AS ONE FOREST RANGER VIEWS IT 



From a Personal Letter from Fred. Hanson, Forest Guard, Fifth District 



Klamath National Forest, Orleans, Humbolt Co,, Cal. 



{REACHED this "Ranger Head- I feel a great interest in the Forest 



quarters" March 13 ; it is 260 miles Service and will do all within my power 



from Yreka. via Somers Bar and to promote the work for the good of the 



Etna. I made the entire journey with administration. I fully realize the great 



pack-horses. I purchased two good importance of preserving the valuable 



horses and the necessary equipment, forests and watersheds in our state not 



costmg in all about $350, and am well only, and selfishlv, for the present 'o-en- 



prepared for services at my camp and eration, but for the generations that^'fol- 



distnct. lo^ ug 



Well, maybe you think I wasn't lone- And what helps most of all is the en- 

 some for a fortnight after coming into thusiasm and inspiration one receives 

 these mountains and forest from the f.^m the forceful leadership of Super- 

 metropolis! Why it.s sixty-five miles ^;,^, Rj^^ard L. P. Bigelow who takes 

 to the nearest railroad, telegraph and , ,^^ ^^.^^^^^ -^ J^ ^^^ ,° T'l 

 express office and wagon road. That's gince writing you last I have come to 

 not bad, is it? Everything from a need e wr^u^u^^^ ^ 1 1 ^ ^*^" ./" 

 to a threshing machine is packed in by ^^^ f ^P^^ f survey out twelve miles 



trail, on muleback and the charge per °^ /''" ^^'^^^" ^?.""1^.7, °^ ^^^ ^^^- 



pound for necessaries is from 4 to 6 T '^''T.r ^^^ ^'^^^' ^^'*'^^^ ^^ 



cents over and above San Francisco Y"^ J^lamath National Forest comprises 



prices. twenty townships, or about 460,000 



Our headquarters is built of logs, sit- ^^^^^ ^{ ^^"^- ^^^^^ ^^ Plenty of sal- 



uated on the trail, four and a half miles ^^^ ^"^ S^^^ during the game season, 



from Orleans, the nearest post-office. I f^o"ghing it. in a country where there 



have been very busy clearing, building '^^ '°^^ °^ S^^^' pure air. and water, isn't 



fences, chopping wood, surveying, etc. ^^ ^ thing, is it? 



To-day, Sunday, I attended an Indian 9" °"^ ^^^^ survey I captured a pret- 



burial. The deceased was quite wealthy *>' !^^^'^ ^awn. After fondling it for a 



in Indian relics and money, considerable while. I laid it under some bushes and 



of which was buried with her. Her watched for the mother. Presently she 



husband perforated her nose and ears ^^^e trotting along, and. finding her 



and attached pieces of the Indian coins jonng one safe immediately disap- 



or wampum. peared again in the thicket. 



There are but two white women here, -'^" Indian near us recently captured 



Misses Arnold and Reed, who are doing 'wo cub bears, about three months old. 



educational and missionary work '"''■a'^ ^^^ female, brown and black, re- 



among the Klamath Indians, and who spectively. They are such cute little 



have been sent out from New Jersey by P^ts ; I call them the Teddy bears, 



the Indian Department. They have For some time past a panther has 



promised to prepare an article about been prowling around our headquarters, 



their experiences with the Indians upon and killing pigs. Last week the dog 



the Klamath and Salmon Rivers. treed it and our neighbor boy shot it. I 



I am interested in Forestry and Ir- found it to weigh 135 pounds, just about 



RiGATiON. My associate, Deputy Ranger the weight of an average man. 



W. H. Hotellings, has some back num- This is Sunday. I am writing this 



bers of the magazine at his home, across letter stretched out on a few quilts in 



the Klamath, and when I am over there our tent. Well, it's nearly noon, the 



again, I'll look through them. beans are about cooked, so I'll close. 

 512 



