K*uuu *lf044/1. Vniueblity
(Concluded from Last Week)
In the fall of 1925 Otto Geisl
came out of the Wild Lake -coun
try and returned to Fairbanks
Although he hadn’t made a stake
at mining, he decided that this
_ country had the
was looking for,
That winter
he took two
mining short
courses at the
College and au
dited a course
in geology.
Geist and Dr.
Bunnell got ac
quainted and
talked archeol
Oito Geist °Sy
Otto’s Alaskan
career was sparked by a small
collection of Eskimo artifacts
which the College had obtained
from the late Alaskan historian,
Clarence L. Andrews. President
Bunnell, in showing this collec
tion to Geist, remarked: “It would
be nice if we had a museum and
someone to do the work.”
That was seed enough for Otto.
In the summer and fall of 1926 he
made a complete reconnaissance
of the Bering Sea Coast—St.
Michael, the Cape Nome country,
Wales, Big and Little Diomede,
King Island, St. Lawrence, the
Pribilofs, Unalaska, villages along
the Alaska Peninsula and parts
of Kodiak Island. He visited
many locations of midden sites,
and villages of former ages. He
bought many native artifacts, and
became convinced that the Eskimo
coast held unlimited opportunity
for study.
The Motorship Boxer, on which
Geist was traveling, deposited
him and his collection in Ketchi
Kan. Otto spent the winter with
his brother. In the spring, Dr.
Bunnell came through Ketchikan
en route to the College, and saw
the artifacts Geist had gathered.
“We should have these for the
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i University," Dr. Bunnell ex
! claimed. “Some of them are un
like any I have seen before.”
The upshot of this conversation
was that the College had the be
ginnings of a museum, and Dr.
Bunnell put up $1,000 of his own
money to finance the “Bunnell
Geist Bering Sea Expeditions of
1927-28-29.”
Geist returned on the Boxer
and became virtually a resident of
St. Lawrence Island.
By the fall of 1929 Dr. Bunnell
was successful in obtaining funds
for continued research in Eskimo
ology. Otto took a year out to do
J more studying in his chosen field,
i then in 1931 returned to St. Law
i rence Island and the greatest dis
I covery of his career.
| This “find” was the ancient vil
lage of Kukulik — the biggest
mound in Alaska at that time.
This mound turned up more orig
inal material on Eskimo life and
culture than any previous dis
; covery anywhere.
| During the mid-thirties $30,000
from the PWA put the St. Law
rence Island expedition on its fi
; nancial feet. Eight University of
I Alaska students assisted Otto as
j supervisors, and 56 natives were
. engaged as diggers and collectors.
I Among the University students
l were Ivar Skarland and Mary
! Mikami, both of whom received
their Doctor’s Degrees in the sub
ject.
The results of this expedition
are described in “Archaeological
Excavations at Kukulik” by Otto
William Geist and Froelich G.
Rainey. This book may be pur
chased from the University of
Alaska bookstore and from the
Superintendent of Documents,
Washington, D. C.
Pearl Harbor Day found Otto
Geist en route to New York City
to spend the winter working in
the American Museum of Natural
History. Not many days later saw
Mr. G-eist en route back to the
Territory to work for the Army
Engineers.
All Bering Sea residents will
remember Major Otto Geist, who
was quartermaster of the Alaska
Territorial Guard during the lat
ter days of World War II. Major
Geist knew how to work with Es
kimos. During his Excavation
days he had been “adopted” by
the Eskimos of St. Lawrence Is
land, and given the name of
“Whale.” This symbol is tattooed
on his left arm.
After the war, Geist returned to
the University of Alaska, and his
life has revolved around the dis
covery and classification of
“bones.” He is considered THE
collector of fossils in the Terri
tory. Although he works alone
most of the time, and seemingly
in a small orbit, he is known and
respected wherever scientists
meet throughout the world. He
is a member of more than a dozen
organizations dedicated to the
advancement of human knowl
edge.
“The work of classification is
slow and painstaking,” Otto ex
plained. “But out of the careful,
meticulous work of many scien
tists comes a greater knowledge
of life in Alaska during the earli
est times.”
At 62 years of age, Geist is a
zealot in the field of archaeology.
As he goes about his work, in the
midst of his bone pile in the east
wing of the Main Building, he has
little time for extra-curricular ac
tivities. After 27 years in the Ter
ritory, most of which time has
been devoted to archaeology and
paleontology, Geist says, “There
is so much to learn, and time flies
by so swiftly.”
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WASILLA
PERSONALS
Many friends of the couple were
guests at the wedding of Mar
garet Turner and Orlanda Byers
in the new Wasilla Community
Church on Friday, January 19
* * *
The Wasilla School was closed j
several days this week because of '
blocked roads.
* * *
Mrs. E. B. Hjellan and family
spent last week end in Anchorage.
They were delayed in getting
home because of the postpone
ment of the Monday train.
Mrs. Thurman Betts spent last
week end in Anchorage helping :
the Jim Bryants move into their '
house. Mr. Betts joined her i
Sunday.
Vaughan Wilson was home from
Whittier on business Friday. He
returned to work on Sunday
* * *
New VA Dividend to Be Paid
The Veterans Administration’s
plan to start payment of a second
GI insurance dividend this Jan
uary has been delayed by the
heavy volume of checks to ty.
mailed and the fact that payments
are still being made on the 1948
dividend, Commander Lee Nelson
of Wasilla V.F.W. Post 9365, said
today.
Covering 1948 through 1950, the
plan called for National Service
Life Insurance dividend checks
to be sent first to veterans who
took out their policies in January
of any year, with February poli
cies honored in February, March
in March, etc.
“If the anniversary date of a
expect his check in April or Mav
because in most cases there will
be a three or four month delay,”
Commander Lee Nelson pointed
out.
“About six to eight million vet
erans will get payments which
will be substantially lower than
the first dividend checks. *
“In cases where dividends are
due veterans who no longer have
policy is January the veteran can
policies in force, the VA v.ill con
tact the veterans’ district offices
for the most current address ”
He pointed out that after the
1950 dividend has been paid, pol
fcyholders will get an annual di
vidend so long as a yearly sur
plus is declared. Veterans do not
make applications for the 1950
dividend it was explained. r
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