Population And Resources Of Alaska PDF Download

Excerpt from Report on the Population, Industries, and Resources of Alaska Sir: In obedience to my instructions of April 20, 1880, under which I was directed to ascertain and report as far as possible the number of inhabitants of each geographical division of the Alaskan district, with an account of the occupations, modes of subsistence of the people, their dietary, dress, etc., indicating a proportional consumption of domestic and imported articles; their religious and educational institutions, with all statistical information relative thereto which might be available, together with such matters of economical and social importance as should seem to me to fall within the scope of my labors, I have the honor to report that during the seasons of 1880 and 1881 I made an extended exploration of the greater part of Alaska and a careful enumeration of its people, collecting at the same time facts and statistics bearing upon their past and present condition and the volume of trade in that region. The immense extent of country contained in the district made it impossible for me to visit every section in person, even in two summers, but the population statistics of regions beyond my reach I have obtained from the most reliable sources. The people of the Arctic coast down to King's island, in Bering sea, were enumerated by Captain E. E. Smith, a whaling master of long experience, speaking the Innuit tongue, who accompanied the United States steamer Thomas Corwin on her Arctic cruise in 1880 in the capacity of ice pilot. Most of his figures are from actual count. For the enumeration of the coast people from King's island to the mouth of the Kuskokvim river, and of the inhabitants of the Yukon del to, I am indebted to Mr. E. W. Nelson, United States signal service, who obtained his figures by actual count during a series of sledge journeys through all that region. The same gentleman has also furnished me with much statistical information of great value. The enumeration of the people of the Yukon river and its tributaries beyond the points reached by me during my journey of 1880 was obtained, with the assistance of the traders, Messrs. Harper, Mayo, and MeQuestion, from chiefs and other prominent natives of the various settlements during their annual visit to the coast. At all places visited by me in person I succeeded in making an actual count. Having obtained the official returns of the church authorities within the area claimed by the various parishes and missions of the Russian church, I compared these with my own enumeration. I also compared the parish returns with the local registers kept by the "reader," or church representative, in each Christian village. The official returns of the Russian church were furnished me by the Rev. Zakliar Belkof, missionary of the Kvikhpak mission (Yukon river); Rev. Peter Shishkin, missionary of the Nushegak mission (Bristol bay); Rev. Father Nikita, missionary of the Kenai mission (Cook's inlet); Rev. Nikolai Rissef, of Kodiak parish; Rev. Moses Salamatof, of Belkovsky parish; and Rev. Innokeuty Shaiashuikof, of Oonalashka parish. The returns of the Russian parish of Sitka, in southeastern Alaska, were obtained from the Russian consistory of San Francisco, California, through the courtesy of Bishop Nestor, of the diocese of Alaska. The enumeration of the people of southeastern Alaska, which region I failed to visit in person, was made by Mr. Alexander Militich, who was appointed a special agent of the Tenth Census by the Superintendent upon the recommendation of the collector of customs in Sitka. As far as I have been able to check Mr. Militich's figures of population by comparison with later counts made by the naval authorities at Sitka. I have found them correct, and therefore feel justified in accepting his enumeration as a whole.