The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, March 31, 1940, Page 24

PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT EDITION THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 1940. Mount McKmIey, Highest Point on Confinent, One Of Alaska's Atiractions MOUNTAINEERS FROM ITALY TO SCALE MCKINLEY \Alpine Expedmon Slated | fo Arrive in Alaska Shortly for Climb An Itailan expedition will arrive In Alaska in March or April to {climb America's highest mountaif, | Mount McKinley, it was announced |recently by Frank Been, Superin- |tendent of Mount McKinley Na- uonal Park. The Itallan expedition will be headed by Pietro Chichlione. noted mounzain climber who has scaled pracuically every peak of the Alps - B St R 'McKinley Park's |Dog Sleds ‘Wired for Sound (ardous slopes for fame and per- |sonal gratification, “Mount McKin- Nationgl Park ’lcv was first reported to have been | bovosoorrevrvosooorressd The crest of the continent, Mount | climbed by the explorer, Captain McKinley, highest peak in North Cook. Two sourdoughs in a Fair-| America, is in the heart of Alaska |banks barroom heard of Cook's and Alaskans—a glowing symbol of [claims. To refute the Captain's Alaska’s lofty aspirations. Grandest assertions, these men ascended to of all mountains—majestic, serene, | the north peak of the mountain in aloof, godly, unattainable, ethereal, a phenomenal climb. shrouded by storms, haloed with | First Ascent clouds, shimmering pure white or| Appropriately, the first success- delicately tinted by a hidden sun— |ful ascent was made by these two it towers above imposing mountains | adopted sons of the North. Un- which are dwarfed by Mount Mc- |fortunately, the men did not know Kinley's magnificence. the south peak was 300 feet higher Look upon Denali, “Home of the | than the pinnacle upon which they Sun,” a thousand times, each view set their feet. is so impressive that the specta- Some years later Archdeacon cle of the moment is as sublime as Stuck, as though seeking closer con- the first. tact with the Master he served, reached the highest point. With By FRANK T. BEEN Superintendent, Mount McKinley him was Karstens, first Superinten- dent of Mount McKinley National | Park, and Harper, a native of Al- aska. Then Lindley, a young attorney from Philadelphia, led his party of | four, including Superintendent Liek of the Park, to the first ascent of both peaks of the mountain Second Largest Peak National recognition was given Mount McKinley in 1917. That year Congress established Mount McKin- ley National Park, the second larg- est park among that splendid gal- axy of natural areas for which America is famous. Since then the its haz- National Park Service of the De- Luring man to ascend FARRELL LUMBER COMPANY LUMBER AND BUILDING MATERIALS Westlake and Prospect SEATTLE partment of Interior has progressed toward making the scenic attrac- tions of the park accessible to Al- askan travelers | At first, a trail extended from the | Alaska Railroad on the east park boundary westward through the park. Gradually, this route for hiking and horseback travel was replaced by a road. Now one of the finest roads in Alaska extends to the north boundary at Wonder Lake. : As one progresses westward along the highway, Mount McKinley be- comes increasingly predominant un- \n] Camp Eielson is reached. ‘ Spectacular Sight From this unexcelled vantage point “the mountain” stands forth in unobstructed and intimate gran- deur. One looks across Muldrow | Glacier, which has its source in Mc- Kinley's snow fields, over gradually ascending hills that snow-capped Alaska Range. Midst | this beautiful panorama, the Home of the Sun reaches toward heavenly | Indians reverently derived the name during | Denali rise Into the in sphere from which the obscure an ‘Warm, moisture-laden air cur- | | rents from the ocean meet the great | provides facilities for transform into bil- | mobility and is the tourist haven| like a for temporary surcease from slendv{ rises and falls, revealing and | traveling. | mountain and lowy clouds. grail, veiling Nature's spectacle to the awed gaze of hungry eyes. Again like a drop suspended from the sky, tinted clouds gmdut\l]v This shroud, smoothly | nearby M(Km)c} Park Hotel. Mount McKinley, hi ent, is readily ace move into the wings of oblivion ex- | posing a stage on which Mount Mc- Kinley impressively accepts the ac- claim of its human audience. Warth Waiting Commonly, during the 24-hour daylight of summer, Denali may be seen, but man’s haste, even in va-| cation time, has caused it to bo‘ said that the mountain is seldom visible. Why do men spend days| travel, hours of anticipation, ; funds from purposeful savings to| visit Mount McKinley — and then, | | that turn away when clouds momem.anly outstanding a tour Frontier? Mount McKinley National Park | comfort and | objective \ of America’s last| Visitors leave the train of lhe‘\ Alaska Railroad at McKinley Park | Station and are escorted to the Com- | i - ) - - - 2 e e e e 48 e s 1 s e | -Juneau Dairy Milk Is Recognized as a High QualityMilk --- Served to Juneau Citizens Everyday ‘of the Year! For many years the Juneau Dairy has aggressively maintained a close supervision on its source of quality milk, which has been recognized as a high standard of milk produced with the idea to please. This check-up has included even the character of the cows, maintained on the high-class dairy farms, producing milk for its customers ard close attention to the provisions of the producers handling it. PROFITS HAVE GONE INTO CONSTANTLY IMPROVED EQUIPMENT . . . AFINE FOOD! Drink milk for a summer of activity . . . . It will give you energy lha( you need . It's re- freshmq coolness is a perfect "pick-me-up” on hot summer days. When it seems too hot to eat, try milk. It will give your ap- petite a start and enable you to carry on, even under the most exciting conditions. You should give your family the health-building, energy-building quality of milk . . . . if you are not our customer, why.not try this superior milk and see for yourself. | i | Drink More Milk For Ec«momy and Health, Serve the King of Dairy Products, MILK! Babies will cry for rr;ilk S Junean Dairy Milk Gives VIM, VIGOR and VITALITY fo Young and Old wholesome flavor, to please all. et nothing can be more convincing of the value of any food. Our high standards of preparation are sustained . . . . nothing is letf undone for your protection. Our aim is to please the whole tamily with a milk that is.rich in nutritious elements . . . . with a creamy, e Y JUNEAU DAIRIES, Inc. JUNEAU, ALASKA PHONE 638 hest point on the American contin- sible to Alaskans and tourists alike. ‘ed States is Mount Whitney in Cal- It lies on the main line of The Alaska Railroad between Anchorage and Fairbanks. A half-million dollar plant, vides all the comforts that a modern hotel affords—spacious lounge with immense windows commanding a view of the Eastern end of the Alaska range, tastefully appointed dining room of blue and silver, rest- Grow Tall In' Ala8ka ful bedrooms with outside windows | midst an atmosphere of Alaskan The highest mountain in the Unit- | ruggedness and hospitality. Bus Tour whose summit rises 14,500 During this refreshing pause and Alaska has a | the bounteous meal accompanying dozen peaks which top this Cali- |it, a representative of the Mount fornia giant, the highest, Mount | McKinley Tourist and Transporta- | McKinley, rising about four miles. | tion Company organizes the bus Here is a list of some of the high- | trip through the park. A fleet of | est mountain peaks in the Territory, | roomy, modern buses leaves the Wild Life | their height and their location. | hotel about the middle of the af-| Each creature of the counhtyy Motmtains Height | ternoon and makes the 65 mile tour | arouses enthusiasm, from the friend- MeKinley 20,300 | to Camp Eielson from where the ly parka squirrel who nibbles tid- St. Elias 18,008 . travelers view the goal of their jour- bits from the hand to the grizaly Foraker 17,000 | ney—Mount McKinley. bear which is observed from a more | Bona 16,420 Camp Eielson is a comfortable respectful distance. Moose are fre- Sanford 16,206 tent hotel with cozy sleeping quar- quently seen, foxes in various color Blackburn 16,140 ters and large dining tent in charge phases are cautiously friendly, flocks | vancouver 15,700 of one of the best cooks in the |of mountain sheep may block the | Quiney Adams 15,360 | Territory. Situated on a bluff at road or be seen grazing on a rugged | Fairweather 15,300 the edge of McKinley River, Camp |slope, caribou by the thousands may Hunter 14,960 | Eielson provides the contact with monopolize a river bar or grassy Hubbard 14,950 outdoors Alaska — that touch of slope or perhaps scattered individ- Bear 14,850 | Primitiveness, which visitors (‘l\Juy,‘uuls or groups will be SC‘CH. infre- g y | Peasting eye, mind and soul with |quently a wolf loping along at a mo}::uzfiml:cl‘(l;_g(;)m]«-ll?:iilf::r:lfl‘::fi the in‘spjrmg nsl.)f-cl of the grum‘sn[e distance wxll“m."nuse squeals and by the Geological Survey as vol- mountain is interrupted by the cull‘rxc]nmnuunf of “I've never seen a canic. They are Wrangell, 14,005; to partake at heavily laden tables ‘wu]r before,” “I never expected to s g i s | Family style service allows per-|see one of those animals,” or look- purr, 11,050; Iliamna, 10,085; and ; ; Redoubt, 10,200, sonal capacity w‘lnmn the size of | ing through glasses, “He isn't a bad i < the meal. There is no hurry to re- | looking fellow; looks like a police Europe is proud of her single vol- |turn to the hotel. If the clouds|dog.” cano, Vesuvius, on the shores of the | The golden eagle gliding - and are persistent, the whole party may | Bay of Naples, but the Ttaly Of lyemgin until late evening and make | swooping with the air currents and America, the peninsula of Alaska, | tpe return trip in the mellow of the | the ptarmigan i mmer attire has 10 voleances. light of night, Many stay all night also’ contribute share toward The Bogoslofs, near Unalaska, are |ang are taken to the siation next|the thrill of seeing animals which submarine; today with loud noises gay in time to catch the train. | are associated in peoples’ minds with ind “ascending columns of SMOKe mgng those who remain, there may | Alaska. But, these animals: would nd ‘steam, they may throw Up & pe igtle sleep for it seems as though | seldom, if ever, be seen by a visitor red-hot island; tomorrow it may scmecne is always exclaiming the | if they were not safeguarded from ink to the depths. changing modds of McKinley—but hunting and trapping by the Na- Makushin, Pogromi, tional Park. Here each creature of : _ Shishaldin, ' cjaep is unimportant when one of Veniaminof, Popof and Katmal (he world's' natural masterpieces is mountain, water and wre others, as the Cre- which at indefinite in- ' on qisplay. 5, explode ator intended i Here man with loud detona- Park L Accompanging the itors, from | learns to know his fellow earthly the time they alight at the station|inhabitants on a basis of friendly pleted in 1939, this newest hotel in luntil they wave farewell from car contact or mutually respectful re- Alaska was built by the Depart- windows and platform, are the Park |serve—depending upon the kind of ment of the Interior through com- Rangers who personify the National animal and upon the character of bined funds of the National Park Park Service. These men in neat'|the man. Service and the Alaska Railroad. forest green uniforms, wide brim-' Constantly increasing numbers of Mountains lever ready, with pleasant smile lighten the park guests, mingling | among them, reassuring the bewil- dered, conversing and answering | questions-—carrying the brunt of the| National Park motto, “When In doubt, ask a Ranger.” A Ranger accompanies each bus during the park tour. Between him and the bus driver, who is an alert and pleasant man, little is missed of interest along the road. As the route bisects the park lengthwise, the range of every park animal is entered somewhere enroute. ifornia, feet above the sea. s permitie Rangers B T e R L "'"""f “ALASKANA”| BY MARIE DRAKE A BOOKLET of Little-Known Facts About ALASKA ° Liberally IMustrated e S B e e ) | Discovery of Alaska - First Settlement - Historical Lore - Explorations - Towns. ® OurLastFrontier . . Glimpses of Its Colorful ' YESTERDAYS . . . andHighlightsof TODAY! ON SALE AT ALL NEWSSTANDS PRICE 50¢ 'Empire Printing Co. it pro- | med Stetsons and shining boots are | and helping hand, to assist and en- | | \ “Calling all dog sleds” soon may |become a regular radio feature at | Mount McKinley National Park, ae~ (cording to a recent story in a Des partment of the Interior clipsheet, The news story says that “to fa- cilitate communication in the north ernmost park, radio sets have been |provided, including a portable set 1 for the newly established ranger sta- |tion in the Wonder Lake district, for use on dog sleds. | “With snowdrifts rendering thi park highways impassable, through- out the long Arctic winter, the Won» | der Lake Ranger Station is so com- pletely isolated, from early fall until late spring, that the park persons | nel depend upon dog sleds and snow-~ shoes in making their hundreds ot miles of patrols of the park bound- aries. Reception Difficult “The distance from Wonder Lake | Station to park headquarters is 85 miles in an air line, and, although it affords a strenuous test for a portable radio set in a region where magnetic storms are the rule rather than the exception, it is reported that a fairly consistent schedule has been maintained. “In order, however, to minimize the amount of disturbance, voice contacts' are supplemented by the use of the telegraph code over the radio, so that the use of keys may be resorted to when voice transmis- sion cannot successfully cope with atmospheric conditions. As a result, all the Mount McKlnley National Park staff these days are diligently applying themselves to the mastery of the continental !ek‘grnph code,” Tree Rare In Parts Of Alaska Bcutheast Alaska is covered with forests. Its millions and millions of feet of timber, Government ag- encies estimate, would produce suf- ficient newsprint to supply a quar- ter of the U. 8. demand in perpét- uity. But Alaska has all things. And most of the Aleutian Islands are ‘reeless, in startling contrast with the Southeast. What that means in human terms was demonstrated by an item in the Alaska School Bulletin which told how long years of teaching school in the treeless Aleutians Had taught the Sanak teacher not to depend on the monthly mail boat. So when word came shortly before Christmas that the mail boat would be delayed and that it could not bring a fresh tree in time for the celebration, the teacher got out & year-old Christmas tree, covered its branches with cotton and green pa- per, and placed it in the school. 8trings of colored lights wera connected to a radio battery loaned to the school for the occasion. Another touch: the colored lights powered by the radio battery were the first electric lights ever seen by some of the younger children. Ppeople visit our National Park areas because they have learned to appre- ciate and enjoy these outdoor sanc- tuaries. “National Park” is a dess ignation which compels attention and attracts visitors because it de- notes natural charm, comfort and quiet relaxation. Hence, our parks are gaining admirers and friends who find in these unspoiled reserves the natural revivifying benefits which are so important for health and happiness. In 1939, Mount McKinley Na- tional Park had a 52 percent in- crease of visitors compared to the previous high year, 1938. Although this is a large increase in relation to its former record, McKinlgy travel is small compared to possi- bilities. Greatly increased numbers would come to the park and theres by benefit Alaska if the easy acces- sibility and comfortable accommo- dations were generally known. Mount McKinley is the finest jewel of our scenic gems, and one of the grandest in the world. It is a natural focal point of atirags tion and naturally - situated for travel routings. Let us make it the inspiring goal for all Alaskan wis- itors. The National Park Service welcomes you, Alaskans, and will work with you to welcome the world to Mount McKinley National mk