Historial Sketches and Experi
ences of Trail-Blazers Who Made
Alaska the Empire of the North
PIONEERS OF ALASKA
EDITED BY
JOHN W. FRAME
President Anchorage Igloo No.
i
US OF 189
ALL SORTS OF PERSONS WITt
ALL SORTS OF OUTFITS WERE
LURED TO THE NORTH.
MANY OUTFITS WORTHLESS
Death Took Heavy Toll of Grea
Crowd of Stampeders and Man:
Never Reached Destination fo
Which They Set Out.
Among; the pioneers who came t<
Valdez during the gold rush of 180!
were people from all corners of th<
earth with every conceivable kind o
outfit. They came in every imagin
able craft from a steamship to a ky
ak, and brought with them every con
ceivable device that the human mini
could conceive of to be used in min
ing for gold. In most cases inspira
tion for their use must have com
from Satan as they were a hindranc
instead of a help.
It was a great sight to see th
1 > cheechaeos land in the mud on Yal
dez’ inhospitable shore, and the ap
peararee of a steamship in the nar
rows was the signal for the old-tim
ers and sourdoughs to gather on th
waterfront and watch the stranger
come a.-'bore with their outfits. On
man brought baskets to “pick up th
nuggets in,” and finally used them t
cache fish for his dogs. Anothe
brought a combination baby cradl
and a manger to use in “rocking” th
auriferous metal from the graved;
deposits along the streams. It wa
afterward sold for firewood and wen
up in smoke cooking a pot of Alas
ka's staple, pork and beans.
Quantity of Moldy Goods.
The merchants of Seattle and Sai
Francisco unloaded a great quantit;
of useless supplies and moldy good
on the green stampeders, which wa
shipped to Valdez at exorbitant rate
and either thrown away or unloade
on some newcomer more green tha
the original buyer. The vessels run
ning north from Seattle and Frisc
were crowded to capacity with me
and women who had never smelle
salt water and who became deathl
sick as soon as they left port. The;
were packed like sardines in filth
holds and suffered every conceivabl
hardship to reach the mythical Eldo
rado.
The people were mad. The mos
extravagant stories were retailed o
the streets of Seattle and other coas
cities. Reports of the wonderful rich
ness of th° Klondike, the Copper rive
and Alaska in general were in ever
mouth, and were exaggerated to a
unbelievable point. This meant foi
tunes for the transportation compa
nies, merchants and outfitters, air
they reaped golden harvests. Expedi
tions were organized all over th
country, businesses given up, home
JL mortgaged, families broken up or de
sorted by husband or father, in orde
to gather the golden crops reputed t
4
‘ Will Never Be Known.
The misery caused by the rush o
’98 will never be known, as there i
no way to estimate it, but thousand
of men perished here from cold, dis
ease, privation and in the swif
streams, whose families for years ex
pected them to return laden wit!
riches.
In San Francisco there was th
greatest rush since the days of Forty
nine. Crafty merchants resurrects
old goods, put on new labels, and soli
them to the pilgrim en route for th
Golden North, sure they would neve
he brought to book by their victims
hundreds of whom never returned. I
was difficult to find an honest firm i
that city, and experienced stampeder
were forced to stand over the clerk
to see that they got what they pah
for, and even then inferior article
prepared in advance and labeled lita
the genuine article were worked off 01
(Continued on page 9)
NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED EAST
MEETING.
The following new members were
admitted to igloo No. 15, Pioneers of
Alaska, at the session on Friday eve
ning last:
FRED. F. I LESLEY
Was born in Harrison, Maine, on
■ the 15th day of May, 1871. He came
to Alaska in May, 1898, arriving in
Skagway early in the spring. He
came to Anchorage in October, 1915,
• and has been in this locality ever
since. Mr. Illsley is a miner by oc
- cupation and has been in most of the
camps of this northern country. His
relatives reside in Seattle, Washing
ton.
—
DANIEL DANIELS.
Mr. Daniels was born m Germany,
but came to the United States when
a mere lad. He was born in the year
1854 and came to Alaska in 1898, ar
riving in St. Michaels in June. He
came to Anchorage in April, HUT and
^ has been engaged wtih the Alaskan
Engineering commission most of the
time since. Mr. Daniels is a cook by
occupation and has been in many of
the camps of Alaska as chef.
FRANK MURPHY
Was born in Fremont, Minnesota, in
the year 1865. Way back at the time
of the Klondike rush he got the Alas
ka fever and in the spring of ’98 lie
woke up in Wrangell. When Anchor
3 age was a-bornin’ he came up to Cook
Inlet, arriving here in March, 1915.
Mr. Murphy is a cook by occupation
5 and is widely known in many of the
1 camps of the territory as a top notch
3 man in his line.
LOUIS LEONARD.
3 Is from Sunny Italy. He was born
L in Verona, January 3, 1862. He first
came to Alaska in 1900, landing in
Juneau in the early spring. He is a
machinist by trade and has been en
l gaged here since corning to the town.
: Mr. Leonard has been in Nome, Fair
s banks, Iditarod, and most of the other
s camps in Alaska. His relatives live
s at Verona, Italy.
1 -
i GEORGE M. FRASER.
George comes from good old Vir
') ginia stock, having been born at
i Richmond on March 15, 1882. He too
1 got the Klondike fever in ’98 and
r came to the “cold barren region of
,• Alaska” that year. He first came to
this section in 1913 and at the pres
s ent time is engaged in railroading and
- mining. He has relatives residing at
Xortonville, Virginia.
t -
i ERNEST H. RICHTER
t Was born in Germany in the year
- 1879,. He came to Alaska when a
r mere lad and was one of the Sunrise
i stampeders in 1896. In April, 1915,
i he came to Anchorage and built the
- Richter hotel, which he is still run
- ning. In connection wtih this popular
1 house are first-class bath rooms.
- DUNCAN McCORMlCK
Is a native of Michigan, having been
- born in Port Huron March 10, 1862.
!- He came to Alaska in 1000, first stop
j ping at Juneau where he was occupied
in mining. He came to Anchorage in
1015 and has worked at the carpenter
f trade. Mr. McCormick was elected a
3 member of the igloo last fall but has
5 never been in attendance at any ses
- sion of the igloo since to receive the
t initiation. He has been all over Alas
- ka and is widely known in all the old
i camps.
: RAILWAY SALARIES
I ARE KEPT DOWN
SECRETARY McADOO WILL NOT
, INCREASE PAY OF OFFICIALS
t OR CREATE NEW JOBS.
i -
si WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 27.—
3 Secretary of the Treasury William G.
1 McAdoo, as director general of na
3 tional railways, has issued an order
? I prohibiting the raising of the salaries
i of higher railroad officials and the
creation of new official positions.
DOINGS OF IGLOO NO. 15
I
I
There is a big; revival in Igloo No.
15, Pioneers of Alaska. At the meet
ing last Friday evening seven new
members were initiated. Aside from
this one member was admitted by
card and another was made a life
member.
President Lynch was present and
presided over the initiation ceremo
nies. Vice-President Robinson and
Historian McNiece were the only of
ficers absent. The following members
were initiated: Frank Murphy, Fred
Illsley, Ernest Richter, George Fra
ser, Louis Leonard, Daniel Daniels,
and Duncan McCormick. Dennis Burns
formerly a member of Valdez igloo,
was admitted as a member of No. 15.
Edward Wilson, of Unga, made appli
cation for life membership, and upon
his filing the necessary written obli
gation, in lieu of the regular initia
tion, he will become a life member,
his election having been favorable. Af
ter the initiation of the applicants
there was a fifteen-minute recess, dur
ing which t me a welcome was extend
ed to the new members, and a genual
smoke was taken by the old boys.
Brother Orr reported that Brother
George Vause was sick in the hospital
with an attack of pneumonia. Broth
er Lothrop was also reported just out
of the hospital after a short sickness.
Brother Podboy, who has been in the
hospital for a minor operation, was
reported able to be out again. The
sick committee was instructed to look
after the wants of the ailing mem
bers.
A communication pertaining to the
Public Sentiment concerning the war
was received by the secretary from
the chairman of the committee on
Public Information at Juneau. A vote 1
i
of acceptance and approval of the
subject matter of the communication
was taken and the secretary instruct
ed to inform the committee at Juneau i
of the action of the igloo. The com
munication appears elsewhere on this!
page.
Capt. Dwyer of the exemption;
board, U. S. A., explained to the igloo :
concerning the enrollment and draft j
of the men from Anchorage to the1
war, in a manner highly interesting'
to the igloo.
The igloo then adjourned in due
form.
CHANCELLOR GEORGE VON
HERTLIXG DECLARES WIL
SON’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE.
WORLD CO CRT Ml ST BE FAIR
Teuton Official Intimates That Ber
lin Government Is Willing to Entei
Into Separate Negotiations With
Belgium.
LONDON, Feb. 26. — Germany
through Chancellor George von Hert
ling, has declared that a general
peace can be discussed on the basis ol
the principles laid down by President
Wilson.
The chancellor’s statement is tc
the effect that all peoples must be
recognized and that the world court
of arbitration must not be a tribuna
prejudiced against Germany, which
in such circumstances would decline tc
be judged by it.
The chancellor has intimated tc
Belgium that Germany would like tc
entei- into separate *peace negotiation.
with her.
MANY ACCUSED OF
BUSINESS
THIRTY-EIGHT MANUFACTUR
ING FIRMS CHARGED WITH
ILLEGAL PRACTICES.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26. — Thirty
eight manufacturing firms were
charged in complaints filed today by
the federal trade commission with
unfair trade practices.
Investigation by federal agents is
said to have revealed unhealthy busi
ness conditions of a very serious na
ture.
This is the largest number of com
plaints ever filed at one time by the
1 trade commission.
WILLARD SAYS HE
WILL BOX FULTON
ASPIRANT FOR HEAVYWEIGHT
TITLE KNOCKS OUT MORAN
IN THREE ROUNDS.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 2".—
Jess Willard, champion heavyweight
pugilist of the world, who is visiting
here, said today that he was ready to
meet Fred Fulton in the ring if Fulton
would make reasonable terms.
Fulton the other night at New Or
leans, La., knocked out Frank Moran
in the third round.
I
NEW DISH, SERVED BY EDUCA-!
TOR TO HIS FRIENDS,
TASTES LIKE TURKEY.
SEATTLE, Wash., Feb. 27.—Cougar!
steak, the latest proposed substitution j
t'or meat from the frames of domes-1
ticated animals, tastes like turkey, ac- j
cording to C. J. Albrecht, museum as
sistant at the University of Washing
ton. Mr. Albrecht recently purchased
a 220-pound cougar carcass from a
Seattle taxidermist for anatomical
studies. The meat of the cougar Al
bretch cut up and served to his friends
as steak.
NHL'
SEND US YOUR MAIL ORDERS jjjj] ® §
m
H
cMftDfflfe 9$
F CAVjlinERS-GcNERAL MERCHANDISE
Quality First”
ANCHORAGE SEWARD
The Store that has Reduced the Cost of Living
||g Wo Advance in Prices Anticipated
C.CD
MARKET CONDITIONS
GO
On Shoes and Rubber Footwear
REMAIN UNCHANGED
HAVING PLACED OUR ORDERS FOR SPRING AND SUMMER
FOOTWEAR AT THE PRESENT PRICES WE WILL AGAIN BE
ABLE TO GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS THE BENEFIT THEREOF BY
SELLING THE GOODS AT THE FORMER PRICES.
Do Not Forget
OUR NEW PLAN OF MERCHANDISING ALLOWS YOU 10 PER
CENT OF ON ALL SHOES, CLOTHING, FURNISHING GOODS
AND HARDWARE IMMEDIATELY UPON MAKING YOUR PUR
CHASE.
A Charge Account
ENABLES YOU TO GET 10 PER CENT OFF ON YOUR
co
Smallest Purchase
THIS STORE CLOSES AT 6 P. M.
THE WEAPON OF PUBLIC SENTI
MENT.
The following communication has
been received by igloo No. 15, from
the chairman of the Public Informa
tion committee at Juneau:
Pioneer Lodge, Anchorage Alaska,
M. H. Lynch, President.
Gentlemen—One of the mightiest
weapons ever at hand for use in the
winning of the present war is Public
Sentiment. One of the primary pur
poses of the committee on Public In
formation is to make effective use of
this weapon, and probably the great
est object of the division of four-min
ute men is to set this to work and see
that it is used effectively, righteously,
and practically for our country’s
cause.
The plan in creating the four-min
ute men was primarily to reach the
millions of our fellow citizens who
daily attend the moving picture shows
and the theatres. However, in Alas
ka, you no doubt know, that the mov
ing picture shows are few except in
the larger communities, and there are
many people who attend them, if at
all, but on infrequent occasions; but
there are few men in Alaska who are
not affiliated with some one of the
many fraternal organizations.
Under the authority of the director
of the division of four-minute men, I
therefore appeal to you, as weil as to
all other fraternal organizations
throughout the territory, that you
lend your assistance in extending pub
licity of vital important information
to your members in the manner fol
lowing:
I request that you designate some
member, preferably a chair officer, as
he will be in attendance at every
meeting, as a Four-Minute orator,
and that at such session, under that
order of business most convenient to
you he deliver a four-minute talk on
the official subject designated for the
Four-Minute Men's organization dur
ing that week. Or, if you would pre
fer not to name an orator, that you
LIVES III RACE
WOMEN ANI) CHILDREN ARE
CRUS H E D AND TRAMPLED
WHEN STANDS COLLAPSE.
FIRE STARTS IN WRECKAGE.
I Large Number Are Burned to Death,
Victims of Disatser Being Chinese,
and Women and Children as Well as
Men.
LONDON, Feb. 27.—The public
stands for Chinese at the Hong Kong
Jockey club races collapsed Tuesday.
One hundred Chinese women and
children were trampled and crushed
, to death and several hundred others—
Chinese men, women and children—
i
were burned to death in the fire that
started in the wreckage.
have your secretary or recorder read
to your igloo at each session one of
the example four-minute talks set
forth in the official bulletins which
will be furnished by me.
1 sincerely trust that you will call
the matter to the attention of your
igloo at its next session. Enclosed
herewith is an addressed envelope
which may be used for your reply and
upon its receipt, provided your action
is favorable, which I have no doubt it
will be, I shall place you on my mail
ing list and shall have your organiza
tion enrolled as a Four-Minute Man
Fraternal Organization, and will for
ward you regularly the official bul
letins as they are issued by the Direc
tor of the Division of Four-Minute
Men.
Yours sincerely,
A. E. ROBERTSON.
Territorial Chairman for Alaska.
xu'-**3na -"«aa