SEWARD'S FOLLY

foreign [Music] this desolate region became a part of the United States in 1867 when William Henry Seward then second state completed negotiations for its purchase from the Imperial Russian government at a cost of seven million [Music] this Barren territory was to produce many harrowing experiences for those who strove to pry into its Rosen Secrets explorers had to arrive by sea and often unaware of the climatic conditions of this region were forced either to battle their way through the dangerous ice flows or remain icebound then one day in the fall of 1890 the native wife of George Washington marmac fishing in the Klondike River discovered that precious yellow mineral it was too rude to the outside world not until a leaky wooden trap steamer linked into what is now called Puget Sound Seattle then a small Sawmill Tower Heirs of the world hum the electric word gold the trip from Seattle to this Northland was filled with stories lost and claims stolen finally the boat docked at Skagway then on to Daye at the foot of chilkooth pass this was the last outpost where all gathered and awaited favorable conditions for the trip no one has the worst Trail this side of Hades many times dangers arose even after the trip was started it took a long time to make the climb over the 3500 foot rides often one of the warm winds called Chinook started to blow without warning and invariably an avalanche resulted this added greatly to the hazards of the journey a chinook in childhood pass meant almost certain disaster thus that Alaska test those who wooed her favor [Music] foreign further and further into the Wilderness those now Hardy sourdoughs press every Creek and stream bed knew the of their feet and the gold pens but the lure of the Northland was upon them they succumbed to the spell of those Enchanted distances at the edge of the world there they have remained to forge an Empire of peace and prosperity in the land they once might have cursed but later learned to love foreign [Music] Spirit to achieve a goal once set upon finds a flaming counterpart in the king salmon of Alaska's roaring streams a familiar sight to any who have traveled the rivers of this far north is seeing the salmon jump at spawning time they go from the ocean into the fresh waters and they left no physical handicap such as Rapids or Falls hinder them from reaching their destinations thank you as we follow the course of the rivers we're beginning to realize that Alaska is not all ice and snow but instead is a land of Scenic Beauty rich in natural and animal resources Seward was right after all there is much more here than icebergs and Glaciers we know now that spring has arrived as the Bears have come from their winter hibernation and are busily satisfying their hunger we're amused to see a mother and come half playing half intent on the business at hand need we say they're catching salmon for their lunch [Music] progressing further we see more of Nature's Wonderland sparkling Blue Lakes with snow-capped mountains touching the sky vast solitudes and far Horizons still Untouched by man Wildlife that knows no fear unaware of the dangers of gun and shell [Music] herds of moose frolicking in the river enjoying spring and early summer while they last [Music] which is a species of the reindeer of Northern America swimming orders they love so well and enjoying nature at its best those pioneers of snowbound 98 who paved the way to this rugged land realized the Enchantment of Alaska's summer season the Journey Down the River starts By Moonlight giving still another beautiful Vista for us to remember as we head once more for the Seacoast our arrival in Gnome is marked with a celebration of native dancing girls it might be interesting to note that these Eskimo dancing girls are markedly similar in a great many ways to the Aboriginal maidens of all Plains Indians the hopies and the navajos [Music] the dancing is not limited to the fair sex however what the men lack in the charm and Grace of the girls they make up for in their expressions [Music] here art and expression give way to muscle or maybe they're warming up for a football game or could it possibly be an ballet group limbering up for a concert today vast herds of Reindeer roam the Tundras in the vicinity of Norm few realize that the reindeer is not a native of this continent they were brought over Alaska from Lapland by our government to provide a food supply for the Eskimo when his natural food the seal the walrus and Caribou became diminished from over hunting [Music] apart from the mineral Industries salmon fishing and canning is most important over two-thirds of the world's supply of canned salmon comes from Alaska the yearly yield of this table delicacy averages over a quarter of a million tons worth in dollars six to seven times the original cost of Seward's fund other fish have lesser importance are Herring Cod and halibut perhaps the time may come when Uncle Sam will say I need more coal and our oil is running low I have to go elsewhere for my Meat and Fish and my banks have no more gold I need copper tin iron and oil for my factories well when that time comes Alaska can say it's here everything you're looking for just come and get it and it's yours fishing is no easy job no Alaskan Pioneer knows more hardships or privation than the Halibut or Cod fisherman who have supplied the states with more than a million pounds of halibut in a single day as the country was developed people came to realize that Commodities other than gold offered valuable returns and other great profits were taken from Waters of this Northern Empire the fishing business alone would have well repaid Uncle Sam for the purchase of his icebox [Music] ceiling was practically the only industry in Alaska when the United States purchased this country the supply of these valuable sea mammals has been greatly reduced since they were used for their oil fur and hives now our government has undertaken their protection [Music] this copper mine is the richest in the whole world and has produced in a single shipment more than the cost of the entire Alaskan territory the introduction of hydraulic mining has replaced the individual huge Jets of water are used to wash away the sides of mountains and then the gold is recovered from the loosened mass of Earth the unrivals Alaska has finally been discovered by tourists and has become one of America's most famous vacation lands up-to-date cities have replaced the old Boom Town Days of the gold rush and their cultural significance is on a par with those of like size in the United States the smooth Inside passage once the terror of the sourdough has been proclaimed one of the most beautiful of all modern waterways little does one realize while riding in the luxurious trains that wind their way up the slopes to the Dizzy Heights of this pass that surveyors had to be lowered on ropes as much as a thousand feet from these very Cliffs to lay out the course of right-of-way which men said could not be built too much praise cannot be given those Valiant men who Blaze the way those sourdoughs who pioneered this America's Last Frontier and the far-sighted Engineers who planned and executed this railroad to those who did what could not be done and brought this land of beauty within the reach of all our sincere commendation thank you the first train to make the passage from the interior to the Sea carried over two million dollars worth of gold in its baggage cars gold from one of the countless hundreds of Alaska's mines produced in a few short years a revenue nine times greater than the whole sum paid for Alaska from her vast resources Alaska has paid into the culpers of the United States government many thousand times its purchase price [Music] as all modern today crowds Unforgettable yesterday from the Alaskan scene may we pay homage to those Valiant ones who sleep there last long so you know they helped to build even by their failure theirs was a courageous Trek into an hospitable unknown land May their pioneering Spirits rest from a job well done regretfully taking leave of these Majestic mountains towering high in their Frozen Splendor we went our way Homeward shut the cells sewards folly