Strange Things
wne oi the best-known birds
in Alaska is the camp robber,
which is a little larger than a
.lay. This bird steals everything
in sight, and, like a pack-rat,
hides the stolen food in places
-or miles around.
They are seldom alone, but
travel in pairs or in flocks, bab
bling and talking.
bhey are not often found in
the cities, but if you go into
he wilderness or camp on the
rail you will soon hear him
screaming, hopping here and
there, picking up morsels of
food, then flying away and
easting the food where no
other birds or animals can
find it.
The camp robber can smell
freshly killed meat miles away.
No sooner does one get a moose
killed or a caribou quartered,
and the robber is there, starting
first by picking all the fat off
of the meat.
You would think the prospec
tor would hate them, and some
of them do. But the camp rob
ber, like the chickadee, gives
the lone trapper and prospector
who lives in the wilderness
some kind of companionship.
However, that is not the only
reason he is not shot on sight.
Ask any oldtimer, and he will
tell you that to kill a camp rob
ber is to invite trouble. This
pestiferous bird is usually
treated with undue considera
tion throughout the Yukon Ter
ritory and Alaska, because of a
superstition believed by rharty
prospectors to have been
founded on the fact that sailors
never kill a seagull. They claim
that the soul of a seaman goes
into a seagull.
So it is taboo to kill a camp
robber. By doing so, you will
never find the gold you are
.ooking for.
An old prospector, resemb
ling somewhat the German
Iron Chancellor. Bismarch, told
•♦■<■«>«■<<<<<<<<
of him and his partner, “Irish
Murphy,” who were prospect
ing somewhere near the head
waters of the Tolovana. One
day, after a strenuous day of
work, while Bismarck was
cooking hot cakes and frying
bacon in their tent, a camp rob
ber was making a nuisance of
himself. Not only did he steal
a slice of bacon, but he got his
feet in the sourdough pot.
“Rouch mit him!” said Bis
marck, and with a swipe of his
hand knocked the feathered
marauder against the stove. Mr.
Robber fell over, apparently
dead.
“Gosh,” Bismarck said to his
partner, “I killed a camp rob
ber!”
He took the bird in his hand,
trying to resuscitate it with a
few drops of water down its
throat, but as there was no sign
of life he laid the bird on a
rock.
While they were eating din
ner, the bird came back to life,
sitting up in a dazed sort of
way. It looked at them re
proachfully, flapping its wings,
and flew away. Although he
had been visiting them all win
ter, the camp robber never
came back.
Discussing whether to stay
here when they had found some
colors or to move on, both be
gan to think that the bird
would bring them tough luck,
so they packed their supplies
and moved to another part of
the Northland.
If they had stayed and con
tinued to prospect, they would
have discovered one of the
richest placer gold mines in
Alaska. ‘
The first year of discovery,
the prospectors, with sluice
boxes, panning, ground-sluic
ing and rockers, washed gold
nuggets from Cleary Creek to
the tune of . . .
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Pa.me; frtoose
Install Officers
Officers were installed at thr
April 16 meeting of the Palmer
Moose Lodge, with Don Ingalls
acting as installing governor.
Taking office were Larry
Vasanoja. past governor; James
Doming, governor; Oren Peter
son, junior governor; Lloyd
A man.v prelate; Aaron Combs,
secretary: Otto Peterson, trea
surer; Robert Lucus, three-year
trustee; Harry Eaker, sergeant
at-arms; and Don DeLand, in
ner guard.
Candidates will be enrolled
at a special Sunday morning
breakfast on March 21 at 9 a.m.
HIGH STAKES
Run a traffic light and you’n
betting your life against a fev
seconds’ time.
4-H EXTENSION AGENTS CONFER
WITH FEDERAL PROGRAM LEADER
Agents of the University of
Alaska’s Cooperative Extension
Service returned to their homes
throughout Alaska April 5 and
t m oi
the campus with Edgar A. Ree
ves, Jr., program leader with j
on Service.
C
The agents also met with
President vVnliai. r„. Wood ant
other administrators and spec
ialists on the campus.
State 4-H Club Leader Wil
„ on... uie sessions
f a chant
to work out projects and reach
agreement on 4-H programs 11
the State.”
oome young Alaskans have
. i.mited background as
far as career opportunities art
an. tined. the extension ser
ice can perform a service bj ;
f ■ j i ng parents, as well as !
young people, of the materials
available in most schools and
libraries on careers, it was
pointed out in a panel discus
sion on April4.
In summarizing the confer
ence, Cheney said, “I have
been pleased with the results of
the meeting. The objectives of
4-H Club work in the state
were set and programs for the
coming year were planned."
WILLOW ELECTS
THREE TO BOARD
New members were elected
to the Willow Advisory School
Board on Monday, April 8, at
a special meeting.
Those elected were Mrs. Her
bert Brasseur, chairman, Mrs.
Sam Mercer, secretary, and
Mrs. Bill Twitty, board mem
ber.
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POSTMASTER POSITION OPENS AT TALKEETNA
me i'ost umce uepariment
has announced examinations
for post master positions at
Valdez. Pelican and Talkeetna.
Sen. Bob Bartlett said this
week. Applications and copies
of the examination announce
ments can be obtained from the
local post offices, with applica
tions to be filed with the Civil
I Service Commission. Washing
' ton 25. D C . to be received or
1 postmarked no later than May
; 21.
The basic salaries are $5,80:
for Valdez, $5,365 for Pelicar
and $4,965 for Talkeetna. all in
j e-ensnd by 25 percent cost-of
I living allowances
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