INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 21 



St. Michael to the Golovin Bay iiiining region. When there was no 

 longer any need for their presence at Golovin Bay the Lapps and rein- 

 deer returned the soldiers to St. Michael without accident or difficidty. 

 If the reindeer had Ijeen engaged in the mail service they could not 

 h i\e performed the transportation thus unexpectedly required of them. 



REINDEER TRANSPORTATION. 



In order to further demonstrate the possil)ilities of reindeer trans- 

 portation, and as an act of humanity and relief to the crowd of miners 

 that had flocked into the Cape Nome region and were short of pro- 

 visions, the reindeer station agreed to transport a limited amount of 

 food from St. Michael to Nome, which was done, and payment was 

 rendered for the same by the transportation companies, by furnishing 

 necessary food supplies to the station. 



THE REINDEER AS A TACK ANIMAL. 



During the summer Mr. Hank Summers, for fifteen years a miner 

 and prospector in Alaska, and secretary of the Pioneer Association of 

 the Yukon Valley, procured the loan of a reindeer from one of the 

 mission stations. Upon this deer he packed his tent, l)lankets, pro- 

 vision, and tools during the entire sunnner. When not engaged in 

 packing, his reindeer was picketed out, and ever}^ where found the rein- 

 deer moss — its natural food. Mr. Sunmiers has had many years of 

 long and painful experience in packing provisions on his ])ack, and 

 worrying with dog teams. After the experience of the siunmer's 

 prospecting with a pack reindeer h(i testified at the close of the season, 

 "I can not say too much in praise of the reindeer; they are a decided 

 success; I have never found anj^hing so useful for packing or for 

 food as the reindeer." 



REQUESTS FOR REINDEER. 



In the contract made between the War Department and the Lapland- 

 ers, on Fe])ruary 1, 1S98, was a clause that, after two years' service, 

 such of the Laplanders as might wish it could have a loan of 100 head 

 of reindeer for from throe to five years, at the end of which time they 

 would return the 100 head of deer to the Government, retaining the 

 increase as their private propert3\ Several of the Laplanders have 

 made such requests for the season of 1899. NearW all of them desired 

 to secure herds for themselves and go into the business of raising rein- 

 deer in Alaska, considering it a much more remunerative field for that 

 industry than Lapland. 



I have also received a petition from a number of minei's in the 

 region of Kotzebue Sound, who were so impressed ])y the destitution 



