GREAT LAND ALASKA

for being [Music] there it's a bountiful land with deep green [Music] forests long winding Rivers WI sweeps of tundra Shore that came right's population is made up of wild light like this moose this [Music] Caribou these Grizzlies and this band of mountain sheep but human beings making cities like anchor of the north these are modern Pioneers newcomers to Alaska mostly who find with some surprise perhaps that Alaska is quite warm in the [Music] summertime living up north [Music] just for many years the only practical way to get to Alaska was by ocean steamer you went from Seattle through Southeastern Alaska and then across the Gulf of Alaska today you can fly that same route or you can drive across Canada to reach the Alaska highway at Dawson Creek until recently this was virgin Wilderness now this modern Highway carries people and their household goods to the New Frontier you can almost hear it call go north young man beginning at Dawson Creek the Alaska Highway winds and turns for500 miles to reach Fairbanks while connecting highways go to Anchorage Valdes and Seward soon there will be more highways in Alaska Westward through McKinley National Park and across the tundra to gnome let's remember too that Alaska is not all in the far north [Music] the central uan islands are only 250 Mi north of Seattle's latitude going on to the end of the uan chain you are straight north of New Zealand and only 400 mil from Asia at two the last Delan island is so far west that the International Date Line swings out to go around then back to pass Siberia if you were at this spot in an airplane here is what you would see big damid island and siber on the left little diam island in Alaska on the right this is where East Meets West this is Monday on the right and [Music] Tuesday here is the last outby [Music] World and here from almost any spot you can write through the Iron Curtain [Music] [Music] this remote island in the Bearing Sea is home to a handful of Eskimos who live today almost the same as their ancestors lived for centuries they have a school and a church and they are truly patriotic Americans their Island home is a jumble of rocks but it is beautiful reindeer moss grows there in the tundra and when spring comes there are beautiful [Music] flowers the eskimos of little diamed take their living entirely from the sea and their biggest Harvest comes in the spring when the pack ice breaks [Music] up at that time of year it never gets dark in Bearing Sea they can hunt night and day [Music] [Music] it's a seal which soon becomes a seal sandwich but seals are small game not enough to keep a village alive so the hunt goes on and here is the bigger gamer walrus hundreds of them baring sea was made for these animals it is shallow and on its bottom are clam beds the staff of light to a [Music] walrus they're lazy fellows these walrus sound asleep probably dreaming of ships and shoes and ceiling [Music] wax hunting like this is dangerous a walrus weighs a ton or more and can rip a boat to pieces [Music] the Harvest is good on this trip two walrus a full load for one UMC and when the hunters arrive at the Village they get a helping hand from everyone the UMC is unloaded and it makes quite a collection there's meat here for many a dinner and the captain of the UMC beans as his wife sharpens her knife after the meat is stored the women go to work each Waller's hide is nearly an inch thick and must be split in two thus making two hides out of one [Music] these are used as hulls for the Eskimo boats umcs or skin boats as they are called very little of the walrus is wasted even the intestine is used though not for making sausage after being cleaned it is cut into strips and skillfully sewn together making a perfect raincoat or windbreaker the tusks of the walrus provide Ivory which is skillfully cut into small pieces and carved into animal figures bracelets necklaces wristwatch bands beads and other curios which are sold in stores all over Alaska [Music] southeast of diamed Island lies gnome historic City of Gold Rush [Music] days where millions of dollars in gold dust were taken from [Music] SS today gold is dug up from great depths beneath the tundra it is separated mechanically from travel and sand in which it is [Music] found most of the prospecting in Alaska today is carried on scientifically by use of electronic and other sensitive [Music] instruments in Southeastern Alaska where salmon fishing formerly was the main industry large Mills are being built to make use of huge Forestry reserves some of these Mills produce Lumber others like this one produce high-grade [Music] pulp there are vast potentials of water power in Alaska some of it has been harnessed as in this plant near ketan and in this one near [Music] Anchorage Alaska still is emerging from beneath the I age and you can see this from your car when you drive [Music] north in fact you can drive your car right up to a glacier and have [Music] a tourists begin driving north to Alaska in June when winter loosens its grip and days grow [Music] long they find good accommodations at lodges and they feel the warm welcome from one Pioneer to those who [Music] follow there's nothing like a blazing fireplace and relaxation after the day's travel nothing like the hospitality of the north and nothing like those Frontier meals if you drive north in September you'll see the tundra turn bright red making the countryside look as if it is on fire for miles and you may surprise a moose on the road for an exciting Adventure you can go to McKinley National Park where at Camp Denali roughing it is the [Music] rule for breakfast sourdough hot cakes with Mount McKinley looking through the window and after breakfast you shoulder your pack and put on your boots there's climbing to [Music] do better bring your camera along too you'll find plenty of pictures to take and you may get a chance to shoot Mount McKinley highest mountain in North America 20,300 ft High nearly four vertical miles of rock snow and ice oh here's another picture hold still there thank you those who drive to Alaska will remember the Alaska Highway a road that was built during the second world war to service airfields on the route to Alaska today this highway maintained by by the Canadian Army and the Alaska Road Commission is a vital military and economic link to the expanding Northern [Music] Frontier every day in the year people are driving up and down the Alaska Highway tourists in summer alaskans and Canadians in all seasons [Music] and trucks whose drivers know this long gravel Highway in good weather and bad this truck seen through a windshield wiper is finding the road a bit sloppy but a highway trip to Alaska has its rewards like the sight of Alberta's Rich Plains if you were a driver of one of these specially designed Alaska Vans you might pull in at this service station on the way there you might meet a Canadian buddy and that of course would call for a cup of coffee but soon you're on your way and you reach Edmonton capital of the province of [Music] Alberta where you have to discharge part of your load and pick up another and you have a delivery of household goods to make in this modern [Music] city reaching Alaska you find smooth paved highways and beautiful scenery almost everywhere at the end of a day's run you may see a beautiful Alaska sunset [Music] as well as modern highways Alaska has a modern railroad running 470 mi from Seward on the coast to Fairbanks deep in the interior carrying people and Freight on regular daily [Music] schedules where highways and the Alaska railroad do not run the scheduled Airlines of Alaska provide daily passenger and Freight [Music] Service alaskans travel by air 30 times as often as people in the [Music] states Alaska's famous Bush Pilots can take you literally almost anywhere you want to go up North [Music] Alaska has one of the finest school systems in the world with modern new school buildings in nearly every [Music] Community Teaching Standards are very high and when students are graduated from high schools they can go on to the University of Alaska near Fairbanks a wide variety of courses is offered there including strategic studies of geophysics in this far north latitude it is easier to analyze the night sky structure and the Aurora Borealis Alaska is continually enlarging her University and improving its naturally beautiful [Music] campus still another Frontier up north is that of National Defense its mission is to guard the vital Northern approaches to North America all weather jet fighter interceptors are held in Readiness at strategic bases throughout Alaska with pilots on the alert at every [Music] moment when there's business overhead they get there fast and their Rockets pack a deadly sting [Music] On Maneuvers it's just like the real [Music] thing while on the ground armored troops are ready to repel any Invader it is surprising to most people to learn that winter doesn't slow alaskans down a bit roads are kept open and carnivals are held in many cities like the fur Rendevous in Anchorage this is playtime up north Eskimos come from the Arctic and leap apparently right over the post office ceremonial dances held by the eskimos in the Municipal Auditorium tell stories of great hunting parties great Legends of the past [Music] the main street of Anchorage is cleared of traffic for 3 days and dog teams from all over Northern Alaska compete for large [Music] prizes crowds overflow into the countryside to watch the racers go by on the 20m course which ends at the starting point in front of the city [Music] hall a highlight of the Anchorage fur Rendevous is the daily fur auction where Lively bidding brings consumer face to face with producer this is a meeting that any producer would enjoy [Music] [Music] some of the smaller Alaska towns also hold winter celebrations and this one at Homer features a baseball game Subzero coal doesn't keep this player from hitting a Texas leager and snowshoes don't stop anyone from making a home [Music] run a frozen lake makes a first class racetrack if you drive nothing better than a galap and if you don't mind skidding around the curves the winter carnival at Fairbanks begins with a colorful parade in which this float emphasizes the Strategic location of Alaska in Continental defense although it's 10 below zero everybody turns out for the parade including the natives from surrounding [Music] Villages at Fairbanks the dog races are as important as the Kentucky Derby with purses running as high as $10,000 [Music] in the mountains above Anchorage is the best skiing in North America snowfall is heavy here and strong winds pack the snow just right skiing is good until early summer altitude 4,000 ft until you start cutting it down on a run like this [Music] down to 3,000 ft in a few [Music] minutes in recent years farming has expanded more than any other occupation in Alaska there's a ready Market locally for all farm products dairying amounts to several million dollars [Music] annually Farmers have their own cooperative and are constantly improving their methods of production to cope with conditions of the north Matanuska Valley near Anchorage with Matanuska showing in the distance is now checkered with Farms Springtime up north calls for PL plowing and planting and in the fall comes the Harvest of potatoes and [Music] oats and when the Harvest is in Farmers Count Their Blessings in Alaska as they do everywhere in the world of course there's a fair and competition is [Music] Keen the judges go into a huddle to decide who has raised the best livestock Alaska has some good cattle country and of course some attractive cow girls too it's a small fair but a good one with pretty girls and a huge cabbage and Kathy who won first prize for the best dressed chicken it's no wonder that people are moving to Alaska making it the fastest expanding area under the American flag especially since moving today even to Alaska can be accomplished with the greatest of ease you just drive off as if you were going on a vacation and Company trained moving men do all the [Music] rest while you're enjoying the drive to Alaska your household goods scientifically packed are going their separate way to your new home they may go on an ocean vessel or if you're in a hurry they can go by air by air by sea or by Highway moving household goods to Alaska today is safe efficient and on schedule and when it's done right your arrival there is all the more pleasant it's just like home having your own household goods in the New Frontier and it's good to arrive fresh good to begin your share of building a brand new segment of America good to be among friends who are equally dedicated to building a better life for this is their hope their future this is [Music] [Applause] [Music]