arriving in Seward by
dog-team from the Interior. For
: any years, the American Express
Company routed gold shipments to
Seward via dog-team, thence to
Seattle bv steamer. This was es
pecially true of gold from the re
fr'-'n rf Flat and Iditarod. The custo
mary route was through Rainy
Pass, along Knik and Turnagain
Arms, then down the peninsula to
Sevvard, following roughly the
route of the highway just being
completed.
Remaps the most valuable cargo
ever shipped by dog-team in the
history of Alaska arrived in Seward
by this route in 1912. The winter
had been exceptionally mild in
Iditarod, and sluicing continued
long after river navigation was
iced out. Of these late slu’eings..
eonroximntely one ton of gold dust
and bullion, worth $$1,100,000. was
laden on dog sleds, and mushed to
Resurrection Bay. Among Smva d's
old-timers are several ohotog-aohs
id these teams, one of which was
taken in front of Graef’s Hardware
Store, located just a few feet north
of the present Seward Bakery. This
pe to shows a total of four sleds,
each pv.Hc:! by seven <g . T
said by John J. Underwood in
“Alaska, an Emp’re in the Making."
that one of these sleds had a very
escape t K;vk A
i 1 over a cliff, an
r*e- lv rolled into the •••'a. How
over. sled, dogs, d tve> and cargo
11 un . 1 ut n e 5 '
to e >rtmue their I s: r .. -ri
ir
h laments
sma’ler s
of gold reached Seward by dog
team, prior to the operation of the
Government Railroad in 1923. It-is
interesting to note, too, that gold
shipments continued to pass thru
Seward by rail, long after the dog
team had ceased to be an ordinary
means of transportation. In fact,
the Seward office of the American
Express Company states that the
shipments ceased only after one of
the maritime strikes in recent years
had held up a consignment in Sew
ard. Armed guards had to be kept
night and day for several months,
and the heavy insurance on the
gold amounted to so great a sum
lost, that air transportation
thereafter used exclusively for {
from the Interior.
Thus we learn that dog-t<
transportation in Seward be
even before the settlement of
townsite, and continued up till
time of the completion of the S
ard-Fairbanks railroad. During
bleak and discouraging days
lowing the suspension of railr
construction by the Alaska No
ern. the sturdy Alaska sled
had helped to keep the strugg
little city together.
(Next Chapter: Seward’s E
Schools and Teachers.)
Have You Tried —
MEMO COFFEE?
— At Your Grocer's
'^kCoASTUJISt Line
OFFERING FREQUENT FREIGHT SERVICE BETWEEN
CALIFORNIA—OREGON—WASHINGTON—ALASKA
SS JOHN W. BURGESS
Lv. Seattle ..
Arr. Seward .
SS CHARLES CROCKER
Lv. Portland . .
Lv. Seattle .
Arr. Seward .
August 12
August 17
August 13
August 19
August 24
SS SEAFATR
Lv. Lor.g Beach ..
Lv. San Francisco
Lv. Portland
T v Crr4tle
Arr. Seward .
August 18
August 20
August 25
-August 30
.Sept. 4
ANCHORAGE
223 Co.:lra! .
P.0 Box 562
8,11 ' J4n
I G-o'; ra Mutton
i
FAIRBANKS
M. J. (Bill) Wilcox
Hist. Freigh4 Agi.
*--on Eny. Elig.
SEWARD
AFP Freight Depot
Main 164
Captain T. Bie
Operating Mgr.
Transportation
\} C Oti' tl< < t’ S'ffifil'lll
*■ npssr rssTsaL"*:.
SS. Aleutian
SS. Denali
MS. Coastal Monarch
SS. Diamond Cement
MS. lucidor
MS. Palisana
SS. John H. Quick
MS. Sailor's Splice
MS. Square Sinnet
SS. Victoria
i
ALASKA
1 Today 20 ships of The Alaska Line fleet
ore delivering everything from baby buggies
to bulldozers ... to 92 ports in the Territory.1 r
It takes a fleet this size to provide adequate
service to meet the expanding needs of
ALL Alaska. The ability to meet these growing
requirements is the key to Alaskan progress, f
STEAMSHIP COMPANY