THE ALASKAN MELODRAMA

This might be called ""The Rape of Alaska"" -- for it is the revealing story of its exploitation by the powers that have been able to tap its resources. Gold, oil, metals, lumber, furs, fish, game -- a rich land of vast natural resources, in a dormant backwater. The material is clearly and intelligently presented, beginning with a description of the land, a discussion of the natives and their origins, the history of exploration and trade fast on its heels, the empire building work of the Russians, the coming of the English, the French, the Spanish, the gold rushes, the sale to the United States, and the beginnings of conservation -- and a wind-upwith discussion of the mis-government of Alaska and the hopes of saving the situation.