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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1882)
ct: v THE . WEST SHORE. July, 1 88a quantities of fish are annually taken by the Indian and cured for food. - Fish constitutes one of the most important article of diet for all the coait tribet, and they take much interest in fishing) but ai a general thing they prefer their ancient implement! to more modem itylea of civiliied nation. From Fort Wrangle we piutccd to tea in a westerly course, and having passsed around Cape ' Ommam, at the southern end of Baranoff Island, ' we sight Mount Edgecombe on Kruzof Island, ' and changing our course to the east we enter the harbor of Sitka or New Archangel as it was formerly called. While the Russians held possession of Sitka it was a place of considerable importance; but latterly ' since the Americans have occupied it and since the soldiers have been removed, it has fallen into decay. The only thing which keeps it up is that it it the port of entty, with a custom house. There' is also a Creek church with a fine chime of bells and some fine pictures, and other decorations in the interior, which were given by the Empress Catherine, of Russia, years ago. The other principal buildings in the town are the former residence of the Russian governor, the custom house and the military barracks, all of which' are built of muilv timl. .a i... - - KIIU TT lit for years. But the new towns of Harrisburg and -Takou,' where the gold mines are situated, have ' taken the trad and population from Sitka, and it li only the monthly visit of the mail steamer which gives it a sort of temporary life. It is, however, a good place to study Indian customs, although there are not as many carved columns and outside decorations to the buildings at are to be seen on Queen Charlotte's Islands. The ortuary customs of the Indians are very similar II along the northwest coast We give an illustration of Chief Shakes lying in state at Fort Wrangle, of the grave of Chief Bella Bella Jack edof ababy's grave. The latter ii of Interest from Ussiwplicily. The litllechild'scanoeand other toys t delayed, and the whole showing the affection of the Bother who placed the relics about the frave. In the view representing Shakes may be mn the shawl of heraldic design behind his head and another one placed over his per. On his '7' "lme from the back of which depends a cloak mi. a . .Li I. . .. " - aeer-skms thickly corned with white ermine skins. The MlAWd nta.l. f .1. . .. . . . . wuu o, me mountain -7 unw, iue bears bad. hU nght and left indie, hi, f.milv The whole of the surrounding, areev" wealth and importance in hi. tribe. Jlh practice amon. iK- , " ' . , - , "VHiucto Indians ' "P'M the manners of the WU JopU and bury thedead. Still, the cu.,1 Wd are buried. The carvJdum rrrponjandwg, A chief, lifter .Mag ooeamd, will collect hi. friend. (Kucucr ruv, given on such or-..;. itcn .at filfta hundred dollars wunh nuT Ou, illuuratio. shows mTJ " t wmov. at Um comet of building h a raviMi nn the ton. underneath which is a series of discs which represent the hat worn by a person of rank, and called by the Haidas, Tadinskillik, under this are the bear, beaver, frog and crow. The next column represents the killer or grampus " Orca ater" with its tail erect in the air; the bird on the summit represents the Thunder bird, or Eagle, and underneath it is a human figure. The carving on the light hand is one of the big columns face down. These columns or pillars are hollowed out in the back to make them lighter to handle and are almost universally alike. From Sitka to Takou the tourist has to pass through Poghibshi or Peril strait into Chatham strait and thence through Prince Frederick's Sound. Harris burg or Takou city is as yet in its incipiency and simply represents a mining town, but its prospects bright and its friends predict for it a brilliant future. The whole voyage from Portland to the new mining towns is one of intense interest, and as the county becomes better known it will be attractive to hundreds of people who now visit the European cities for summer recreation. NATURAL ADVANTAGES, As the wholesale destruction of timber in Ore gon and Washington must eventually exhaust the supply, the wise foresight in the purchase of Alas. ka, will be generally appreciated by the citizens of tne united States. To Alaska we must eventu ally look for our ship-building timber. On the mountains of Baranoff Island, on which Sitka is situated, and on the adjacent islands, we find fine timber, consisting of birch, spruce and yellow pine, the latter a splendid ship-building material. The island, are very rocky, but wherever a piece of soil can be found on a slope toward the south it will serve as a garden to raise potatoes nd turnips, and sometimes even cabbage. The climate is moderate, on account of a warm current in the neighborhood, but it rains almost continually, the amount of moisture falling ther. being greater than at any other place in the Uni ted States. This description wiU serve for all the u and, Wr"6cll, opposite the mouth of the Stickeen to Fairwea.her Bay. Of the main land ymg east of the islands, very little i, known, as irFtnh? ,re very - thTml. T hC KMai Peni" northward the mainland is accessible, as far a, any opposition "v""""4 clirn.te'Su ""eh colder. Vegetable, cannot be grown except K'onightSfan jwh. At the trading post at the mouth of Kenai river .few poUto prden$ rfiJii on,y found n the - '"dies, variety of which ripen du mg hS winner months; and wild curr.ni. , heltered valleys. Rr h wme tered ,he mineral 0T7e dime. lnnu region, of more genial caught in gill nets or with baskets pushed out h,to the stream with long poles. From the head of Cook's Inlet, northward, fte interior is almost unknown except the course of the Yukon, a magnificent stream which take, it, rise in the British possessions, and has been n,,. "gated for i.Soo wiles. '. The Aleutian Islands produce berries and grass, but no timber is to be found on any of them, the Aleuts depending on driftwood for fuel, but of thU a great quantity is cast upon the beach by a friend, ly southerly current. Sulphur can be obtained on some of these islands, which are all of volcanic origin. The climate here is comparatively mild and Siberian cattle can be easily wintered. On the island of Kodiak which has a length of ninety miles by forty to fifty miles in width, the Rm sians first established themselves. The climate is mild and allows the cultivation of potatoes, turnips and hay. -' Immediately north of Kodiak is the! island of Afognak, which contains in its southern tnd a colony of Russians established there at the liegfo. ning of this century, the people of which till tie soil, raise cattle, and, besides, are experts as !at builders. . . ,: y The most important commercial enterprise of , southeastern Alaska, is the Northwest Trading Co., of which Mr. Paul Schulze Is President, and C. Spuhn, General Manager." The head ofRc'e it located in Portland. The company began opera tionsin 1880, and besides extensive oil works at Kilisnoo, has trading posts established and in successful operation at Sitka, at Hoonyah, on Cross . Sound, at Chilcoot at the head of Lynn Cannlj at Kilisnoo on Chatham Straits, at Juneau City or Takou mines on Gastineaux Channel, and at Kai gan on Cardova Bay on the southern extremity of Prince of Wales Island. ' , A glance at the map will convince even the met casual observer, that judicious business juilg-nent has been used in the selectiop of these tridrng posts, and whilst the company is already doing the largest business in the southeastern Alaska, their operations are spreading over the main land so rapidly, that it is only a question of time when iue ouiK ot the Alaska trade will be transacted by them. Two of their steamers find constant em ployment, one in connection with the fishing en terprises and in carrying freight between thedif ferent posts, and the other in Whaling. Engaged in the fisheries, the oil works, and the different posts, the company employ about sixty men, nearly one-half of which are Indians, who are used almost exclusively in fishing. '..';.: . Aside from the manufacture of oil, curing fish, etc., etc., the company Is largely engaged in trad mg in furs with the Indians, and whilst of course studying their own interest, they by no means " ight Of the Welfare nf h. TnHi.n. win been almost solely instrumental in preventing the -...vuuuion ana manufacture of intoxicating hquors; and in no wav can th TnHi.n. ht intpr- est be better protected than by shutting down on Tourists eiDrem ih.ir .j.L J Uawdson iews of scenery and public buildings of the Pacific Northwest. ft.it. .,thwMt corner of First and Yamhill streets, Portland, Or. . For the verv h u. .-j tiiM it f""""i;piii 01 mu iivic "
