The New Eldorado: A Summer Journey to AlaskaBallou, Maturin M. (Maturin Murray)
History
The New Eldorado: A Summer Journey to Alaska
Ballou, Maturin M. (Maturin Murray)
Alaska -- Description and travel; West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
On the mountain side, nearly half way up, just back of the steamboat
landing at Pyramid Harbor, there is a small plateau not more than ten or
fifteen feet square, entirely bare of timber, but closely surrounded by
dense woods. This spot is quite inaccessible to human feet. A large
cinnamon bear shows himself here often during the daytime. A clear,
sparkling stream of water comes from far above this place, rushing by
one corner of it, and hither comes Bruin to slake his thirst. He knows
very well that he is out of the hunter’s reach, and he is actually
beyond rifle range. He looks at that distance skyward no bigger than a
good-sized Newfoundland dog, but to appear of such proportions to us so
far below he must be a very monster. Several attempts have been made by
the whites to get near enough to shoot him, but without success. The
bear sat upon his haunches when we saw him and peered down upon us as we
stood on the deck of the Corona with a cool insolence which must have
been born of a consciousness of entire safety. By using a good glass his
mammoth size became more apparent, showing that even when upon his
haunches with his body erect he must have measured about six feet in
height.
A settlement opposite to Pyramid Harbor is known as Chilcat, where two
large fish-canning establishments afford profitable occupation for quite
a number of the residents, both natives and whites. New canning
factories are being located in several places between Dixon Entrance and
this point, the supply of salmon being absolutely unlimited; the demand
only is to be considered. The quantity shipped from here annually to San
Francisco for distribution is enormous, almost beyond belief, and is
steadily increasing. In addition to this profitable and important
industry twelve thousand barrels of salted salmon were exported last
year from Alaska to southern Pacific ports. The scenery about Pyramid
Harbor is arctic: the precipitous cliffs are covered with snow on their
tops, and range upon range of snowy mountains frame in the bay.
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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.—Hooniah Tribe.—Copper Mines.—An Iron Mountain.—Coal
Mines.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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