The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, October 5, 1948, Page 3

1Ul-_bDAY OCTOBFR 5, 1948 THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE-—JUNEAU, ALASKA PAGE THREE Once Proud, once Prosperous, once Happy Now Dying, Forsaken and Forgotten! THIS IS WRITTEN IN FOND MEMORY OF A LITTLE ALASKAN TOWN. MANY OF YOU KNOW IT WhLL “Rest in Peace” THIS IS ITS LIFE HISTORY: NAME—KASAAN, ALASKA LOCATION—Beautiful Kasaan bay, Prince of Walcs island, 40 miles from Ketchikan PORN—About 300 years ago RACE—Haida, one of the proziest of all the Alaskan tribes EARLY HISTORY—One of prosperity and contentment. Waters of bay filled with fisl. Wcoods fuli of game. Climate, wholesome. Early popuiation—about 200. CAUSE OF DEATH-—Inroads of one privately-owned eannery controlled from the states. This plant, which packed cver 70,000 cases of salmon (estimated) in 1948, formerly hired much local labor and purchased seine- caught fish from Kasaan bay fishermen. This year it operated 17 traps and packed fish from six others owned by ancther outside company. The Kasaan fishing fleei, cnce numbering about 20 bhoats, was only two this year. CAUSE OF ILLNESS—Chief symptoms were like thi 0 Orientals did most of the cannery work this year with a dozen Kasaan residents getting what was left. ¢ cannery decided a few years ago that its water sup- ply was nct adequate, so it movel in and claimed water rights from Lincoln creek (remember what Lincoln himself said about such tactics when he saw slavery the first time-—(*“Some day I'm going to hit this thing and hit it hard”). The townspeople had used this creek for their communily water supply but the cannery ran them off, so they fled to another creek. A logginz cperator came along and bought some timber ahove the town on land a pmrmrch named Peel had given the Forest Service provided it would build a National Monument on the site. This it did—but the logger logzcd right up to the Community house and Totem pole park, despite the protests of the townspecple and their appeals to the Forest Service. SIGNS OF ILLNESS—Detected three years ago when Village of Kasaan tried to form a school district to repiace the one the Indian Service closed down. Cannery resisted any move to tax it for school purposes, so the school HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR THREE YEARS. And the 12 to 14 children of school age either don’t go to school all winter, or are shipped away to Wrangell Institute or Mt. Edgecumbe, far from their parents and families in the formative years of their lives. VALUE OF FISH PACK THIS YEAR—About $1,600,000. Net profit of cannery (estimated) about $550,000. COST OF RUNNING KASAAN SCHOOL—(if one had been allowed)—About $4000 per year. That, in summing, is why two-thirds of the people of Kasaan moved away and left their little village to die in the scenic region of Kasaan Bay. WHERE D!D THEY GO TO? Some of them went to ancther Haida village-—Hydaburg Iis story is differsnt THE HISTORY OF HYDABURG: NAME—HYDABURG LOCATIQN—Al:0 cn Prince of Wales Island, 40 miles south of Kasaan. MODERN HISTORY—Its story began 15 years ago when its residents sought a federal loan to buy the can- nery which, for several years, had operated uncertainly, often not paying the Haida fishermen for the fish , it bought. MODERN DEVELOPMENT—The loan was approved, the people bought and improved the cannery. It help- ed them finance good seine boats which, in turn, allowed them to improve their homes and send their children away to Sheldon Jackgon Mission school and colleges in the states. THE RECORD FOR 1948—Size of pack—34,000 cases. VALUE—About $800,000. PROFIT TO COMMUNITY—Between $150,000 and $180,000 (estimated). / PAYMENT FOR FISH—Pack was entirely from seine-caught fish (except about 40,000 fish) landed by Hyda- burg’s fleet of 23 seine boats, enmloymg about 100 Hydaburg fishermen. Cannery crews were almost all Hydaburg people. Cannery now is planning fall work of tearing down old cannmery and warchouse docks to replace with new bulldmgs Local people will have year-round work this year, will use power from the cannery power plant (nobody is fighting over utility right) and know they have lifelong security in a 1-industry town, That’s why Hydaburg, sister Haida village, is proud and growing. THIS IS THE TALE OF TWO CITIES IN ALASKA. YOU MAY TAKE YOUR CHOICE. BUT THINK OF ALL THE GHOST TOWNS IN ALASKA AND REMEMBER — THAT MEN BUILD TOWNS AND THEY ALSO TEAR THEM DOWN. WHO SAYS IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE? IT'S HAPPENED, and the grim NATIONAL MONUMENT Uncle Sam left at Kasaan is a reminder that Distant Federal Agencies such as the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service seldom regulate distant industries in efficient manner, or with any great consciousness of the public good. Wily not keep Alaska’s Begouues in Alaska, for Alaskans?’ Think over the story of these little towns that together make a big Alaska Then Be Sure fo go to the Polls October 12 and Vote to Abolish Fish Traps i This Page Sponsored By Another Little Town " & o fow IR N A e ER The Community Of Cralg, Alaska