14 INTRODUCTION OK DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 



Notwithstandino- the demand for transportation to the now mines at 

 Nome, I was able to secure freight on the supplies for the reindeer 

 stations from San Francisco to the Teller and Eaton Reindeer stations 

 at the low rate of ^10 per ton, ship measurement, the prevailing rate 

 being from ^0 to $60. 



Eaton Station. — This station, the location of which was selected in 

 the winter of 1807-98, was not occupied until the fall of 1898. It is 

 situated in a well-sheltered valley on the north bank of the Unalaklik 

 River, al>out S miles from the seashore. During the winter of 1S98-99 

 the logs w(M"e cut in the surrounding forest and whipsawed into lum- 

 ber, from which was erected a large two and a half story main build- 

 ing, a large warehouse with a workshop in the basement, together 

 with six double ca])ins one and a half stories high for the herders. 



School. — School was kept by Dr. F. H. Gambell at Eaton Station, 

 as usual, during the j'ear, and reports indicate greater progress than 

 during any former 3'ear. The enrollment consisted of 11 children of 

 the Lapps, with the occasional attendance of the parents, the purpose 

 being to assist the Lapps in acquiring the English language. They 

 are reported to be very apt and quick at leiirning, and during the dark 

 days of winter would often come to school long before the stars had 

 gone out of sight. The character of the pupils makes the school one 

 of more than ordinary interest. 



Medical. — Dr. F. H. Gambell, physician in charge, reports having 

 treated at Eaton Station 106 cases during the 3'ear, Ijcsides numerous 

 minor ailments, such as l)ruises, sprains, etc. Eskimos came to him 

 from Kings Island and the Diomedes, hundreds of miles awa}', by 

 small skin-covered native ]>oats. In the same room have been Indians 

 from a long distance up the Yukon River, with Arctic Eskimos and 

 miners traveling from the mines on the Yukon across to the new-found 

 diggings at Cape Nome. 



HERDS. 



Eaton Station. — The herd at this place numbered 620 full grown rein- 

 deer and 194 fawns. During the summer and winter over 100 animals 

 were broken in and trained to harness. These served last spring the 

 excellent purpose of teams in readiness for the transportation of the 

 troops to the new mines for the purpose of keeping order, the trans- 

 portation of Lapps, and also provision for the miners. During the 

 sunnuer 96 of the sled deer were left at the Teller Reindeer Station as 

 the nucleus of a herd into which could be placed the reindeer brought 

 over from Si])eria. During the fall the herd was depleted b}- the send- 

 ing of 328 head to Point Rodney to replace the deer which, in 1898, were 

 borrowed from that station by the Government, so that the herd at 

 this station at present numbers ])ut 419. If it were possil)le to get a 

 central herd of 5,000 head, the increase would bo sufficient to do away 

 with the necessit}^ of further importation from Siberia. 



