THE ALASKA PENINSULA. 



L. BALES. 



The Alaska peninsula is 300 miles long; 

 breaking up at Unimak island into the 

 Aleutian archipelago, which extends 500 

 miles further to the South and West. It is 

 160 miles in width from Cook inlet, on the 

 Pacific side, to Bristol bay on Bering sea. 

 At the Iliamna lake portage — the Northern 

 end of the peninsula — there is some birch 

 and black alder, and plenty of spruce tim- 

 ber along the larger streams. As you pro- 

 ceed Southward, however, the trees soon 

 disappear, and the hills and mountains are 

 covered to the snow line with moss and 

 grass only. 



In June of last year I was one of a party 

 of 4 that went to the Iliamna lake country 

 on a trading expedition. From tidewater 

 on the Pacific, it is 20 miles to the first vil- 

 lage; over an open country for 12 miles, 

 then through scattering spruce from there 

 to the lake. The village stands on a gently 

 rising slope on the North side of a beauti- 

 ful river, 4 miles from the lake. It consists 

 of about 25 substantial log houses, a store 

 and a church. The place is run in the in- 

 terest of the A. C. Co. by 4 brothers. They 

 are half-breeds; their father being a Rus- 

 sian sea captain, and their mother a Kenai 

 Indian woman, of Cook inlet. The elder 

 brother, a large corpulent man, is the head 

 chief, and his word is law, even to the im- 

 posing of a death penalty. Paul, the 

 youngest brother, is sub-chief, and also act- 

 ing priest of the Greek Catholic church. 

 The chief receives $50 a month in cash, and 

 $15 worth of goods; while Paul gets about 

 */2 as much. Another brother spends the 

 summer on the beach, hunting; and in 

 guarding the Co's. cache, where supplies 

 for the village are stored. 



The fourth brother camps on the lake 

 shore, at the mouth of the river. His busi- 

 ness is to watch for the coming of native 

 trading parties, and announce their ap- 

 proach to the chief, that preparations may 

 be made to receive them. A home-made 

 liquor, called hoochinoo, brewed from 

 graham flour, sugar, etc., is brought out, 

 and all hands." gin up." By the time the 

 traders arrive at the village, singing and 

 dancing are in progress. The visitors hold 

 out for a while, but at last join in the fes- 

 tivities, and consume their share of hoochi- 

 noo. Gambling is then added to the other 

 amusements, and the orgies continue from 

 one to 4 weeks; or until the visitors have 

 lost all their furs. Then they return to 

 their homes, with a few goods bought on 

 credit; the value of which, will be deducted 

 from that of their next year's catch. 



When white traders arrive, tents are set up 

 for them, and they are supplied with wood 



and water. If a carouse cannot be started 

 by the natives, then trading begins, and 

 lasts until their furs and money are gone; 

 or until the trader's supplies give out. 

 The Indians have plenty of money, and 

 drive shrewd bargains; yet are honest and 

 trustful. They allowed me to set the price 

 on my goods, and weigh them out; and 

 would then hand me their money boxes, 

 from which I could pay myself. 



Iliamna lake is a fine body of water, 90 

 miles in length and 40 miles in width, and 

 clear as crystal. At the Eastern end are 

 numerous rocky islets, which, in summer, 

 are covered with eggs of gulls and other 

 wild fowl. Plenty of land otters and minks 

 are found about those islets, and there, is 

 the only place I have seen the spotted or 

 fresh-water seal. The lake is full of salmon, 

 trout, and other varieties of fish; among 

 them, a peculiar fish weighing 2 to 5 

 pounds, with a bill like a duck's. Many 

 kinds of wild fowl resort to the region. Oc- 

 casionally, in summer, terrible wind storms 

 visit the lake, sometimes carrying gravel 

 from the beach 50 yards inland. There are 

 5 small villages on this lake. 



North of Iliamna, and connected with it, 

 by a river 6 miles long, is Clark lake or- 

 Kechick Ozra, 100 miles in length. On it 

 are 3 villages; one at the falls on the outlet, 

 one at the North end, and one half way be- 

 tween. There are a few barren ground 

 caribou and mountain sheep found around 

 this lake; also, black and cinnamon bears, 

 wolves, foxes and snowshoe rabbits. 

 Farther to the North, on the head waters 

 of the Kuskokwin river, is a great beaver 

 country. 



The Aleuts, along the seashores, manu- 

 facture many valuable curios from walrus 

 tusks; spending one to 3 years in making 

 an article, and then selling it for a trifle. 

 They are self-supporting, and make cloth- 

 ing from salmon, bird and animal skins, 

 that is well adapted to the climate in which 

 they live. Since the white traders came 

 among them, they are sometimes careless 

 of the future. Two years ago, they failed 

 to put up enough salmon to last until the 

 following season, and as a result, were 

 obliged to eat all their sled dogs, of which 

 they had many. 



The Aleuts seem all to be more or less 

 affected with lung troubles, though they 

 live in comfortable, well heated houses. An 

 old chief pointed out to me, many newly 

 made graves, and said, " My babies, plenty 

 sleep." For all ills they resort to the sweat 

 lodge and the cold plunge. 



A chief exacts a toll from his own tribe, 

 of everything obtained in the chase or 



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