THE NENANA DAIL Y HEWS
Application made April 1, 1918, at the postoffice at Nenana, Alaska,
for en-ry as second class mail matter, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
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Juneau, June 17, 1921
Editor News:
I received a few days ago the
marked copy of your issue of May 3
containing Mr. Herman Anderson's
very interesting communication and
your editorial comment thereon. 1
shall not attempt to reply to Mr.
Anderson's letter in detail, but will
limit myself to a general statement
of our present plans and some gen
eral observations resulting from our
study of the Kant'.shna District to
date.
I shall be glad to have you publish
this letter as in no other way car.
the information be so widely dis
seminated to the people vitally in
terested. I am inclosing two copies
of the latest available road map
prepared last spring at a time when
the available information indicated
the Riley Creek Route as the proper
one for a road from the Govern
ment Railroad into Mt. McKinley
National Park and the Kantishna
Mining District. We are still busy
with location surveys and will issue
a new map after the problem has
been definitely solved.
Mr. Anderson's discussion is very
thorough, but is, of course, based
upon the assumption that Nenana is
to be the main and only point of any
size upon the Government Railroad
north of Broad Pass. We are forced,
however, to look far into the future
and consider first, the Territory as
a whole; second, the railroad area
as a whole; and third, the Kantish
r.a District as a whole. By looking at
the map inclosed herewith and con
sidering the railroad area as a whole
you vvill note that we have roads or
trails constructed or contemplated,
tying into the railroad at Seward,
at Mile 29. at Girdwood, at An
chorage, at Matanuska Junction, a:
Wasilla, at Nancy, at Talkeeina. at
Jack River, at some point between
Healy and Nenana, at Chatamka, at
Gilmore, at Fox, at Fairbanks and
at Dunbar.
Any one or all of these places
may become important distributing
centers in the future, depending up
on the development of the hinter
land. Our present plans are based
on the development of the next ten
years ard no man can now tell
which of these may be the big center
at that time.
Coming down to the Kantirhna
Nenana situation, if the Kantishna
should develop into a big lode dis
trict, it would support a large and
prosperous distributing center at
any point on the railroad directly
accessible to it. The fifty two million
dollars invested in a government
railroad was based, not upon the
operation of one or two trains a
month with three or four prosper
ous towns along the 475 miles of
its length, hut was based upon a
general development of the interior
of Alaska and the eventual growth
of a thriving series of communities
all along the railroad.
So far as technical considerations
are concerned, cost of various routes
available traffic of various routes,
et cetera, Mr. Anderson's statements
are merely assumptions and of little
value. They are based, of course,
upon the same kind of rumors and
hearsays which we have had to wade
through and sort out during the past
year. As will appear below, we have
accurate information compiled from
actual surveys and reconnaissances
covering the year’s operations, by a
number of individuals specially
trained for such work. This Board
has now made over a thousand miles
of reconnaissances and surveys in
the area between the railroad and
Eureka Creek. The President of the
Board was in there last summer, the
Engineer Officer of the Board was
in there last winter, our Superin
tendent has been in there repeatedly
both winter and summer, and the
surveyor general of the Territory
was in there last summer. As a re
sult, our present plans and allot
ments contemplate improvement of
the summer road from Eureka Creek
to the Kantishna River at Roosevelt,
and the maintenance of the N'enana
Knights Roadhouse winter trail un
til such time as the final route
described below may be ready for
traffic. Our Superintendent has just
finished some thirty-five miles of
surveys and will return about the
first of August, accompanied by the
Engineer Officer of the Board, to
make additional surveys. The people
of Nenana may rest assured that
whatever solution is finally found
will be based upon accurate informa
tion. both technical and commercial,
and will be made from the stand
point only, of the best interests of
the district as a whole.
In order to present a number of
considerations which do not appear
in Mr. Anderson’s communication I
! am going to run the risk of boring
your readers with this rather long
• letter.
i
Analysis of
District
Referring to Bulletin 687. Plate
11. U. S. Geological Reconnaissance
Map of h'enana-Kantishna Region,
the placer and lode korkings and
j jirospects of this region occur -withir
'the area bounded by a line through
'Crooked Creek and the Bearpaw Riv
' er to the north and Toklat, Clear
water and Moose Creek to the south.
It is within this area that the future
| lode development is to be expected.
' It is this area that must be con
; sidered as a unit in planning trans
; portation relief. So extensive de
veloped workings now exist ever.
; within this area. The future might
jhnd lode workings extensively de
’ veloped upon ground not even pros
pected at present. But it is believed
that the important operation will
(be within the area described,
i Placer prospects and workings are
widely scattered in this area. The
most important lode working was the
I "High Grading” done by Aitken on
Friday Creek. About fourteen hun
: dred tons of ore were taken out
j and hauled by wdnter freighting to
> Roosevelt on the Kantishna River.
This work has now stopped. Two
| other operators are taking out ore
for shipment, upon claims nearby.
A hydraulic plant is being installed
'on Caribou Creek by the Mt. Mc
Kinley Gold Placers Company. The
same company has established a
saw mill on Moose Creek and es
tablished a camp at Glacier. Another
company is planning the installa
tion of a hydraulic plant on Moose
Creek this season. The substantial
development of this district awaits
the establishment of a mill to con
centrate ore and save in transporta
tion charges. With this latter de
velopment and the stabilizing effect
which it would have, would come
further and extensive development
of the placers.
Present Transportation Routes
The present small freight and
passenger traffic to this district is
carried largely by dog teams in
winter. The route followed is from
Nenana to Knights Roadhouse on
i
the Toklat. either direct by a winter
trail cut last winter by Nenana citi
zens or by way of the railroad to
Andersons Roadhouse and then by
winter trail. From Knights Road
house two trails are used, first the
Lloyd Trail to the right of Hart
Mountain to Diamond or Glacier
City or second, by way of the Tok
lat and Clearwater to Myrtle Creek
over the divide to Willow Creek.
Moose Creek and Eureka. The form
er trail is used largely by the op
erators in the vicinity of Glacier
and the latter by operators on trib
utaries of Moose Creek. The Toklat
route is subject to delay and danger
from frequent overflows. Both routes
are well provided with shelter cab
ins but no roadhouse exists except
at Glacier Bay.
From Eureka a winter road ex
ists and was in use for freighting
ore to Roosevelt on the Kantishna
river. Work has also been done on
a summer road between the same
points. From Glacier a winter road
has been cut through Diamond to
the mouth of the Bearpaw.
Analyzing the existing traffic to
this district one sees that it con
sists of seasonal placer operators
with their seasons outfits from Ne
nana to their workings and of the
ore and some mining supplies on
the water routes to Roosevelt and
the mouth of Bearpaw. Traffic of
this nature will continue but with
opening up of lode workings with
the necessary concentrating within
the district will come heavy ship
ments of machinery and supplies to
the district and shipments of ore
concentrates from the district with
a year-round passage of men going
both ways.
The water routes on the Kan
tishna are of value and their utiliz
ation for ore shipments might en
able the operators now in the district
to build up capital sufficient to
purchase a mill. But whether done
in this way or by the earlier in
vestment of outside capital, the
bringing to full blossom of this
promising district demands a year
round operated mine and mill. To
make this practicable a road open
for both winter and summer traffic
and reaching the railroad from the
shortest practicable route is needed.
Such a route may never serve for
the heavy shipments of machinery
or ore concentrates but its year
round use for personnel and sea
sonal supplies will make life in the
interior lode camp possible.
Such a route is the one which in
view of the present activity in the
camp is to be emphasized. The pro
duction of high grade ore can be
I handled by the present winter road
i to Roosevelt. Until such a route is
| completed the present winter trails
j to Nenana must be maintained and
| it is believed that there will always
| be a certain amount of travel to
Nenana by men supplied from there.
The ideal route would meet the
following requirements:
(ai The shortest possible route
to the railroad.
<b) Of service to ail parts of
the district.
! (c) Both a summer and a winter
road.
Principle (c) eliminates all routes
coming to the railroad south of
Healy. The routes north of Hart or
Chitsia Mountain would be excellent
winter roads but would not only add
unnecessarily to the length but
would be very expensive to maintain
as summer roads. Present studies
indicate the route from Lignite to
Crooked Creek to be forty-five miles
long, generally on slopes, exposed
to the south, located with timber
available except for a distance over
the divide and a feasible summer
and winter road. However, the ad
ditional surveys completed and pro
jected will give us still further in
formation. The changes brought
about in this district by the con*
struction of a road will be slow be
cause our resources in constructing
it are meager.
It seems impossible for any dis
cussion of road work along the
railroad to be entered into without
somebody taking a crack at the
Richardson Highway, so called, is
even Mr. Anderson could not re
strain himself in this respect. I de
sire to emphasize the fact that if
it were not for the Richardson High
way there would be no Federal
funds spent on road work in Alaska.
Furthermore, the northern third of
the Richardson Highway is about as
important a feeder to the Govern
ment Railroad as it has and the
various networks of roads construct
ed out of War Department funds
appropriated for the Fairbanks-Val
dez Military Highway are the only
feeders the Government Railroad
has.
It does not seem to be understood
by a great many people in Alaska
that the War Department is the
only Federal department that ever
secured any funds for road work in
Alaska and that this money is ap
propriated primarily for military
roads. It is only by robbing the
necessary maintenance work from
the existing system that any money
is secured for new work in other
areas. I need only quote from my
I hearings on the Army Appropria
tion Bill, 1922, including Hearings
before Sub-commirtee of House
Committee on Appropriations, pages
978-996 inclusive, and Hearings be
fore the Committee on Military
Affairs. U. S. Senate, pages 424
428 inclusive, to make this clear.
Although the country within a
hundred miles of the Government
Railroad on both sides constitutes
only about one-sixth of the Terri
tory of Alaska, our ten year pro
gram of road construction contem
plates the provision of a system of
feeders to produce traffic for the
railroad as its most important con
sideration. In my hearings before
the Senate committee I stated that:
‘‘Our new commission has
now overhauled the situation
and recommended in its report
for 1920 an appropriation of a
million dollars a year for ten
years to complete the existing
system, providing feeders to the
Government Railroad and meet
ing other immediate needs. This
program was prepared in coop
eration with the Government of
Alaska and other Federal Bur
eaus interested. Our estimate as
submitted in the Book of Esti
mates for the fiscal year 1922
was $955,000. During the hear
ing before the House Committee
I was directed to submit a de
tailed statement of the proposed
distribution of our estimate and
specific-call}-, to list new work
in order of importance in order
that any necessary reductions
could be made intelligently and
| not arbitrarily.
—
The House bill as introduced
_
(Continued on Page 3)
-t—t-t--:-:—:-:-:-:—
I NEW
s
CENTRAL CAFE
FIRST CLASS
in Every Respect
PRIVATE BOXES
JOHN KETOOROKY
Proprietor.
We Carry a Complete Line of
All New Goods
New Prices
NEW REMINGTON AMMUNITION
Hardware Camp Outfits Feed
Clothing and Furnishings
Shoes and Rubbers
FOWLER & MORRIS
»ckx>ooocooooc<x>ck>3ooc<>ooooooooooooooooooooooc>oooooooo
NENANA’S BEST APPOINTED HOTEL
Cooney Hotel and Annex
HOT AND COLD WATER AND BATHS
ROOMS SINGLE OR EN SUITE
COMFORT AND SERVICE UNEXCELLED
DOG BARNS
GEO. ANDERSON
Piano Expert
I* at the Cooney Hotel for a day
or two
Kindly Pbcn.! rt tli'ie
WANT ADS
LOST—Two keys attached to ring.
Finder will confer a favor by leav
ing same at News Office.
FOR SALE—Kitchen stove and pipe;
heater and pipe. All for $12.50.1
j Inquire at D’Orsay’s Tailor Shop, i
LOST—Lady’s engraved wrist watch
! Reward for return to Railroad 1
Cigar Store.
WANTED—Information as to the ,
i whereabouts of our father, Erik i
i Hartull; last known address was
j Nenana. Communicate with Mrs.
M. Silva and Anna Sofia Hartull,
836 15th. St., Oakland, California
FOR SALE—Two pairs short vamp
2-strap slippers. Mrs. Langstrom. 1
FOR SALE—Four jackhammers and
fittings; 250 feet of hose; six sets
of steel. All in good condition.
Inquire of Jack Singleton, Healy.
NOTICE TO PHONE USERS
, Notice is hereby given that on
and after August 15 the use of
telephones in Nenana will he re
i
stricted to fire and doctor calls
between the hours of midnight and
eight o'clock in the morning.
R. S. DONALDSON,
Manager Healy River Coal Corpora
tion.
I Trunks, Genuine Leather Suit
.
cases and Handbags, just received
at Johnson's Store. ka23
NEW AMMUNITION ju.t re
’ reeived, including .256 Newton j
! shells. Anderson Bros. & Norland.
HARRIET M. d’ORSAY
CUSTOM TAILOR
MELLISH BLDG. Phone or Call i
Suits Pressed, Cleaned and Altered
Repairing done on all Garments
FUR WORK
Coats, Caps and Robes
Years of Experience
| —
r.s. McDonald
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Pioneers of Alaska
Nenana Igloo No. 17
MEETS AT ONION HALL
FIRST MONDAY EACH MONTH
AT 8:00 P. M
\ isiting Members Always
Welcome.
Frank Rourke Geo. S. Smith
Secretary. President.
Department of the Interior
Alaskan Engineering Commission
NOTICE
Schedule of trains, subject to
change without notice:
LEA\ E N'EN'ANA for Heaiy on
Monday, \\ ednesday, Thursday an :^
Saturday at 8 a. m.
Returning leaves Healy at I p. m
LEA\ E FAIRBANKS for N'enana
on Tuesday and Friday at 8 a. m.
Returning leaves N’enana at 1:30
p. m.
NENANA LODGE No. 1193
L. 0. 0. M.
MEETS AT MOOSE HALL
Fourth and B Streets ^
SECOND AND FOURTH MONDAY '4
At 8:00 P. M.
ALEX FOWLER, ALF EKELANU
Secretary Dictator