10 



south' winds. Good water is near at hand, an arm of the 

 river being not more than sixty yards from us. Besides the 

 above advantages we have the following, which have a direct 

 bearing on our future work. Being near the trading - post, 

 we get to see a great many natives from villages up and 

 down the river, and on the tundra. The location is central. 

 Taking a two days' journey with a dog-team as a radius, 

 we form the center of a circle, within whose limits may be 

 found a population of 1200 natives, according to the lowest 

 possible estimate." 



The Winter, which soon set in, was unusually severe. 

 In October neighboring lakes were like rock in the grasp 

 of the arctic cold ; and though warm waves at intervals 

 made the climate more endurable, it was the end of May 

 before the river was clear of ice. Meantime medicine was 

 practiced amongst the natives, whose language formed a 

 constant study, and religious services were statedly main- 

 tained. In short, the Mission was being established. On 

 January 10 Elizabeth Louisa Weinland was born, the first 

 white American child in the Kuskokwim District. 



Meantime it had become evident to those charged with 

 the administration of the Mission, that a station should be 

 founded at Nushagak also, in order to secure more frequent 

 communication with Bethel, there being five salmon-can- 

 neries at the mouth of the former river visited several times 

 a year by sailing vessels, whilst Bethel could be reached 

 only twice a year. For this undertaking the Rev. 

 Frank Wolff and wife, of Greenbay, Wis. , volunteered ; 

 and their services being accepted, the former was sent in 

 the Spring of 1886 to San Francisco to get together and 

 have prepared materials for a mission-house and school, in 

 such a way that the work of erection might proceed as 

 rapidly as possible after they had been transported to 

 Alaska. Greatly assisted by Christian friends, and receiv- 

 ing particular kindness from the president of the Arctic 

 Fishing Co., Mr. Rholffs, whose vessel, the Sadie F. Caller, 

 under tlie command of the same Captain who had brought 

 the Brethren Hartmann and Weinland back from Nushagak 

 in 1884, was to transport him and all his materials gratis, 

 Brother Wolff sailed on July 17, reached Nushagak on 



