A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-19, 20-05...North to Alaska!

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Dutchess, DollyCali, Mama_Bear ~

We're
"On the Road Again"...

Please join "A Few of FR's Finest" as we make a cyber-visit to another state in this great Union of ours.

Over the past couple years each "Finest" hostess has profiled her home state for the Finest Thread. The remaining states are being presented, about one a month, in random order. We hope you are enjoying these visits to our beautiful United States. Please FReepMail me if you would like to participate in spotlighting your Fine state. I would appreciate your ideas and suggestions on what you would like to see highlighted.

These are the states
we have presented to date:

05-23-03 Alabama 06-27-03 Maryland 07-11-03 Vermont 07-25-03 Utah 08-05-03 Texas 08-22-03 Nevada 08-26-03 Wash DC 09-05-03 Tennessee 09-17-03 Florida 09-19-03 Minnesota 10-03-03 New Mexico 10-14-03 Georgia 10-17-03 Louisiana 10-22-03 Michigan 11-04-03 South Dakota 11-14-03 California 01-09-04 South Carolina

02-06-04 West Virginia 02-20-04 Oregon 03-09-04 Pennsylvania 03-30-04 Wyoming 04-13-04 Mississippi 04-27-04 Missouri 05-25-04 Indiana 07-21-04 Virginia 08-18-04 Colorado 09-29-04 Idaho 10-20-04 New Hampshire 12-07-04 Hawaii 02-09-05 Maine 03-09-05 North Carolina 04-13-05 Arizona 06-15-05 Iowa

Today we are visiting our 49th state ~
The Last Frontier!

Click above to go to the Alaska Message Board.

Alaska's History in Brief

Russian Colonization

The disastrous voyage of Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov in 1741 began the march of Russian traders across Siberia. The survivors who returned with sea otter skins started a rush of fur hunters to the Aleutian Islands. Grigori Shelekhov in 1784 founded the first permanent settlement in Alaska on Kodiak Island and sent (1790) to Alaska the man who was to dominate the period of Russian influence there, Aleksandr Baranov. A monopoly was granted to the Russian American Company in 1799, and it was Baranov who directed its Alaskan activities.

The Russian Orthodox Church and Native Alaskans

The primary goal of the Alaska mission was to convert the Native population to Orthodox Christianity. Conversion was encouraged by the Tsar, as head of the Church, and by the hierarchy. Rules for converting Natives strictly forbade using coercion. Orthodox missionaries were generally successful in their conversions, more so among the Aleuts and Eskimos than the Tlingits. Among the obstacles to conversion were the language barrier, and the shamanistic traditions of the Natives, deeply entrenched in the culture.

Today, Alaskans are proud of their Russian heritage and active Orthodox Churches are to be found in many towns.

Early Years as a U.S. Possession

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7,200,000. The U.S. purchase was accomplished solely through the determined efforts of Secretary of State William H. Seward, and for many years afterward the land was derisively called Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox because of its supposed uselessness. Since Alaska appeared to offer no immediate financial return, it was neglected. The U.S. army officially controlled the area until 1876, when scandals caused the withdrawal of the troops. After a brief period, during which government was in the hands of customs officials, the U.S. navy was given charge (1879). It was not until after the discovery of gold in the Juneau region in 1880 that Alaska was given a governor and a feeble local administration.

The Gold Rush

The Klondike strike of 1896 brought a stampede, mainly of Americans, and most of them came through Alaska. The big discoveries in Alaska itself followed—Nome in 1898–99, Fairbanks in 1902. The miners and prospectors (the sourdoughs) took over Alaska.

"North to Alaska,
They're goin' North,
the rush is on!"

The steamship Portland had just pulled into Seattle, returning from the Yukon with over a ton of gold. Her arrival instantly sparked an all-out human stampede for the Yukon.
To seek their fortunes in the Yukon gold fields, prospectors had to make their way along the Inside Passage, cross the Chilkoot Mountains with a ton of supplies, build a raft or boat during the long, hard winter, and then float 550 miles down the Yukon River to Dawson. After reaching Dawson, each prospector had to stake a claim and spend countless weeks, months, or years digging his claim before panning or sluicing the dirt, hoping to strike it rich, but more likely scratching out a meager existence.

While the gold fields lay far to the north, towns like Skagway and Dyea became boomtowns almost overnight. These towns marked the start of the overland portion of the Trail of ‘98 – Alaska’s gateway to the Klondike. With numerous saloons, brothels, and a full complement of gunslingers, con men, drunkards, and outlaws, Skagway was a feral, lawless Wild West of the north.

Most of the would-be prospectors came to Alaska with little or no knowledge of mining or backcountry survival. Many soon found themselves questing no longer merely for fortune, but for their very survival. Not surprisingly, of the 100,000 who set out, only a few thousand ever reached the gold fields – and only a mere handful ever struck it rich.

~ A Historical Vignette ~

Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith was a Western crook with the gift of organization. A southern charmer and a master of the bait and switch, he was a confidence man who dressed like a judge, sat on a horse like a prince, and spoke like a bishop. He honed his skills in Texas and Colorado. Gradually he gathered shills and toughs around him, and commanded his gang of “lambs” as a colonel might command a battalion. When the Klondike Gold Rush began in 1897, he knew that the tenderfeet headed for northern goldfields would be ripe for the picking, and chose raw, lawless Skagway as his headquarters. In this bleak settlement at the head of Alaska’s Lynn Canal, he constructed an empire that any Mafia don might envy. However, less than a year later, the town had had enough of Soapy. He was killed by Frank Reid, in 1898 when he was 38 years old. Soapy's life story is a rip-snorting portrait of the rise to power of a man without a conscience. It reveals the strong-arm robberies, bloody trail murders, illegitimate businesses, rigged card games, and garish, candle-lit honky-tonks of the Gold Rush.


One of Soapy's best cons involved his "telegraph office." Recent arrivals were greeted by men who offered to send telegrams to their families for only $5. Most people did not look behind the "telegraph office" to notice that the wires ended a few yards out.

Territorial Status

Juneau officially replaced Sitka as capital in 1900, but it did not begin to function as such until 1906. In the same year Alaska was finally awarded a territorial representative in Congress. A new era began for Alaska when local government was established in 1912 and it became a U.S. territory.

Statehood

In 1958, Alaskans approved statehood by a 5 to 1 vote, and on Jan. 3, 1959, Alaska was officially admitted into the Union as a state, the first since Arizona in 1912.

• Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741 when Danish explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.
   
• In 1867 United States Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska.
   
• On October 18, 1867 Alaska officially became the property of the United States. Many Americans called the purchase "Seward's Folly."
   
• Joe Juneau's 1880 discovery of gold ushered in the gold rush era.
   
• In 1943 Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands, which started the One Thousand Mile War, the first battle fought on American soil since the Civil War.
   
• Alaska officially became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.
   
• Alaska's most important revenue source is the oil and natural gas industry.
   
• The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times.
   
• Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is North America's largest oil field.
   
• The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on its 800 mile journey to Valdez.
   
• Most of America's salmon, crab, halibut, and herring come from Alaska.
   
• The term Alaska native refers to Alaska's original inhabitants including Aleut, Eskimo and Indian groups.
   
• Dog mushing is the official state sport. The Alaska Legislature adopted it in 1972.
   
  Click here to read about
  "The Last Great Race on Earth", the Iditarod!
  
  
• The state motto is North to the Future.
   
• Gold is the official state mineral. It was named the state mineral in 1968.
   
• Alaska has been called America's Last Frontier.
   
• Every four years Alaskans elect a Governor and a Lieutenant Governor to four-year terms.
   
• The Alaska State Legislature is made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
   
• Twenty senators are elected to four-year terms; forty representatives serve two-year terms.
   
• Alaska's Constitution was adopted in 1956 and became effective in 1959 making it the 49th state.
   
• Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.
   
• The Alaska Highway was originally built as a military supply road during World War II.
   
• The state boasts the lowest population density in the nation.
   
• The discovery of gold in the Yukon began a gold rush in 1898. Later gold was discovered at Nome and Fairbanks.
   
• Alaska is a geographical marvel. When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast.
   
• The state's coastline extends over 6,600 miles.
   
• Alaska is the United State's largest state and is over twice the size of Texas. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide.
   
• Alaska's geographic center is 60 miles northwest of Mount McKinley.
   
• The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States.
   
• 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
   
• At 20,320 feet above sea level, Mt. McKinley, located in Alaska's interior, is the highest point in North America.
   
  
• Juneau is the only capital city in the United States accessible only by boat or plane.
   
• The state's largest city is Anchorage; the second largest is Fairbanks.
   
• The Alaska Range is the largest mountain chain in the state. It covers from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory.
   
• In 1915 the record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.
   
• The Alaskan malamute sled dog is strong and heavily coated. It was developed as a breed by a group of Eskimos named the Malemiuts.  
• Alaska's name is based on the Eskimo word Alakshak meaning great lands or peninsula.
   
• Agattu, Attu, and Kiska are the only parts of North America occupied by Japanese troops during World War II.
   
• Oil is the state's most valuable natural resource. The area includes what is thought to be the largest oil field in North America.
   
• In 1986 Mount Augustine erupted near Anchorage.
   

The "30-30-30" Rule

Polar and Alaskan explorers cite the "30-30-30" rule,
which states that at -30°F, with winds of 30 MPH,
human flesh will freeze solid in 30 seconds!

Alaska king crab fishing is considered to be one of the most dangerous jobs in North America. Every year, hundreds of fearless crab fishermen endure extreme weather conditions and harsh work environments with assertive hopes of catching excessive amounts of the most desirable seafood in the world- King crab!

Deep in the frigid waters of the Bering Sea lurks the highly lucrative — and yet often elusive — king crab. Each year, approximately 250 boats converge on Dutch Harbor, Alaska, awaiting the official harvesting season. It could be four days in length or as many as 12 — the fishermen won't know until the voice of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game crackles across their radios to announce the beginning and end of the fishing season.

Forty-foot waves, freezing temperatures, swinging 700-pound crab pots, a nearly 100 percent injury rate ... but also the chance to earn enough money for a family to live on for a year or more, for just a few days' work. Welcome to one of the world's deadliest jobs — that of the Alaskan crab fisherman.

So, the next time you order Alaskan King Crab at your favorite restaurant, remember the men who risked life and limb to bring this wonderful (and expensive) delicacy to your table. :-)

Read more HERE about "The Deadliest Catch".

The following websites provided information
and graphics for this presentation...

Scoundrels Gallery
Wild Things Photography
The Russian Church and Native Alaskan Cultures
The 49th State

09-27-05 ~ Hall of Fame #13

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 10-17-05 Military Monday 10-18-05 Poetry and Potpourri at the Finest

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Mama_Bear]

Good morning, all. Sorry I am late. I am trying to play catch up and falling further behind by the minute.

Thanks for opening the Finest doors. I will be back ASAP to hostess. Got a few more things to take care of here on the homefront. :-)

[LadyX]

I am fine this beautiful October morning, thanks!
We are having ideal weather - cool nights in the 50's - warm days still - great for cleaning and shifting seasonal clothes, and just enjoying a breather.

There is concern for disruption of life, however, for my two sons in Florida, smack dab in the path of the hurricane, if it goes on the currently projected path.
They're on the east coast - Lake Worth (by WPB) and Post St. Lucie, a little father up - but with that magnitude and slow movement, they will definitely be affected.

Kevin in Lake Worth has a substantial house, generator, and hurricane shutters.
Steve just moved up to where he is now, and his house is solid.
Both are far enough inland, so have no worry about flooding, and know well *all the things to do, or not do.*

Julie - how will you (and *our* Georgio!*) fare there on the west coast?

[LadyX]

Re the person in your cartoon, Amy:

"Quit yer blubberin' fella!
Whadya expect - an ???"

[JustAmy]

**grin**

Well, I could eat Eskimo Pie everyday.

[JustAmy]

I haven't seen Tulip here today so .......

Today's Holidays are:
Shampoo Day
Karva Chauth
Miss American rose Day

I wonder if blubber is good for a conditioning shampoo?

[JustAmy]

Karva Chauth and its social significance.
The idea behind Karva Chauth is very sweet and noble, and some very intelligent person must have thought of it long ago. Girls (sometimes barely teenagers) used to get married, go and live with their in-laws in other (often very remote) villages. Everyone would be a stranger there for the new bride. If she had any problems with her husband or in-laws, she would have no one to talk to or seek support from. Her own parents and relatives would be quite far and unreachable. There used to be no telephones, buses and trains long ago. People had to walk almost a whole day to go from one place to other barely twenty miles apart. Once the girl left her parents' home for in-laws, she might not be back before more than a year's time.

Thus the custom started that, at the time of marriage, when bride would reach her in-laws, she would befriend another woman there who would be her friend (kangan-saheli) or sister (dharam-behn) for life. It would be like god-friends or god-sisters. Their friendship would be sanctified through a small Hindu ceremony right during the marriage. Note that the bride's friend would usually be of the same age (or slightly older), married into the same village (so that she would not go away) and not directly related to her in-laws (so there was no conflict of interest later). As a religious duty on their part, bride's in-laws would pre-appoint (even before the bride reached there) a suitable and reliable woman for this job (as the bride's would-be friend).

Once the bride and this woman had become god-friends or god-sisters, they would remain so all their lives and recognize the relation as such. They would also treat each other like real sisters. During any difficulty later in life, involving even the husband or in-laws, these women would be able to confidently talk or seek help from each other. Moreover, bride's parents would treat her friend just like their own daughter. And in the new village -- where there daughter would spend her life -- they would have another social contact in addition to the bride's in-laws. This new relationship could always come in handy for them in emergency situations involving their daughter and her in-laws or husband. Emotionally and psychologically, it would be very healthy and comforting for the bride to have her own 'relative' (god-sister) living next door in the strange and new village. What a fantastic idea it was!

Thus Karva Chauth started as a festival to celebrate this friendship (relationship) between the once-brides and their god-friends (god-sisters). Praying and fasting for the sake of husband came later and is secondary. It was probably added, along with other mythical tales, to enhance the festival. In any case, husband would always be associated with this festival, because the day of starting this holy friendship between two god-sisters was essentially the day of bride's marriage to him. Thus praying and fasting for him by his wife during a celebration of her relationship with the god-friend would be quite logical.

A few days before Karva Chauth, married women would buy new karvas (spherical clay pots) -- 7"-9" in diameter and 2-3 litres capacity -- and paint them on the outside with beautiful designs. Inside (filling the karva half to three-quarters), they would put bangles and ribbons, home-made candy and sweets (rice krispees etc.), make-up items (mascara etc.), and small clothes (e.g. handkerchief). The women (god-friends and god-sisters) would then visit each other on the day of Karva Chauth or immediately afterwards, and exchange these karvas.



Have a Happy Karva Chauth Day!

[LadyX]

"I wonder if blubber is good for a conditioning shampoo?"

Yuck - - you wanna melt this and smear it on yer hair, Amy?!!

[JustAmy]

Happy Shampoo Day!

[JustAmy]

LOL

Nah ..... just wondered if you'd tried it! Oil is good for damaged hair, isn't it?

[JustAmy]

ROASTED ALASKA HALIBUT with CLAMS and SAKE BROTH

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Servings: 6

1/3 cup miso
3 Tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 cups sake, divided
6 Alaska Halibut fillets (4 to 6 oz. each), fresh, thawed or frozen
18 steamer clams, scrubbed
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dried orzo pasta
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin diagonally
2 baby bok choy
1 package (8 oz.) frozen petite peas
1/2 cup green onions, finely slivered

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Mix miso, sugar, and 2 teaspoons sake; set aside.

Rinse any ice glaze from frozen Alaska Halibut under cold water; pat dry with paper towel. Coat halibut with miso mixture and place fillets slightly apart on a lightly oiled baking pan.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes for frozen halibut OR 8 to 10 minutes for fresh/thawed fish. Cook just until fish is barely opaque and still very moist-looking in center of thickest part. Remove from oven; cover and keep warm.

In a large pot, steam clams. Remove clams and strain liquid (discard any clams that don't open). Combine strained clam liquid, chicken broth, and remaining sake in pot. Bring to a boil. Add orzo and carrots; reduce to simmer. Cover and cook until orzo is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Trim and discard ends from bok choy. Pull leaves off stems; rinse. Cut stems and leaves diagonally into 1-inch lengths. Stir bok choy and peas into broth and orzo. Return to a boil; reduce to simmer; hold.

To serve, place one halibut fillet in a warm soup bowl. Surround it with three clams. Ladle 1 cup of the orzo and broth over and around fish. Garnish with a scant teaspoon of green onions.

[Mama_Bear]

LadyX has indeed had some fun times..LOL

Yes, you have! An interesting life you have led and a wonderful talent for recounting your adventures. It's as if I were actually there in your Chevy Greenbrier van trundling down the road.

Thanks again for all you add to this Fine place, Lady Maggie. We love you lots here. :-)

[Mama_Bear]

They wander the neighborhoods nibbling on all the trees in the winter.

How fun it must be to look out the window and see a moose meandering through the neighborhood. They seem to be content to share the land with humans, and that is good.

Here is a big boy that I found wandering through Google. They are EVERYWHERE!

[LadyX]

Thank you, Mama_Bear.
Among the things for which I am most thankful,
is the fact I can still clearly *remember* the past!!
LOL

I pray I never reach a place where my memory is like
the child's toy slate where you lift the plastic cover and it is blank...

[Mama_Bear]

I'm going to suggest to scubachick that the three of them need to come to WV and spend some time with Grammy.

That is so sweet of you (hmmmmm....could it be that you want to get your hands on that babychick again?) ;-)

Babychick is going to be celebrating her one year birthday on November 29th, so scubachick is planning a big "Dumbo" party for her. I would so love to be there, but there is no way I can. :-(

The thread is one of the best you've done. I've enjoyed the pictures and the reports from Freepers who live there. That is the nice thing about the "state" threads. They bring new people to the Finest.

Oh.....thank you. It was one of the more interesting states to research, especially the time period during the Russian colonization. I had to stop myself from going into too much detail, just because it interests me.

Yes, I met some very interesting Alaskans yesterday. It was a fun day. :-)

perhaps I can get back here by evening.

I hope so. I know you are busy and I worry that you try to cram too much into your days. MamaBear sez to stop and smell the roses, okay?

HUGS to you and Mr. WVNan!!

[Mama_Bear]

What a great thread!

Thanks, dixie. :-)

Lets move to Alaska.

Let's do! We can move up there in June and beat-feet out of there the first of September, before the first snowfall. LOL.

This desert bear is way too soft to stay through the winter, I'm afraid. I get cabin fever just thinking about it!

[Mama_Bear]

Funny cartoons! Thanks, Dolly, for helping to hold down the fort until I got here.

[Mama_Bear]

Thanks fo the "Daily Bread", Rus. Hope you are having a nice day.

[Mama_Bear]

Thanks fo the "Daily Bread"...

Now, you might think that I have developed an Alaskan accent, but that was just a plain ol' typo. LOL. (Hmmmmmm....wonder if there is such a thing as an Alaskan accent?)

[Mama_Bear]

The man with a parka was - a brown bear..:))

YIKES! LOL

[LadyX]

"How fun it must be to look out the window and see a moose meandering through the neighborhood. They seem to be content to share the land with humans, and that is good."

I'm sure Kathy will tell you that is not!! always so!
She lives in a populated area where they are familiar with and at ease with Man.
In rutting season, males are blind and actively *searching* - and geared to have to do battle with other males to gain the favors of a female.

At Eielson AFB south of Fairbanks where my husband was stationed, it was quite literally a Courts Martial Offense to stop your vehicle anywhere near a moose, especially in the fall rutting season.
They are truly out of their minds and blind, charging anything that moves that is not a female moose...

They actually TOTALED military vehicles on the base (8, one year alone) that did not get out of their way in time.
They are far larger than you imagine, and heavier, and very powerful, demolishing vehicles with ease.

Here is a narrative from a fellow about his fascination with them:

"Looking at this Moose page, you may ask, "what is this infatuation you have with moose?"

I'm not quite sure I can explain it myself.
Maybe it's their huge size (male moose grow to 7'6" at the shoulder and 1000lb).
Perhaps it's their agile movements (moose can move very quietly through underbrush, despite their size and mass).
Maybe it's those fancy gadgets they carry on top of their heads (moose antlers can measure as much as 6 ft from tip to tip, and weigh up to 90 lb as a pair).

Maybe it's their distribution of senses (moose have excellent senses of smell and hearing, but poor eyesight) or their choice of pallet (moose enjoy a fine mix of freshwater plants, willow, birch and poplar shoots and aspen bark, with a few licks of a natural salt deposit for dessert).
Perhaps it's just their natural stupidity."

==========================

They are indeed stupid - and very, very dangerous.

One my husband downed on a hunting trip had a rack that measured 52 1/4" from tip to tip.