Description: A map of Alaska as of 1898 AD. "Alaska is almost as large as Washington, Oregon, California, and Texas taken together, and yet it does not contain so many people as the city of Oakland...The southern coast of Alaska is very rough and mountainous. Some of the peaks of these mountain ranges are over three miles high; they are they highest in North America. These mountains prevent the warm, moist winds of the Pacific from reaching the interior, which is consequently very cold during the greater part of the year. Part of the interior is covered with open forests, but much of it is a bleak tundra. The southern slopes of the mountains are much warmer, receive abundant rains, and are covered with forests. The summits of the mountains are always snow-clad. Great glaciers creep down most of the larger valleys, many of them extending to the sea. Nearly all of the people live near the southern coast...Some hardy vegetables grow in this region, but it is too damp for grain. The chief occupations are hunting fur-bearing animals, fishing for cod and salmon, and gold-mining." &mdashRedway, 1898.
Source: Jacques W. Redway and Russell Hinman, Natural Advanced Geography (New York, NY: American Book Company , 1898) 88
Map Credit: Courtesy the private collection of Roy Winkelman. |
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