Diorama in the old Hall 10 utilizing Eskimo artifacts and dogs collected by Miner Bruce. 



Sound region and that it was in storage in Atlanta. Bruce 

 expected to use the artifacts in connection with another 

 exhibition of Eskimos he had brought south with him 

 and then deliver them to the Museum in Chicago. He 

 also brought five dogs with him for the exhibit, and they 

 were being held temporarily at the zoo in Washington, 

 D.C. Bruce also spoke of organizing another trip the fol- 

 lowing year, at which time he would have "a ship of my 

 own" and would visit northeastern Siberia. He seemed 

 particularly anxious to justify his traveling exhibition to 

 Skiff who, in fact, had expressed no particular interest 

 in it. 



I suppose you know that my object in bringing the 

 Eskimo to the United States was not for exhibition pur- 

 poses but to assist me in my effort with the Congress to 

 secure an appropriation for the purchase of reindeer in 

 Siberia and bring them among our Eskimo, thus furnish- 

 ing them food and clothing. Two years ago I was able to 

 secure an appropriation for this purpose and I expect to 

 be as successful this time. 



It is noteworthy that Bruce makes no mention of 

 Sheldon Jackson and obviously wished to leave the 

 impression that the reindeer program was his own 

 responsibility. Not surprisingly, perhaps, there is no 

 mention anywhere in the Museum's correspondence 

 with Bruce referring to his service as superintendent of 



the Teller Reindeer Station or to the fact that he was 

 dismissed by Jackson. 



Bruce believed that the collection he had made for 

 Field Museum was an intergral part of his exhibition and 

 hoped that Skiff would have no objections. None were 

 raised, and through the winter and spring of 1896 the 

 exhibition proceeded from Atlanta to Louisville and 

 then to New Albany, Indiana, from which place Bruce 

 expected to bring the collection to Chicago in early 

 May, along with the five dogs that were to be installed in 

 the new exhibit as proposed by Holmes (two of the dogs 

 can still be seen in the Maritime Peoples hall). 



The Kotzebue Sound collection was apparently 

 received by Field Museum on May 6, 1896 (accession 

 259), and in a letter to Skiff written the same day, Bruce 

 made excuses for his failure to collect in Siberia, stress- 

 ing his intention of reaching that area during the coming 

 summer. Concerning the collection he did make, how- 

 ever, he was extremely enthusiastic. 



In the matter of the collection made in Arctic 

 Alaska which I have this day delivered to your Museum, 

 I believe I am safe in saying it embraces a large number of 

 articles and materials illustrating the people of that 

 region and embraces many objects not heretofore 

 obtained by you, and in number it is about four times 

 greater than that which I turned over to your Museum 

 in 1894. 



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