Kodiak Mirror

A Sourdough's First Visit 'Outside'

What happens when a native Alaskan, a true sourdough, visits the big cities of the continental U.S. for the first time?
Are his impressions the same as experienced by those who visit there regularly? Does the bigness of the cities overwhelm him, or is there a corollary between his pre-conceived ideas and the reality?
Being born in Alaska and spending his entire life in this territory, now a state, and for the first time after 44 years seeing some of the north and southwest states, was the unique experience of Carl Olsen, now a resident of Kodiak.
Carl was born on Hinchinbrook Island, located on Prince William Sound, forty-four years ago, in a little village which doesn't exist anymore, called Nuchek. From all reports that is about as desolate and remote an area as may be found in Alaska. It is probably more populated at the present time than ever in its history, for a White Alice installation is located there, and the Coast Guard maintains a weather station there also.
When Carl lived there, mail had to be trekked in by trail. In the Olsen family, there were eight boys and two girls. They migrated to Cordova some years ago, where most of them are now living. Carl has one brother, Pete, living here at present.
Asked if he was prepared for what he saw when he landed in bustling Seattle and sprawling Los Angeles. "Pretty much," he said, "I did a lot of reading beforehand." "Did you have any trouble getting around?" we asked. "I could get lost easier there than in the remote areas of Alaska. I had trouble getting my directions."
Carl traveled around a lot in the three months he spent along the West Coast. He was with Charles Hirshey of the Assembly of God church here. They were on a fund raising tour for the church's work in Alaska. He has been with the church for eight years, and hopes to return to a bible school in California to continue further studies.
Olsen was skipper on a halibut boat, the Tempest, last year and expects to fish halibut next season. He fished crab aboard the Quadra and the Eldorado last year. He has been here two years.
The sourdough from Alaska found the people in the other states very friendly. But he was amazed at their ignorance of the new state. They kept asking him about the igloos up here, the desperately cold weather. As to the latter, his reply was: the same as northern Florida.