(Continued from Page 1)
Governor John R. Rogers, of, Wash
ington, and Geo. W. Dickinson, for
merly traffic manager for the North
ern Pacific railroad, discussed the
feasibility of building an all-the-year
' round railroad from some port on the
Alaskan coast to the Yukon River.
Mr. Ballaiile enlisted the aid of John
H. McGraw, John W. Godwin, E. E.
Currie, president of the White Star
Line, operating steamships from Se
attle to Alaska; Hon. George Turner'
of Spokane, and other well known
capitalists of Puget Sound and Cana
da and preparations were made for
the organization of the Alaska Cen
tral Railnfad, with offices of the new
organization in the Denny Block in
Seattle. John E. Ballaine was named !
tlesey, General A. W. Greeley, Prof.
E. S. Meany, John E. Ballaine, and a
large party of workmen.
A landing was made from small
boats a few feet south of where the
present Seward dock now stands. But
one house stood on the beach, built
of redwood from California, by the
Shackleford party, who built a wagon
road from the head of Resurrectlpn
Bay, several miles toward Cooper
Creek, for the purpose of transporting
hydraulic pipes for placer work at
the creek.
This house became the office and
headquarters of Chief Engineer Am
derson and his clerk. The only other
inhabitants on the bay were Mrs. Wm.
Lowell and her large family of chil
dren. Henry Scheffler later married
one of the Lowell girls and settled on
NAVAL RADIO STATION 2 MILES FROM SEWARD
the first officer of the corporation, and
he was assisted by his brother Frank
L. Ballaine, Col. Anderson acting as
chief engineer, and W. H. Whittlesey
of Seward as chief clerk.
Stock was sold and the first party
sent into the field was Win. G. At
wood, a civil engineer of Seattle, who
went to Dawson and made the trip
down the Yukon, thence up the Tanana
■with a view of making a preliminary
reconnaissance up the Cantwell, now
called the Nenana River, thence across
Broad Pass, over the site of the pres
ent Alaska Railroad. Here he was
to meet a party making a reconnais
sance from Resurrection Bay to Broad
Pass.
Atwood’s party left Seattle for
Dawson some time during the last of
February, 1902, and after various vi
cissitudes and loss of equipment, made
a preliminary survey toward Broad
Pass.
At this time an extensive survey
of the Portage Bay district was made
by Mr. Ballaine with the idea of run
ning the road from that harbor to the
Interior, but the natural obstacles
were so many, a three mile tunnel be
ing required to get through the high
mountain range, as well as a glacial
swept valley, and the project was
abandoned and the promoters cast
about for another route.
Further sales of stock enabled the
outfitting of a surveying party which
was sent in the early summer of 1902
to Cook Inlet, under charge of F. G.
Bleckley.
Later when August Heinz of Butte
became interested by the purchase of
a large block of stock and became di
rector of the Company, the financial
arrangements were made for a com
plete survey of a route from Resur
rection Bay, and a party of 28 men
was sent to where Seward now stands
under control of the late well kno\^n
John G. Scurry, an engineer of note.
Among the party were W. H. Whit
the Bay. - The only member of the
Lowell family now living is Mrs. Eva
Revelle (now Mrs. Andy Simons), thru
whose courtesy the photograph of the
old Lowell home is shown.
The railroad party established a
camp to the west of the landing place
and surveys began. A large camp
was established at the then mouth of
Resurrection River at the berabara
on the Nash homestead, as it is now
called.
The first work was to establish a
base line for future guidance. The
one box that failed to arrive was that
containing surveying supplies. There
was no chain, tape or measure in
camp, but a six foot cotton tailor’s
tape by use o£ which links were made
j each six feet long, from the baling
wire cut from bales of hay, and these
links were made into a 100-foot chain.
With this chain a base line was mea
sured from a point near the head of
the present dock for a distance of
two miles north. This line, later sur
veyed with a surveyors’ chain, proved
to be but two inches short.
The Lowell’s claimed, and right
fully, a homestead of 160 acres. Later
the Lowells were reimbursed by Mr.
Ballaine for their land.
About September first Anton Eide,
who had obtained the contract for
carrying the mail from Resurrection
Bay to Sunrise and Hope, on Turna
gain Arm arrived and later built a
cabin at the foot of the present First
Avenue. The place was then given
a monthly mail service by the old
steamship Newport, and during the
summer of 1902 by the steamers San
ta Ana afid Bertha.
During the summer surveys were
made on Knik Arm and another party
was running lfnes from Turnagain
Arm toward Kenai Lake and Resur
rection Bay. A third party went up
the Susitna River to Indian River,
headed for Broad Pass. This party
was under Arthur M. White. A party
SEWARD HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING
was later put to work on the north
side of Lowell Point at the mouth
of Spruce Creek, and when the sur
veys were completed along the shore
front up, to the Lowell homestead, the
party moved to the mouth of Lowell
Creek in a beautiful grove. The fol
lowing morning the creek was dry,
having turned its channel during the
night and opened up a young river
across the site of the present Federal
building.
Surveys were made around the Bay
to Fourth of July Creek with a rail
road terminal of forty acres at the
northeast corner of the Bay.
During the time the surveys were
made soundings were taken in the
Bay to a distance of 600 feet from
shore and barometric readings of
pressure and the temperature were
kept.
In October the Alaska Central En
gineering Company closed down busi
ness and sailed for Seattle, leaving
nine or ten head of horses and mules
to the care of little Eva Lowell (Mrs.
Andy Simons), her brother being out
hunting and fishing. The older broth
er, Alfred, was then helping Anton
Eide carry mail to Sunrise and Hope.
Col. H. E. Revelle was the only
other resident on the Bay in the early
days, he having located a homestead
at the head of the Bay. Sheffler
later sold his rights to William B.
Poland, who located two tracts of 160
acres each under the Soldiers’ Addi
tional Homestead Scrip Act. The
Government later sued for cancella
tion of the patent to one of these
tracts, but was beaten in the lower
court, and in the Court of Appeals at
San Francisco. The judgment was
later reversed by the Supreme Court
at Washington.
Frank L. Ballaine having obtained
the rights of the Lowells and an aban
donment of their homestead located
two tracts contained about 160 acres
and purchased them with scrip, and
then located the two tracts as the
Town of Seward.
$125 per month for nine months. Miss
Aria Tillett was the primary teacher
at a salary of $85 per month. The same
School Board served during the year
1908 and the records show that Miss
Anna Keraska (now Mrs. Leopold
I'avid) and Miss Katherine Lewis were
j the teachers. A Mrs. Winter also
taught during this school year and a
part of the next.
On August 10, 1909, a new School
Board was elected. Dr. D. H. Sleem,
P. G. Hale and A. R. Boyle constituted
dise; enforcement of the navigation
and steamboat Inspection laws; docu
menting and numbering vessels, and
recording bills of sale, mortgages and
other conveyances of vessels. The
deputy collector in charge of the Sew
ard office is also immigration inspec
tor for the Seward district, working
under the office of District Director of
Immigration at Ketchikan, Alaska.
Establishment of the port of entry
here has particularly benefited the
operators of vessels engaged in the
BULB FARM OWNED BY E. E. CHAMBERLIN
this Board. Anna E. Thorlacius, Mary 1
C. Hartley and Ada B. Campbell were i
the teachers. The principal received 1
: §110 per month and the under teach- i
ers $100. (
During the year 1911 the records
show that Aris Tillett and Jeannette
Dali were teachers, but no further in
| formation is recorded. In 1913 and
! 1914 Miss Dorothy Ann Peterson was
1 one of the teachers.
<
1
1
In 1915 C. R. Morford, Dr. J. H. Ro
mig and Mrs. F. L. Ballaine were on
the School Board. Mrs. Forgy, Miss
Sylvia Wold and Miss Francis Root
were the teachers.
In 1916 M. A. Martin, Dr. J. H. Ro
mig and Mrs. F. L. Ballaine comprised
the School Board and Miss Belle Wal
1
THREE BEAUTIFUL HOMES BUILT IN SEWARD THIS YEAR
The great day or the origin or bew- ;
ard is August 28, 1903.
About this time Don Carlos Brown
ell, Sr., located a homestead west of
the town and Edmund Rudolph located
north and west of the town.
History of Seward Schools
The first teacher of whom any re
cord has been kept was Miss Louise
Kurth, "who was sent to Seward by
Rev. Sheldon Jackson, and she opened
her school the winter of 1903-4.
The next year the government
school was organized by the election
of F. E. Youngs, president; F. G. Hale, ]
treasurer, and E. R. Gray, clerk of
the School Board. The first act of
this Board was to take a census of
the children, and when this was done
53 of school age were found. Governor
Brady was then asked for $2500 for
school purposes and the money was
promptly furnished. A six months
school was provided for and Miss
Mary Gilpatrick was! engaged to teach
at a salary of $90 per month. The
school was taught in the M. E. church
and the Ballaine building. A man
named Buck was the first male teach
er. The Ballaine building was sub
sequently purchased by the Board, the
price paid being $900. School opened
February 26 and closed August 26,
the sum of $1200 being paid the two
teachers, or $600 each.
At the election held September 21, |
1906, F. G. Hale, L. H. Pederson and
E. G. Gray were chosen on the J3oard.
The census taken at this time showed
44 families with 92 children resided
in Seward, and Gov. Hoggatt was ask
ed for $5250 for school purposes, the
same being given. School opened on
February 1, 1907, and Mrs. J. J. Mc
Manus was the principal, drawing
[ace, miss nmna ju. kodd ana miss ;
Sylvia Wold were the teachers. Miss
Francis Orr Root taught a part of the
pear but resigned and her place was
filled by Miss Ruth Carlton of Snoho
mish, Washington.
In 1918 Dr. Sloan, George Phelps
md H. S. Balderston were chosen for
lirectors, and Curtis R. Morford was
sleeted superintendent. Mary B.
Wright, Nellie J. Nash and Gertrude |
M. Kendall were instructors.
In 1919 Curtis R. Morford, principal,
H. S. Balderston, George Phelps and
Dr. Sloan members of board.
1920 Mrs. Don Carlos, principal, and
Mrs. W. O. Perry, Mrs. W. R. Shell
lorn, Dr. Sloan, members of board.
1921—Miss Reeve principal, Harold
Painter, C. R. Morford, and George
Phelps, members of the board.
1922, A. J. Goodsky, superintendent,
Painter, Morford and Miss Waugh as
members of the board.
1925, Guy Barnett, principal; Mor
ford, Painter, Miss Waugh members
3f the board.
1925-26, Guy Barnett, principal,
A.. R. Roberts, Wayne Blue, C. R. Mor
ford, members of board.
The Customs Port of Seward
Seward -was created a customs port
3f entry on November 3, 1922, by ex
gcutive order of the late President
Harding, the office being formally
Dpened on January 1, 1923, under the
office of Collector John C. McBride at
luneau, Alaska.
Among the principal functions of
the office are the entrance and clear
snee of vessels engaged in foreign and
lomestic trade, enforcement of tariff
laws, and the collection of duties,
Bines and other fees in connection with >
the importation of foreign merchan
talibut fishing industry, which ves
sels fish off the three-mile limit anti
requently take their cargoes to Can
idian ports for trans-shipment to east
ern markets, as prior to the opening
)f the custom house at Seward a hali
)ut vessel, having discharged cargo
lere, would be compelled to go to
he next nearest customs port to take
)ut a clearance that would enable her
0 proceed direct from the fishing
janks for-a foreign port.
The territory assigned to the Sew
lid customs office for the issuance
3f documents to vessels, and the re
cording of bills of sale, mortgages,
md other conveyances of vessel prop
erty is a large one, and comprises all
3f Prince William Sound with the ex
ception of the port of Cordova, the
western coast as far as Chignik, Bris
tol Bay and the Yukon and Kusko
kwim rivers and their tributaries. On
account of the central location of Sew
ard to the districts mentioned, par
ticularly as regards mail facilities,
the establishment of the customs of
fice here has been a great convenience
to vessel owners having to make tran
sactions of the kind mentioned.
Mr. J. L. Abrams, the officer in
chaige at Seward, entered the cus
toms service in Alaska in 1906, and
has been stationed at various ports
in the Territory, including Ketchikan,
Sulzer, Juneau, Eagle and Fortymile.
The Future of Seward
The future of Seward is very bright.
With the advent of the Standard Oil
Company and the building of the mag
nificent Jesse Lee Home, several hun
dred thousand dollars for wages and
material were disbursed here the past
year. The magnificent Arcade build
ANOTHER NEW SEWARD HOME
ing, the Helm and Lagerquist resi
dences, and the Rossness home, de
picted in the above write-up, are of
modern design and show that Seward
has gone past the shack stage.
But the city needs payrolls through:
the winter months, our dullest time
of the year. Beyond a few tie camps
and several wood cutters’ camps main
tained by local dealers, there is little
for the laboring man to do here. Until
some manufactoring establishment can
be secured, utilizing our pulp wood,,
our codfish and our timber, Seward
can never be anything but a good sum
mer camp.
With its fine harbor, its magnificent
secenry, its excellent roads, and near
proximity to the fishing grouncls, Sew
ard should grow to a town of 10,000
people within the next few years. But
to do this means that every induce
ment must be given to capital to in
vest here.
The Nuka Bay mining district, al
ready developed to a permanent camp,
and the great, untouched country to
Lhe westward are also valuable assets.