FORT ST. I ICUlCL ALaSKa,
By Private 1 vlars ^ooth, Co. "S" 7th. Inf.
(The third of a series of articles on other Alaskan Posts)
Fort Bt. Michael is situated on an island near the mouth;. of
the Yukon River 2500 miles from Seattle. It is reached by steamer
via the historical Unimak Pass in the Aleutian Islands and the trip
is very interesting. Several whaling stations is passed enroute
and almost any time whales can be seen in.the Bering Sea.
Every soldier who served at Fort St. Michael will look back witt.
pleasure to the months spent at this picturesque Army post of our
last frontier. Of hardships there were many, but of the kind that
men enjoy. A man who serves an enlistment in this frozen north
throws himself into its spirit, with, the best hunting and. winter
sports to be found Anywhere in the world, is sure to enjoy himself.
Fort St. Michael was occupied in 1919 by ”H;! Company, 21st. Inf.
Very little drilling was done at that time, usually about half an hour,
every morning in the gymnasium. The gymnasium was well furnished,
and here many of the soldiers, spent their spare time in various in
door sports.
irozen ice
water was obtained frot
bothered with frozen water pipe lines,
stoves so that the bulk of the fatigue was
He at
arrying huge sacks of
c ju. uc a ,
was furnisned by coal
coal into the barracks and taking out ashes from the stoves.
Fort St. Kichael has very little snow fall, compare! with the
Interior and southeastern Alaska, usually four to six feet. The
winters are bitterly cold - forty tc sixty degrees below zero.
Solid ice stretches cut o*rer Bering Sea. as far as the eye can
see for several months during the winter and frequent blizzards are
experienced. Ice blocks float in and freeze together and this is
kept up until Bering Sea is frozen over for niles, the ice being of.
a wavy formation caused by the action of the wind. Seals and walrus
are found in great numbers.
as
The
day.
n1 ant s are
<a,x ^ vo ry be a.-i. ux x u.i. — x. .1 oiic » uiuiixo x u x .uc uox-i^ as — j-^
In winter the northern Lights are always flashing .over the
,iful - in
* t he
the summer time be in
li ant
skies, with myriads of colors. A Southlunder never can know what he
has missed until he has seen this wonderful phenomenon of the far
north. • St. kichael is the. transfer point for freight from the ocean
liners to the river steamers. This was one of the routes taken by
thousands to reach the Klondike during the gold rush days. There
will be found no less than a million dollars worth of river boats
rotting on the beaches near the mouth of the great Yukon River, ha.vi .
been abandoned due to lack of business to justify the operation of t.
steamers after the gold rush was over.
CAN YOU IMAGINE?
Sergeant Stevenson without a cigar? Cook Jelineck without a
corncob pipe? Private Pulton without a chew? "Baldy" with hair?
The Q.M. C. giving you what you want? "Caesar” Hoyt doing doing
the manual of arms? Sergeant Behrens not talking? Largulis doing
anything right? Bond not taking his letters to the Post Office?
A sick man getting a square meal at the Hospital? Forget being six
feet tall? Hot having French toast for breakfast? The U.S. H. B.
"Fornance’1 without Lum^y? How would you feel if the 18th Amendment
wasn’t? --
BIG MOOSE .DANCE SATURDAY NIGHT, LARCH 7TH. , AT A. B. HALL*
The .LOOSE will give a dance at the A,3*Hall in Haines, Saturday
night, Larch 7th. Everybody is most cordially invited.
The U. S. B. ”Fornance " will make the trip to Skagway to bring the
crowd and will make a second trip after the dance.
A light lunch will be served.
Admission $1.00 - Ladies Free. Admission $1.00 - Ladies Free.