SUCCESSFUL FUR FARMER OF MOUNT
M‘KINLEY DISTRICT TELLS FACTS
ABOUT RAISING SILVER BLACK FOXES
Blue Fox Farming on the Coast First Tried Commercially
and then Silver Black Foxes Were Bred—Black Fox
Best Suited to Interior; Blue Fox to Coast
By D. E. STUBBS.
It was a great many years ago—to
be more exact, around 1S67—that the
great country of Russia found herself
sadly in need of a pinch of change,
Whether her men of diplomatic ten
dencies had been sitting in too often,
or whatever the cause, does not con
cern this story. The question at this
time was where to raise some seven
millions of dollars. Then, just as
at the present time, kittenish glances
Avere cast toward Uncle Sam, and then, |
then, just as of recent years, the ]
United States was willing to make a
small loan provided any sort of se
curity could be put up and which
would not cause Uncle Samuel to be-!
come the laughing stock of the world.
Russia went over her marbles and
Barlow knives and the like, and was
almost in despair, when one of her
bright wits attached to the diplomatic
service, timidly suggested, “Why not |
give the United States what is now
called Alaska?”
The Russians promptly rejected the
suggestion and all but shot its author,
believing to make so silly a tender
might make bad friends of the United
States and perhaps cause a war. How
ever the idea had an element of hu
mor about it, which saved its life, and
bye-and-bye they commenced to con- i
sider it a bit. It was then that its au
thor, not, having been shot as planned
chipped in with an added argument.
He said: “Tell ’em it has lots of
fur and gold and-” he was going to
add “fish,” but \risions of a firing
squad loomed up and he left that off.
His bit of unconscious humor raised
a laugh that echoed around the world
in diplomatic circles, and at one time
the joke, as everybody then considered
it, was thought to be so good that it
had the mother-in-laAv joke backed in
the coal bin hollerin’ for help.
Russia got her seven millions, the
go-between got the §200,000 for mak
ing the loan, which Uncle Sam paid
to for the chance to loan the money—
and got—Alaska.
The one-time sayings of a clever
wit, long ago proved a reality. Alaska
has produced millions of dollars
worth of gold, and will continue pro
ducing millions more as the years go
by.
Public Kept in the Dark
The details as to the value of Alas
ka’s fish have been so carefully guard
ed it is unlikely that the totals will
ever be known by the public, and if
so, the sum would be so vast that the
figures would lose significance, but
would be many times the millions pro
duced by gold.
Furs came third, and a long ways
down the list behind the other two.
The lure of gold being more spectac
ular, attracted most to its pursuit.
Fur bearing animals were first tak
en by the Natives and Eskimos to sup
ply their own wants, then later when
white men came into the country they
learned that he would “consent” to
take a few pelts in trade, the prices
paid, however, remained quite sta
tionary for many years.
A commercial company, who had
their offices in San Francisco, awoke
to the possibilities of the fur seal and
secured a monopoly on sealing, and
which they held up to a few years ago.
lTp to the time this company lost their
told on the sealing, the Government
records show that seal pelts to the
ralue in round numbers of four hun
Ired and forty-four million dollars
were taken. Of this vast sum—there
seemed to be a heavy overhead for
doing business—only the paltry sum
of twenty-eight million dollars was
paid into the National Treasury ae
the Government’s share of that one
fur.
The records of the Government also
show that during the time the com
pany held this concession, they either
owned or had under charter, ninety
three vessels which were engaged in
pelagic sealing (sealing off the three
mile limit.) The captain and crews
of these boats were mostly hired on
a commission basis, with no other re
striction on the taking of female and
pup seals than their own conscience.
The Government has no record of the
number of seals taken by these nine
ty-three boats, but it seems a safe
guess that they were not losing money.
In addition to these boats engaged
in pelagic sealing our little brown
brothers of Nippon were also engaged
in sealing in American waters on an
extensive scale, as evidenced by the
captured and condemned Japanese
boats lying in the harbor at Unalaska
and elsewhere along the Aleutian isl
ands.
Because of greed the immense seal
herds that once existed in Alaska are
today practically exterminated.
Professional Trappers Enter.
Alaska being so rich in mineral at
tracted most men to that industry,
and only a small number engaged in
any other undertaking. A small num
ber of professional trappers entered
the field, then many of the prospec
tors trapped awhile in winter. Not
content to outwit the furbearer by
catching them in traps and deadfalls,
poison was resorted to almost alto
gether by the white men, instead of
he heavy and cumbersome traps, more
lifficult to transport and care for.
commercial companies and so-called
irug stores sold poison (strychnine
mostly) almost by the ton. Laws and
"egulations were made against selling
SOME CHOICE HIDES
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A full measure of prosperity
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to those friends who have hon
ored us with their patronage in
the past and to those we hope
to serve in the future.
P. C. McMullen
General Merchandise
Telephone Main 34, Seward, Alaska
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YOUNG FOXES PLAYING ON BEACH
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and using poisons. Dealers were re
quired to keep a record and state
what the poison was to be used for.
Page after page of the record gave as
a reason for the purchase, “To kill a
dog.” Had those records been truth- ;
ful it would have required one thou- j
sand years of dog-raising to have sup
plied the demand for dogs to poison. :
To the use or poison more than to
any other thing, can be attributed the
almost extermination of wild life, es- !
pecially among furbearing animals, j
The unlawful use of poison has con- !
tinued up to the present time when j
; the new game laws were put into ef- i
feet. One of the restrictions of the
Alaska Game Commission, if enforced, :
will do much to lessen the evils in
coming years.
Another animal whose fur is highly
prized, is the sea otter. This animal
lives mostly in the vicinity of the
Aleutian Islands, and like the fur seal
has been protected for many years, so
In tl « » M
;hat Alaskans cannot lawfully take
:he skins, thereby doing Alaska no
?ood and working a great hardship on
:he inhabitants, and in nowise afford
ng any benefit to the animals, as it is
m open secret that many skins reach
:he Outside every year.
Of the other fur-bearing animals,
mostly classed as land animals, closed
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HOW TO TELL A GENUINE tt
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t Many inquiries are made asking tt
3 how to tell a genuine silver fox tt
3 skin from an imitation or “point- tt
3 ed fox. A “pointed” fox is a tt
3 black skin with white hairs tt
3 glued in to imitate a silver fox. tt
3 In a silver fox each white guard tt
3 hair has a bead of black at the tt
3 tip, then a band of white, and at tt
3 the base another touch of black, tt
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FINEST IN THE NORTH
The Best of Ventilation
t
Lighting Unexcelled Anywhere
Service All the Time
THE
JOHN WHITE ANDY BECK
A
live billiard tables
FOUR FINE CAROM TABLES,
FIVE POCKET TABLES
Brunswick-Balke Collender Co. Equipment
Throughout—Strictly Up-to-date
Cigars, Tobaccos,
Gandies
For the Holiday Trade we have in
stock a beautiful and practical as
sortment of neatly-boxed packages
in different sizes.
PRICES ARE PLEASING
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