GREAT REINDEER TREK NEARS GOAL

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 188, 8 May 1934, Page 9

GREAT REINDEER TREK NEARS GOAL

Herd For Canadian Eskimos ARDUOUS FOUR-YEAR JOURNEY Almost within sight of Its goal after a four-year trek across 1000 miles of Arctic tundra, the reindeer herd consigned to Canada’s Eskimos in the Mackenzie Basin has been forced to halt for another year. An unfortunate incident which delayed the crossing on the frozen delta of the Mackenzie River necessitates waiting at Single Point on the western shore until next December, when the river will be sufficiently iced over again before continuing the march that will end at Kitigazuitt Peninsula on the opposite side of the delta. . Before the 1935 spring thaws break up the lec on the wide delta through which the Mackenzie River empties into the Arctic Ocean, the Canadian Eskimos of this far northland will receive a present which already has been more than four years on its way to them. It Is a gift which will do much to banish uncertainty and feat from the lives of those Ice-bound people who dwell beyond the reach of relief agencies or employment campaigns.

In the fall of 1929, an intrepid Laplander named Andy Bahr set out from Naboktoolik, east of Kotzebuk Sound, on the Arctic circle north of Nome, to deliver a herd of 3000 reindeer to the Eskimos of the Kitigazuitt Peninsula,' on the east shore of the Mackenzie River delta here, some thousand miles away. Andy is now encamped on the west shore of the delta, awaiting favourable conditions to marshal his charges over the last dangerous lap of their -long journey. When the herd is finally delivered, a new reindeer saga may be added toz the literature of the world, to entertain adventure lovers everywhere with a tale of .hazardous travel and high courage seldom matched in the annals of history. Object Is to Aid Eskimos. The Canadian Government and an American are responsible for this record-breaking trek over the roof of the world, across an uncharted, frozen country of unexplored rivers and unsealed mountains. Its object is to relieve the distress of the Canadian Eskimos, whose game and fish supply has been slowly dwindling. In Alaska, the reindeer has come to the rescue of Eskimos once in the same situation as those in Canada. It furnishes food and clothing, and meets other essentials of daily living. The herd now nearing the end of its long pilgrimage will form the nucleus of herds to come, with the resultant establishment of the reindeer industry in northern Canada. The Canadian Government turned for help in its dilemma to Mr. Carl J. Loman, head of the Reindeer Corporation which bears his name. Mr. Loman and his brothers have lived in Nome for more than 30 years. They—and their father before them —hare made an intensive study of tlie reindeer, its habits, and its potentialities as a source of food and revenue.

Tjie Loman organisation agreed to deliver 3000 head of reindeer—date left blank —for 195,000 dollars, the Canadian Government to receive a refund of 65 dollars "for every head short of the specified number.

A Unique Pilgrimage. A£_about the time made memorable by dbe stock market crash.. .he little band set out from Naboktoolik gayly enough. The herd consisted of 3400 reindeer, 2800 cows, 200 bulls, and 400 steers, the latter for food and draft purposes. Andy Bahr, known as the best reindeer man in Alaska, •took with him nine young helpers, four Laplanders, and five Eskimos. A year was required to make the necessary preparations, for the herd had to be segregated from thousands wandering over a vast grazing area, part of an extensive organisation which had been years in the building. It- took just a year to cover the first 200 miles, to the juncture of the Kobuk and Hunt Rivers, where a fresh supply of food had been sent ahead and cached by the Lomans. Fawning season in the spring brought a large increase in the herd, so that some 1200 deer were cut out from the rest, and sent back to the home base. No travel is possible during the summer months, for with the snow gone, supplies cannot be transported. But the trek started once more in October, 1930. -The perilous crossing of the ice-covered Kobuk and Noatak Rivers was accomplished. Then the Brooks mountain range lifted imperious peaks of ice and snow, barring the way.

Getting Word of the herd’s position, and the dangers confronting the party, the Lomans sent Sanis Robbins, pilot of the Alaska Airways, to help him out. Flying over the range enabled Bahr to chart his course, through a pass in the mountains, and on across Hie Amble River. That winter was spent in negotiating the passes of the Brooks Mountains and travelling over the vast stretches of tundra which lay between. The spring of 1931 found the band at the Colville River. The winter had been a devastating one. Staple food supplies were running low, for since the first food cache, the party had had to depend upon such reindeer as could be spared, and on game. News From Icy Wastes. And then an unforseen incident occurred. Aviator Joe Crossin, flying from Fairbanks to Point Barrow, 600 miles distant .spotted the Loman herd, and radioed information of their whereabouts to Alfred Loman, one of the brothers, then in Juneau. It was the first word received in mouths. Alfred Loman radioed baek to Crossin offering him 300 ’dollars to bring a letter back from Andy. Crossin rediscovered the herd, lauded, got the letter and sent it on to Loman. That letter, like all messages from the Laplander, was short and to the point. He needed certain food supplies by April. He got them, to the tune of 1000 pounds of flour, sugar and coffee, for which Crossin was paid one dollar a pound for delivery. Since that time, the trek has moved slowly forward, the difficulties largely a repetition of those encountered earlier. At one time as many as 400 reindeer strayed away. Dividing the herd into two parts. Bahr took one division and turned back to pick them up. This took four months, and, in spite of his efforts, many reindeer were lost. Finally the two divisions were reunited last summer near the Canning River.