Manuscript Account of Travel in Alaska July - August c. 1924

1924. Manuscript. Good. octavo, 51 pages, written on letterhead of the Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, rectos only, neatly inscribed in pencil and ink, very good. This account appears to have been a draft and may have been intended for publication, there are numerous corrections, changes and emendations throughout the work. The unidentified author traveled by rail from Yellowstone to Seattle and from there to Alaska by steamer. The author visited Ketchikan, Seward, Anchorage, Fairbanks, where time was spent with the Mayor, Valdez, Juneau, Prince William Sound, Cordova, Columbia Glacier, etc. The author comments upon the events of the trip and gives interesting information on accommodations for tourists, describes the scenery and topography, a twelve page description of Columbia Glacier, and also describes the towns and cities visited. "Valdez represents the tragedy of mining towns. It is really a dead mining town & it is a real tragedy to walk through and see the great number of vacant houses. Really it is hard to understand the lure of such a place." "Anchorage was created as an operating base for the construction of the railroad and has large permanent railroad yards & shops. It is the youngest and most up to date town in Alaska. For the tourist however it has little of interest." "[Fairbanks] a town almost exclusively of log cabins. the city is isolated because of its great distance from anywhere and people of the States do not care to spend so much time in traveling to reach the place."