230 FOREST OUTINGS 



mined by waves, broken down into avalanches of glittering ice that falls 

 with a thunderous roar and throws spray hundreds of feet high. To geolo- 

 gists, or to any student of earth's history, these glaciers and the surrounding 

 lands are doubly fascinating, for they present, in a limited space, a series of 

 related geologic views leading back from present-day conditions to the 

 time of the last Ice Age. Nowhere on this continent can glaciers be more 

 readily visited than on the Alaskan Coast. They can be seen from an ocean 

 or river steamer, from plane or motorcar, or from foot trails. 



Innumerable lakes, carved out of the high gulches of steep mountain 

 ranges by former glaciers, are sources of vertical waterfalls that also may be 

 seen along the sea channels. Varied rock formations, extensive zones of 

 mineralization, volcanic cones, lava flows, and glacier-carved land forms, 

 all free of vegetation at high elevations, give a further variety to the scene. 

 The minerals include gold, copper, silver, lead, nickel, and platinum. 

 Marble and limestone are abundant and here and there, coal. 



The native Indians, with their curious totem poles and customs, in- 

 terest the casual visitor and the student alike. They form the Haida and 

 Thlinget divisions of their race. Apparently they are more closely related to 

 Oriental peoples than to American Indians. They occupy the immediate 

 coast line and live in 15 or more villages of 100 to 500 population. Their 

 living comes principally from the sea. A few community houses where they 

 formerly lived still stand. Their outstanding art is the carving of totem 

 poles which are placed within and in front of their dwellings to exhibit 

 tribal emblems and perpetuate tribal legends. These Indians also make 

 beautiful dugout war canoes that carry as many as 50 men. They are 

 skilled in blanket and basket weaving, in silver engraving, and in the making 

 of highly ornamental skin clothing. The Forest Service is restoring ancient 

 totem poles and community houses and compiling family histories. Out 

 from Ketchikan an entire Indian village will be rebuilt. Indians will do 

 the work. They are free agents, not wards of the United States, and most 

 of them make their own living. 



The high latitude of this region, its lofty mountains, and the modifying 

 effect of the Japan current on the temperature of lands near sea level give 

 great variety to the vegetation. Within a range of several miles and 3,000 



