k_ '+*»"**£* «£22S!&I^ ■mSKA ,*M* % Captain Francis Tuttle, U. S. R. C. S. Lieut. D. H. Jarvis, U. S. R. C. S. Commander U. S. Revenue Cutter Bear. Executive Officer U. S. Revenue Cutter Bear. REPORT ON WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, SHELDON JACKSON, D. D., GENERAL AGENT OF EDUCATION IN ALASKA. 18 9 6 WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 189 7. CONTENTS. Page. Action of the Senate of the United States of America.. 7 Letter of the Secretary of the Interior to the President of the Senate_ 9 Report of Dr. Sheldon Jackson, United States general agent of education in Alaska, to the Commissioner of Education on the introduction of domestic reindeer into Alaska for 1896._________ 11 Station________ 11 Personnel......... 11 Herds________ 12 Distribution of herds___ ___ 14 Needs of the miners._____ 15 Reindeer for Seal and Aleutian islands..... 16 Importation of Lapps..... 18 Scarcity of food..... 18 Itinerary for 1896____ 19 Obligations to Revenue-Cutter Service. 39 APPENDIX. Annual report of J. C. Widstead, superintendent Teller Reindeer Station... 43 Daily journal at Teller Reindeer Station, T. L. Brevig.. 61 Meteorology at Teller Reindeer Station, J. C. Widstead___ 91 Annual report of reindeer at Cape Nome__ 55 Annual report of reindeer at Cape Prince of Wales, Thomas Hanna_ 99 Annual report of reindeer at Golovin Bay, N. O. Hultberg___ 101 Transfer of reindeer to Swedish and Episcopalian missions.. 103 Driving of a herd of reindeer from Port Clarence to Golovin Bay_ 105 An inland trip from Point Barrow, by Mr. L. M. Stevenson_ 108 Letter of instructions from Dr. Sheldon Jackson to William A. Kjellman, superintendent______ 109 Dr. Lyall’s report on diseases of reindeer.... 113 The colonization of Lapps_______ _ 115 Circular letter to mission societies..... 119 Reply of American Missionary Association--- 122 Reply of Moravian Missionary Society----- 122 Reply of the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church- 123 Correspondence of Hon. Clifton R. Breckinridge, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Russia, concerning reindeer-- 124 Application to the Russian Government for permission to establish a tem¬ porary station in Siberia for the purchase of reindeer.... 125 Rev. Francis Barnum, S. J. (Roman Catholic), on need of reindeer. 126 3 4 CONTENTS. Page. Dr. John B. Driggs (Episcopalian) on need of reindeer... 130 Dr. J. H. Romig and Rev. S. H. Rock (Moravian) on need of reindeer_ 131 P. B. Weare on need of reindeer... 132 V. C. Gambell (Presbyterian) on need of reindeer_ 132 Rev. Alex. E. Karlsen (Swedish Evangelical) on need of reindeer_ 133 Rev. N. O. Hnltberg (Swedish Evangelical) on need of reindeer_ 134 Correspondence concerning placing of reindeer on the Seal Islands_ 135 Correspondence concerning placing of reindeer on the Semidi Islands_ 137 Condition of Arctic Eskimo__ 139 Index..... 143 ILLUSTRATIONS. Face page. Tuttle, Capt. Francis, U. S. R. C. S.. Frontispiece. Jarvis, Lieut. D. H., U. S. It. C. S__Frontispiece. Reindeer: Typical reindeer man, Siberia, his house and family.. 14 Unga: Mr. and Mrs. O. R. McKinney and pupils........ 18 Unalaska......... 20 Reindeer: Loading at St. Lawrence Bay...... 22 Cape Thompson, Arctic Ocean_____ 28 Point Barrow: Presbyterian Mission house and school building_ 32 Cape Prince of Wales, Bering Straits........ 34 Reindeer: Harnessed to sled... 36 Fulcomer, Miss Anna, Circle City.. 38 Salamatoff, Miss Matrona, Unalaska______ 38 Hilton, Miss Olga, Sitka___ 38 Mellor, Miss Elizabeth, Unalaska........ 38 Brevig, Rev. T. L., Teller Reindeer Station____ 40 Romig, J. H., Bethel.... 40 Roscoe, W. E., Kadiak______ 40 Shull, U. P., Sitka...... 40 Sea Gull, Bering Sea ..... 46 Eggs of wild fowl, Bering Sea.. 48 Herders: Teller Reindeer Station__________ 50 Reindeer: Herded on the beach____ 80 Sitka: Schoolhouse No. 1______ 100 Sitka: Group of school children, Presbyterian Mission... 104 Juneau: Miss E. Saxman and pupils, School No. 2.. 108 Afogna'k: Mrs. C. M. Colwell and pupils..... 112 Kilbuck, Henry and Katie, Bethel. 120 ACTION OF 1 'HE senate of the united states. In the Senate of the United States, December 17, 1896. Resolved, That the Secretary of the Interior be directed to transmit to the Senate the report of Dr. Sheldon Jackson upon “The intro¬ duction of domestic reindeer into the District of Alaska for 1896.” Wm. R. Cox, Secretary. 7 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. Department of the Interior, Washington, January 5, 1897. Sir: I am in receipt of Senate resolution of the 17th ultimo— That the Secretary of the Interior be directed to transmit to the Senate the report of Dr. Sheldon Jackson upon “ the introduction of domestic reindeer into the District of Alaska for 1896.” In response thereto, I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of the report indicated in the foregoing resolution. Very respectfully, David R. Francis, Secretary. The President of the Senate. 9 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education, Alaska Division, Washington, D. C., December 31, 1896. Sir : I have the honor to submit herewith my sixth annual report of “ The introduction of domestic reindeer into Alaska.” STATION. During the year a comfortable log schoolhouse 22 by 32 feet, together with a woodhouse and bell tower for the same, has been erected for the use of the children of the employees at the station. The building has attracted considerable attention from its neat and comfortable appearance. The main headquarters building was enlarged with an addition 24 by 40 feet, built in connection with it. This addition gives accommodation for a storeroom, and also for the herders’ families who may be sojourning temporarily at the station. It furnishes accommodations for keeping seal meat, oil, blubber, dried and frozen fish; also a carpenter’s bench, with facilities for manu¬ facturing sleds and snowshoes. In the attic is furnished much needed room for storing sails, boat oars, and fishing nets. In addition to the buildings erected at the station, huts made of plank and driftwood, covered with sod and dirt, were erected at sev¬ eral convenient points for the accommodation of the herders passing between the herd and the main station in winter. During the severe storms of last winter these huts were found of very great value, and probably in some instances saved lives. Similar huts were also erected at the winter camp for the use of the herders. PERSONNEL. After a sea voyage of thirty-seven days, Mr. J. C. Widstead, who had been appointed assistant superintendent of the station, reached Port Clarence July 12 on the brig W. H. Meyer. Two days later, the supplies for the station being safely landed, a southerly wind spring¬ ing up so increased in violence that the vessel was driven ashore from her anchorage and became a total wreck. With the wrecking of the vessel were lost the supplies of the schools at Bering Straits and also Point Barrow, together with the personal effects of the Rev. Thomas 11 12 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. Hanna and family, who wrere en route to their station at Cape Prince of Wales. Owing to some misunderstanding and friction which arose over the sale of the wrecked vessel, Mr. William A. Kjellmann sent his resig¬ nation to Mr. William Hamilton, who represented the Bureau. As there was nothing else to be done, the resignation was accepted, and on July 20 Mr. J, C. Widstead was appointed superintendent, with Mr. Thorwald Kjellmann as assistant superintendent. Mr. Widstead had been selected for a subordinate position, but in the absence of any other more suitable person in that region he was necessarily given the first place upon the resignation of Mr. Kjellmann. His adminis¬ tration during the past year was not a success, and upon my arrival at the station, July 28, 1896, I removed him and reappointed Mr. William A. Kjellmann superintendent and Albert N. Kittilsen, M. D., assistant superintendent, these gentlemen having been sent up from the States this season for service at the station. During last year some dissatisfaction was expressed by the Lapps that there was no physician within reach for their families. This want has been supplied by the appointment of Dr. Kittilsen as assist¬ ant superintendent of the station. The seven families of Lapps have remained with the herd, performing their usual duties with efficiency and success. The experience of the past two years has demonstrated the wisdom of their importation as instructors to the Eskimos in the care and management of deer. Their success has been so marked that hereafter, whenever a herd is loaned to a mission station, an experienced Lapp will be sent with the herd to take charge of and instruct the apprentices. Under the tuition and direction of the experienced and skilled Lapps were ten Eskimo apprentices from different villages extending all the way from Point Hope on the Arctic shore southward and east¬ ward to Fort Adams on the Upper Yukon River, a distance of 2,000 miles. These apprentices have made fair progress in mastering the science of managing and breeding reindeer. In January Moses, Tatpan, Martin, and Okweetkoon were trans¬ ferred from the Teller Reindeer Station to the new station established on Golovin Bay, they having come originally from that general region of country. During the fall Oozhaloo, one of the most prominent natives at Point Barrow, with his family, was transported to the Teller Reindeer Station at his own request and accepted as an apprentice. It is hoped that ultimately he will be able to go back in charge of a herd to that distant and desolate northern section. HERDS. There are now five herds in Alaska, one at Cape Prince of Wales, a mission station of the Congregational Church, numbering 253; one at INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA.