NEWSLETS FROM M’KINLEY PARK
(By Special Gateway Correspondent)
August 10, 1925.
Mr. and Mrs. Beach, of New York,
who spend all their annual vacations
in Alaska, left after spending a few
days at Morino’s Road house, making
final preparations, on their largest
hunting, exploring and photographing
trip ever undertaken into the wilds
of Alaska. They are both in perfect
condition and hope for excellent re
sults. The past two months were
spent by packers relaying their out
fit along their proposed route. In
about two weeks packers and guides
will be sent back to McKinley Park
to meet and guide Marcus Daly who
will join the Beaches and who will
do the most of the hunting, the Beach
es expecting to devote the most of
their time to sketching and taking
moving pictures. Mr. Beach said on
leaving he hoped to bring back the
covering from a glacier blue bear, and
which has the meanest disposition of
any kind of w'ild animal residing in
Alaska.
Mr. Albert A. Burglin stoped at Mc
Kiuley Park to visit the Mt. McKin
ley Silver Fox Ranch, while en route
to Katchemak Bay where he plans to
setablisli himself in fox ranehink. Mr.
Burglin for the past fifteen years
has operated the Burglin Road House
at the mouth of Crooked Creek, on
the Kuskokw’im river. He is an old
time miner and a brother of Mr.
August Burglin, the wealthy restau
rant proprietor at Fairbanks. Mr.
Burglin had a shipment of interior
foxes to stock his ranch.
The passenger station at Windy
is being torn down and will be re
bult at McKinley Park to be used
by the Alaska Railroad as a freight
office.
Travelers bring the word that the
ranchers around Matanuska having
no market are not picking their
strawberries this year, at the same
time McKinley Park would use a
great many crates of strawberries if
they could obtain them. Wasilla made
a few shipments to here.
The tourist travel to Alaska has
increased greatly over former years,
and those shopping at the Fairland
of Alaska has been many times
greater than any former year. At
times it has required a battery of
five autos three trips to take the
tourists into Mt. McKinley National
Park. All the tourists are greatly
pleased with the grand scenery of
the Park, and when asked on their
return how they liked the trip,
would reply, “It is simply wonder
ful; I am coming back.” Mere words
can give no greater praise. Tour
ist Agent McGrath of the Alaska
Railroad has been compelled to split
his parties of tourists into smaller
numbers because of the difficulties
of accommodating them.
Mr. John E. Anderson, a miner
and fox rancher from Wonder Lake,
Kantishna country, mushed over to
McKinley Park to send out orders
for win er’s supplies and take back
what mail he could pack. Although
they were promised a mail service
to the Kantishna more than a year
ago, as usual, the postoffice people
got sleepy, and nothing was done in
the matter. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson
< Polly) are successfully ranching
foxes near Wonder Lake.
Mushers coming out to McKinley
Park report that the trails are lined
this past summer with dead cari
bou. Just the causes of the death of
this very useful animal to the pro«
pectors, is not clearly known. Some
of the prospectors hold to the belief
that death is caused by a fly that
lays an egg under the skin along their
backs and which grows into a warble,
later dropping out. They also re
port that they have observed many
heads where a fly had entered the
nostrils and deposited an egg as high
up as it could go and which devel
oped into a black headed bott, and
to this cause they attribute the ap
parent loss of smell in the animal in
the spring of the year, and during
this time they are more stupid than
at any other time. Thousands of
these animals are perishing to one
killed by an Alaskan for food, and
it is too bad that some small part
of the thousands of dollars spent for
game wardens and the like couldn't
be spent for the useful purpose of
saving these vast herds which roam
the Alaskan hills.
[ A somewhat unusual rabbit has
has been found around the McKin
ley Park, its fur is white all sum
mer and more nearly resembles swan
dowm, the eyes are very deep pink
with brownish red iris, it is smaller,
and head and feet are shaped differ
ent Irom the common snow shoe
rabbit so common here and which
turns gray in summer. It would be
interesting to learn if a similar rab
bit is found in any other parts of
Alaska, and just what it is anyway.
Mr. W. E. Shields, who until re
cently was one of the largest fox
ranchers near Seldovia, is stopping
off at McKinley Park, looking for
a new location. Mr. Shields is a
recognized fur man and expert tax
idermist, and says that the drastic
and unreasonable regulations regard
ing the taking of fish, which is a
blue foxes’ recognized food, ''has
about ruined the fox industry around
the Cook Inlet country. These fox
ranchers settled in the Cook Inlet
country many, many years ago, built
their homes, raised their family and
built up a flourishing business, and
made no other provision for feeding
their foxes than the little fish that
swims in the deep blue sea, and
now comes the wonderful ruling
from Washington, (D. C., too) that
they are forbid by law to catch this
little fish in any manner whatever,
lor (the Wiselkes say) the fish are
led to foxes and the foxes are skin
ned and the skin brings good money,
therefore it is a commercial busi
ness. Ye Gods and little fishes! By
the same token before long or longer
will the husky malamute go gambl
ing ahead of the little sled, for he
lives on dried fish, and that little
sled may contain a half pound of
tea, which might be sold, and presta
it a commercial business, and dried
fish can no longer be put up for
commercial purposes! No longer will
Balto dash with his team mates
across the frozen wastes of Alaska
carrying serum to stricken Nome
and have monuments built in Cen
tral Park, New York. No catchem
fish, no pow-wow, good night!
A second rush has been report
ed into Valdez creek, where anoth
er creek with reported better pay has
been discovered. The Yennnert
which empties into the Nenana river
lour miles above McKinley Park,
heads into the same divide as Val
dez Creek, and prospectors are look
ing into the headwaters for pay dirt.
Some of the funny features of the
new game laws are that mountain
sheep are thrown on the open sea
son list at a time when they are
poor and no one cares to hunt them,
while caribou are closed until after
the running season begins and they
are too strong for food. The open
season for caribou should begin
about July 20 and Mountain Sheep
about first of October, when they
are tat; they are beginning to fat
ten now.
McKinley Park has a passenger
train every day except Sunday, four
ireights a week, and two sleepers
that make two round trips a week
between McKinley Park and Dead
Horse, traveling with a freight train.
There are also a lot of the little
gasoline taxis running.
Manager and Mrs. Noel Smith
went north Tuesday and are making
a round trip to Holy Cross.
Vv arm goats milk—one cup—is a
positive relief for indigestion, heart
burn and other stomach ills.
One of the Road Commission cats
ran away and landed in a swamp.
W hen relief came all they could see
was the eye lashes of the driver.
HALIBUT SCHOONER DEPARTS
rf he halibut schooner Granite
Point of Seattle, one of the finest
fishing vessels to arrive at the local
port this season, departed last night
for the fishing banks, following the
discharging of a big cargo of hali
but at the San Juan Fishing and
Packing plant.
“Smile with Nile” Saturday night.
KODIAK NEWS NOTES
(Ry Special Gateway Correspondent)
The cannery at Kodiak up to date
has canned 30,000 cases of salmon.
Miss Sloan, principal of our school
and Miss Street, teacher, are leaving
on the Evans for a trip to Fairbanks.
The Deer that the Biological De
partment put on Long Island are
still there and seem to be doing
well.
Mr. Schellenberger, who Is pack
ing herring at Three Saint Bay, with
Karl Armstrong, paid Kodiak a visit.
Kronk, who has been running a
restaurant in Kodiak for the last 2
years died Saturday, August 1, and
was buried Sunday, Mr. Rickman of
the Baptist Mission at Wood Island
preached the funeral sermon.
The steamer Starr got into Kodiak
about 6 o’clock' this a. m., August
5 th.
Jack McCord and his party came
in on the Starr and have chartered
the gasboat Olive, to take them to
the Southern part of Kodiak Island.
Ray Kroutter of Old Harbor, Kodi
ak Island, came in on the Minne B
this morning, Aug. 5th. He reports
that the run of Humpeys are about
done down there, and that the herr
ing being caught at Three Saint Bay
are bigger and fatter than usual.
Mr. Grimes, the enterprising mer
chant of Uzinkie paid Kodiak a visit.
Roy Trout, the sawmill man of
Afognak, paid Kodiak a visit, and
reports that he has more orders for
lumber than the mill can turn out
this season.
It is reported that the run of Sal
mon has just commenced at Karluk.
Sid S. Bettman, Deputy Custom
Collector at Kodiak, has this day
been appointed Licensing Officer by
the Alaska Game Commission.
The Correspondent adds as a foot
note that there will be more news
next time.
URBACHS WILL MOVE
INTO THEIR NEW HOME
LATTER PART WEEK
MODERN HOME, RECENTLY PUR
CHASED FROM L. V. HOBEN,
UNDERGOES RENOVATION
Mr. and Mrs. Leon Urbach will
move into their recently purchased
home on First and Adams street,
this week, following the completion
of interior alterations now being
made to the modern residence. Dur
ing the past week a concrete floor
ing ha3 been put in the basement
and at the present time the firm of
Moore & Beaulieu are busily engag
ed painting and tinting the fine
home. t
Mr. and Mrs. Urbach have been
residing in the Arcade apartments
since its completion but upon their
recent return to Seward from a sev
eral months’ visit thruout the States,
arrived at the decision to purchase
their own home, owing to the mark
ed progress of the city. Mr. Urbach
brought back with him from the Out
side one of the finest radio sets ob
tainable and is having it installed
in his new home.
Tom Somas was granied his final
citizenship papers at Anchorage this
week by Judge Ritchie. The court
also granted divorces in the cases of
Talley vs. Talley and Taylor vs. Tay
lor.
Completes Discharging
Cargo, Departs South
The freighter Latouche of the Alas
ka Steamship Company, which arriv
ed in port yesterday morning from
the south, departed for Seattle last
evening, following the discharge of
332 tons of general cargo. This cargo
consisted of 88 tons for the local
Standard Oil plant; 184 tons for local
and rail, and 60 tons for westward
districts.
Aviator Noel Wien of Fairbanks
made a flight to Fort Yukon last
week with Charles Strom. The plane
left Fairbanks just after breakfast
and was back before dinner.
FAIRBANKS COUPLE WED
Mrs. Mary Black and John M. Wat
son, both of Fairbanks, were united
in marriage last Friday by U. S. com
missioner Boyd. They will make their
home in Fairbanks.
BIG DREDGE NEARLY READY
G. G. Lemons, of the Tanana Valley
Gold Dredging Company, ltd., reports
that the big dredge which is to oper
ate on Fish creek will be completed
by September 5, and that he expects
to have it working by September 25.
Join Urbach’s Circulating Library,
15c to read a late book. tf
The Alaska Railroad
TRAINS LEAVE SEWARD
7:30 A. M.
Mon.—Wed.—Frl.
A train leaves Seward at 8:U) a. m.
Sundays for Anchorage and Interme
diate points. Arrives Seward at 2:15
p. m. from Anchorage.
TRAINS ARRIVE SEWARD
7:00 P. M.
T ues.—Thurs.—Sat.
STEAMSHIP STARR
NEXT SAILING TO WESTWARD SEPT. 10
San Juan Fishing and Packing Co.
G. C. HENDERSON, Agent
PHONE MADI80N 13*. 8EWARD, ALA8KA
.........
I ALASKA STEAMSHIP i
COMPANY
Southwestern Alaska Route Schedule
Vessel—
Northwestern
Alaska
Yukon
Northwestern
Alaska
Yukon
Scheduled
Lv. Seattle
Aug. 8
Aug. 15
Aug. 22
Aug. 29
Sept. 5
Sept. 12
Scheduled
Ar. Seward
Aug. 15
Aug. 22
Aug. 29
Sept. 5
Sept. 12
Sept. 19
Scheduled Sail
from Seward
Aug. 16
Aug. 23
Aug. 30
Sept. 6
Sept. 13
Sept. 19
5 steamers in the above schedule will make all regular ports of call —
S “ Southeastern and Southwestern Alaska. E
E in above schedule wil1 n°t ieave Seward earlier than FOUR E
E U LL.OCK Sunday afternoon, sailing dste.
= above Cste?n,d(.°r?daV oarryin,3 freight and passengers, connects with =
= "andpoints weeky’' for Cook and Kodiak Is- =
= 1 1 omts’ subject to change without notice. —
PHONE MAIN 125
J. H. FLICKINGER, Agent
= miii .. SEWARD, ALASKA =
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iiiiiimiimimmiimim:
Excursion Rates
DURING
Shriner’s Ceremonial
For the interest of those who wish to journey to Fairbanks for
the Shriner’s Ceremonial in that city August 19th and 20th, the
regular Excursion Fare of one and one-third the one-way fare, for
round trip, will be in effect.
Sale Dates
Sale dates for tickets from points south of Curry will be Au
gust 15th, 16th and 17th; sale date for tickets from Curry and sta
tions north will be August 18th.
Final Return Limit: August 25th
Stopovers, with final return limit date, allowed on all tickets.
department of the interior
The Alaska Railroad
(McKinley Park Route)
Seward
Anchorage Curry Nenana Fairbanks
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