Chapter II: Preface

The Spaniards of old had a proverb signifying that he who would bring home the wealth of the Indies must carry the wealth of the Indies with him. If we would benefit by travel we must take with us an ample store of appreciative intelligence. Nature, like lovely womanhood, only reveals herself to him who humbly and diligently seeks her. As Sir Richard Steele said of a certain noble lady: “To love her is a liberal education.” Keen observation is as necessary to the traveler who would improve by his vocation as are wings to an albatross. The trained and appreciative eye is like the object-glass of the photographic machine, nothing is so seemingly insignificant as to escape it. Careless, half-educated persons are sent upon their travels in order, it is said, that they may “learn.” Such individuals had best first learn to travel. Those who improve the modern facilities for seeing the world acquire an inexhaustible wealth of information, and a delightful mental resort of which nothing can deprive them. The power of vision is thus enlarged, many occurrences which have heretofore proved daily mysteries become clear, prejudices are annihilated, and the judgment broadened. Above all, let us first become familiar with the important features of our own beautiful and widespread land before we seek foreign shores, especially as we have on this continent so much of unequaled grandeur and unique phenomena to satisfy and to attract us. It seems to the undersigned that perhaps this volume will have a tendency to lead the reader to such conclusion, and certainly this is its primary object.

M. M. B.

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CONTENTS.

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CHAPTER I.

PAGE

Itinerary.—St. Paul.—The Northern Pacific Railroad.—
Progress.—Luxurious Traveling.—Riding on a Locomotive.—
Night Experiences.—Prairie Scenes.—Immense Grain-Fields.—
The Badlands.—Climbing the Rocky Mountains.—Cinnabar.—The
Yellowstone Park.—An Accumulation of Wonders.—The Famous
Hot Springs Terrace.—How Formed.—As seen by Moonlight 1

CHAPTER II.

Nature in Poetic Moods.—Is there Lurking Danger?—A
Sanitarium.—The Liberty Cap.—The Giant’s Thumb.—Singular
Caves.—Falls of the Gardiner River.—In the Saddle.—Grand
Cañon of the Yellowstone.—Far-Reaching Antiquity.—Obsidian
Cliffs.—A Road of Glass.—Beaver Lake.—Animal Builders.—
Aborigines of the Park.—The Sheep-Eaters.—The Shoshones
and other Tribes 20

CHAPTER III.

Norris Geyser Basin.—Fire beneath the Surface.—A Guide’s
Ideas.—The Curious Paint Pot Basin.—Lower Geyser Basin.—
Boiling Springs of Many Colors.—Mountain Lions at Play.—
Midway Geyser Basin.—“Hell’s Half Acre.”—In the Midst of
Wonderland.—“Old Faithful.”—Other Active Geysers.—Erratic
Nature of these Remarkable Fountains 34

CHAPTER IV.

The Great Yellowstone Lake.—Myriads of Birds.—Solitary
Beauty of the Lake.—The Flora of the Park.—Devastating
Fires.—Wild Animals.—Grand Volcanic Centre.—Mountain
Climbing and Wonderful Views.—A Story of Discovery.—
Government Exploration of the Reservation.—Governor
Washburn’s Expedition.—“For the Benefit of the People at
Large Forever” 47

CHAPTER V.

Westward Journey resumed.—Queen City of the Mountains.—
Crossing the Rockies.—Butte City, the Great Mining
Centre.—Montana.—The Red Men.—About the Aborigines.—The
Cowboys of the West.—A Successful Hunter.—Emigrant Teams
on the Prairies.—Immense Forests.—Puget Sound.—The Famous
Stampede Tunnel.—Immigration 57

CHAPTER VI.

Mount Tacoma.—Terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad.—
Great Inland Sea.—City of Tacoma and its Marvelous
Growth.—Coal Measures.—The Modoc Indians.—Embarking for
Alaska.—The Rapidly Growing City of Seattle.—Tacoma with
its Fifteen Glaciers.—Something about Port Townsend.—A
Chance for Members of Alpine Clubs 73

CHAPTER VII.

Victoria, Vancouver’s Island.—Esquimalt.—Chinamen.—
Remarkable Flora.—Suburbs of the Town.—Native Tribes.—
Cossacks of the Sea.—Manners and Customs.—The Early
Discoverer.—Sailing in the Inland Sea.—Excursionists.—
Mount St. Elias.—Mount Fairweather.—A Mount Olympus.—
Seymour Narrows.—Night on the Waters.—A Touch of the
Pacific 84

CHAPTER VIII.

Steamship Corona and her Passengers.—The New Eldorado.—The
Greed for Gold.—Alaska the Synonym of Glacier Fields.—
Vegetation of the Islands.—Aleutian Islands.—Attoo our
most Westerly Possession.—Native Whalers.—Life on the
Island of Attoo.—Unalaska.—Kodiak, former Capital of
Russian America.—The Greek Church.—Whence the Natives
originally came 109

CHAPTER IX.

Cook’s Inlet.—Manufacture of Quass.—Native Piety.—Mummies.—
The North Coast.—Geographical Position.—Shallowness of
Behring Sea.—Alaskan Peninsula.—Size of Alaska.—A “Terra
Incognita.”—Reasons why Russia sold it to our Government.—
The Price comparatively Nothing.—Rental of the Seal
Islands.—Mr. Seward’s Purchase turns out to be a Bonanza 127

CHAPTER X.

Territorial Acquisitions.—Population of Alaska.—Steady
Commercial Growth.—Primeval Forests.—The Country teems
with Animal Life.—A Mighty Reserve of Codfish.—Native
Food.—Fur-Bearing Animals.—Islands of St. George and St.
Paul.—Interesting Habits of the Fur-Seal.—The Breeding
Season.—Their Natural Food.—Mammoth Size of the Bull Seals 143

CHAPTER XI.

Enormous Slaughter of Seals.—Manner of Killing.—Battles
between the Bulls.—A Mythical Island.—The Seal as Food.—
The Sea-Otter.—A Rare and Valuable Fur.—The Baby
Sea-Otter.—Great Breeding-Place of Birds.—Banks of the
Yukon River.—Fur-Bearing Land Animals.—Aggregate Value of
the Trade.—Character of the Native Race 159

CHAPTER XII.

Climate of Alaska.—Ample Grass for Domestic Cattle.—Winter
and Summer Seasons.—The Japanese Current.—Temperature in
the Interior.—The Eskimos.—Their Customs.—Their Homes.—
These Arctic Regions once Tropical.—The Mississippi of
Alaska.—Placer Mines.—The Natives.—Strong Inclination for
Intoxicants 173

CHAPTER XIII.

Sailing Northward.—Chinese Labor.—Unexplored Islands.—The
Alexander Archipelago.—Rich Virgin Soil.—Fish Cunning.—
Myriads of Salmon.—Native Villages.—Reckless Habits.—
Awkward Fashions and their Origin.—Tattooing Young Girls.—
Peculiar Effect of Inland Passages.—Mountain Echoes.—
Moonlight and Midnight on the Sea 186

CHAPTER XIV.

The Alaskan’s Habit of Gambling.—Extraordinary Domestic
Carvings.—Silver Bracelets.—Prevailing Superstitions.—
Disposal of the Dead.—The Native “Potlatch.”—Cannibalism.—
Ambitions of Preferment.—Human Sacrifices.—The Tribes
slowly decreasing in Numbers.—Influence of the Women.—
Witchcraft.—Fetich Worship.—The Native Canoes.—Eskimo Skin
Boats 199

CHAPTER XV.

Still sailing Northward.—Multitudes of Water-Fowls.—Native
Graveyards.—Curious Totem-Poles.—Tribal and Family
Emblems.—Division of the Tribes.—Whence the Race came.—A
Clew to their Origin.—The Northern Eskimos.—A Remarkable
Museum of Aleutian Antiquities.—Jade Mountain.—The Art of
Carving.—Long Days.—Aborigines of the Yukon Valley.—Their
Customs 212

CHAPTER XVI.

Fort Wrangel.—Plenty of Wild Game.—Natives do not care for
Soldiers, but have a Wholesome Fear of Gunboats.—Mode of
Trading.—Girls’ School and Home.—A Deadly Tragedy.—Native
Jewelry and Carving.—No Totem-Poles for Sale.—Missionary
Enterprises.—Progress in Educating Natives.—Various
Denominations engaged in the Missionary Work 222

CHAPTER XVII.

Schools in Alaska.—Natives Ambitious to learn.—Wild
Flowers.—Native Grasses.—Boat Racing.—Avaricious Natives.—
The Candle Fish.—Gold Mines Inland.—Chinese Gold-Diggers.—
A Ledge of Garnets.—Belief in Omens.—More Schools
required.—The Pestiferous Mosquito.—Mosquitoes and Bears.—
Alaskan Fjords.—The Patterson Glacier 231

CHAPTER XVIII.

Norwegian Scenery.—Lonely Navigation.—The Marvels of Takou
Inlet.—Hundreds of Icebergs.—Home of the Frost King.—More
Gold Deposits.—Snowstorm among the Peaks.—Juneau the
Metropolis of Alaska.—Auk and Takou Indians.—Manners and
Customs.—Spartan Habits.—Disposal of Widows.—Duels.—
Sacrificing Slaves.—Hideous Customs still prevail 246

CHAPTER XIX.

Aboriginal Dwellings.—Mastodons in Alaska.—Few Old People
alive.—Abundance of Rain.—The Wonderful Treadwell Gold
Mine.—Largest Quartz Crushing Mill in the World.—
Inexhaustible Riches.—Other Gold Mines.—The Great Davidson
Glacier.—Pyramid Harbor.—Native Frauds.—The Chilcats.—
Mammoth Bear.—Salmon Canneries 258

CHAPTER XX.

Glacier Bay.—More Ice Bays.—Majestic Front of the Muir
Glacier.—The Bombardment of the Glacier.—One of the
Grandest Sights in the World.—A Moving River of Ice.—The
Natives.—Abundance of Fish.—Native Cooking.—Wild Berries.—
Hoonish Tribe.—Copper Mines.—An Iron Mountain.—Coal Mines 275

CHAPTER XXI.

Sailing Southward.—Sitka, Capital of Alaska.—Transfer of the
Territory from Russia to America.—Site of the City.—The
Old Castle.—Russian Habits.—A Haunted Chamber.—Russian
Elegance and Hospitality.—The Old Greek Church.—Rainfall
at Sitka.—The Japanese Current.—Abundance of Food.—Plenty
of Vegetables.—A Fine Harbor 293

CHAPTER XXII.

Contrast between American and Russian Sitka.—A Practical
Missionary.—The Sitka Industrial School.—Gold Mines on the
Island.—Environs of the Town.—Future Prosperity of the
Country.—Hot Springs.—Native Religious Ideas.—A Natural
Taste for Music.—A Native Brass Band.—Final View of the
Capital 304

CHAPTER XXIII.

The Return Voyage.—Prince of Wales Island.—Peculiar
Effects.—Island and Ocean Voyages contrasted.—Labyrinth of
Verdant Islands.—Flora of the North.—Political Condition
of Alaska.—Return to Victoria.—What Clothing to wear on
the Journey North.—City of Vancouver.—Scenes in British
Columbia.—Through the Mountain Ranges 321

CHAPTER XXIV.

In the Heart of the Rocky Mountains.—Struggle in a
Thunder-Storm.—Grand Scenery.—Snow-Capped Mountains and
Glaciers.—Banff Hot Springs.—The Canadian Park.—Eastern
Gate of the Rockies.—Calgary.—Natural Gas.—Cree and
Blackfeet Indians.—Regina.—Farming on a Big Scale.—Port
Arthur.—North Side of Lake Superior.—A Midsummer Night’s
Dream 338

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THE NEW ELDORADO

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