Alaskana, or, Alaska in descriptive and legendary poems — 00

Front matter

BUSHRODW.JAMESAM.MD.

BRIGHAM YOUNG

UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Preface

AFTER having made a tour in Alaska and beholding the beauties that are spread through its water-ways, along its coasts, and in the few towns of which it can boast ; having had glimpses into the peculiarities of its people, and the natural resources of wealth that are to be obtained from its animal and vegetable king¬ doms ; I became so deeply impressed that I resolved to perpetuate my visit in verse, when involuntarily the weird, rhymeless style of “ The Kalevala” and “ Hiawatha” touched me as more appropriate than any other measure for the description of a people and country, as yet, so little known, but so well worthy of nearer acquaintance.

PREFACE.

I am not egotist enough to suppose that my book may do much toward attracting tourists or speculators to the land, the possession of which makes a truth of the statement that “the sun never sets” on the Republic of the United States. But if even a few are moved by it to visit its magnificent glaciers, its beautiful straits and channels, and the towns and vil¬ lages so strangely different from our own Eastern cities ; if one or two are tempted to look into the gold-mines of Douglass Island, or to while a little time in sight of Sitka’s beau¬ tiful sound and harbor, I will feel that I have not written in vain.

I suppose there comes to every one the desire to tell of what he has seen. Some may do it far more ably than others ; but one must feel that he owes an apology for his bold¬ ness in again entering his name among the authors of his day — and this I do, taking as my excuse the living pictures that have haunted me with their strangeness or their

PREFACE.

loveliness ever since I roamed among them a few years ago.

While on my visit to Alaska, and some time thereafter, I published a series of letters de¬ scriptive of that which I saw ; for these I re¬ ceived kind mention in some of our magazines and daily papers. Such tokens of appreciation, together with the success of my book entitled “American Resorts and Climates,” published in 1889, led me to attempt this work.

In the progress of the writing of these poems I have consulted the various Government pub¬ lications on Alaska, and such writers as Prof. Elliott, Charles Hallock, Lieutenant Schwatka, Dr. Sheldon Jackson and Mrs. Willard ; all of whom have been placed in such positions as to know far more of the territory and its inhabit¬ ants than I could possibly have learned during my visit ; therefore my thanks are due to them, in a great measure, if I have succeeded in giv¬ ing any graphic descriptions of the people and their customs. I thank other authors of more

PREFACE.

recent date which I have also consulted. Of the scenery — in sunshine and clouds, in darkness and in moonlight ; of the spring-like beauty of some parts, the icy grandeur of glacier fields and glaciers, of bays and inlets, and of other portions of the country — I have living pictures, from personal observation, that can never fade from my memory.

Bushrod W. James.

Contents

PAGE

Introduction . 9

Bering’s Voyage to Alaska — Legend of . 17