FORT GIRTOT ALASKA.
(The second of'a
On Stel?. 29th. ,1920,
I left Seattle, Washington, for Fort Gibbon, Alaska. We arrived at
Cordova Larch 5th. and left the next day for Chitina on the Copper
River R.R. From here we went hy auto to Sourdough Road House strik
ing the famous Valdez trail a few miles out from Chitina.
From Sourdough to Fairbanks our journey was slow - traveling in
double enders (single horse sleds) making from 8 to 12 miles a day.
at the Summit or di^de we were caught in a blinding snow storm and
were over ten hours making eirht miles. Due to his wonderful insti
the faithful trail horse lead our little caravan through at least fou.
feet of loose snow over a barren waste with no land marks to guide hi:
At the roadhouse where we stopped that night the only mark, to
tell where the house was, was the smoke coming up out of the snow,
We were informed that the snow was at least fifteen feet on the
level. Several of these- roadhouses were a combination, house, stable
and storehouse combined under one roof. Food served in these places
was wholesome and plentiful. Feds were usually made of pole or can.
■vas racks with hay for mattresses and blankets that looked as if they
were never washed. . We were seven days going from Chitina to Fairban]
spending the last night fourteen miles from the latter 'dace on this
-pToia^a'bout midnight to three we witnessed one of the grandest
sights, the northern Lights at their best, covering half the sky and
canstantly changing reminding one of huge fireworks, at other times
aey loclced like an electrical storm* The night was almost as light
aS~ •n° s^ars were to he seen although the sky was clear* We
reached Fairbanks at five in the morning the thermometer was 42 ‘below
^erP* After three days rest we continued our journey cn the Fair
anks-Tanana mail stage which was similar to the valdez stage.
Al .„ough our requests calle’ for ’’First Class" transportation we hike.<
entire distance due to our sympathy for the poor condition
T°~ ^ . stage horses and also lack of accommodations on the sleds. v7e
',ere invited to got on top of the sled and ride hut walking was warmo:
^ Our route took us through ienana thru which the Government R. R*
h,0^., ^as&es* i>rorn- there to Gibbon our route was the same as that bein
•\w^°Wew the ^og mus^ers who are carrying the diptheria serum to
u e made the 160 miles from Fairbanks to Fort Gibbon in 6 days
wa mg an average of about 26 miles a day. port Gibbin is situated
near ^he ^ confluence of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. The surrounding
country is comparatively level with low hills. The tundra or marsh
makes overland travel almost impeesi
along the river vanks or hill sides.
vle in
Then
the summer except
covered over with
on trails
ice and
v>
er consists of birch
snow the tundra becomes alright for travel. Tim
spruce and fir and is smaller than in the southern part of Alaska
al ough some trees grow large enough to be cut into lumber. Water ii
means of transportation of the freight which is shipped from
time to be re-shipped
Fort Gibbon was a central
telegraph system of the
an d 5b r t Yuk o n, the nor th
St.I ichael on the coast
Seattle so as to arrive at Saint Jdichael in
between June 1st. and the last odt August,
distributing point of supply dTdTr the entire
Interior, ^ ranging from Fort"Egbert at Eagle
ermost point on the Yukon River to ~Tome ai^
a^. » hcGrath and Brooks, isolated Rosts lying between the
Vo, ey of he Yukon and tne Alaskan Range. Two years reserve supply
a + times. Stock for such an area required large
erated°f>rm n?ihw Gov®rnnent JRiver Transports were maintained and op
and return Bavi g making regular trips to St.Li chat i
lighter hulk of fr^Wht while the Gen. J.W. Jacobs, a
the B L °B’ made lonc triPS up the Yukon to Dawson and
ep-raoh q't'it'i „ ° B?, of navigation taking yearly supplies to tel
hi the °f ‘e ?iSn?1 Corp8’ 1Vo ^rge gas boats* were ope art
by tne Signal Corps in the repair and upkeep of the telegraph lines.
(Continued on page 5)