The Ties That Bind

The Ties That Bind. . , The fortunes of the park and the railroad have long been linked. , It could be said that the coming of the railroad was a catalyst for the creation of the park. In January 1917 Stephen R. Capps of the U,S. Geological Survey reported that market hunters were taking 1,500 to 2,000 Dall sheep from this region each year, and warned 'how much more rapidly will the game disappear when the railroad is completed to a point within 15 miles of this game paradise" His warning carried weight in Congress, speeding passage of the bill that established the park and protected much of the sheep's range. , Thereafter, the railroad was key to the park's growth. It provided a line of supply, put beds in the park, and delivered visitors' - during the park's first forty years, almost all visitors arrived by rail. In turn, the park, which the railroad promoted as a must -see on a tour of Alaska, brough the railroad tourism dollars. , The chief purpose of the railroad was to open Interior Alaska to development But from the beginning, the railroad also made it possible for travelers to venture into the wilderness. Then as now, these experiences moved visitors to care about the park and other wild lands. , A Helping Hand , Park Superintendent Harry Karstens had this to say about the young park's reliance on the railroad. when he addressed the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce in 1924: "Taking two salaries from the appropriation of $8,000,very little was left for the purchase of horses, dogs, feed, supplies, harness, blacksmith outfit, and many other items, and it has only been with the cooperation of the Alaska Railroad that we are as well equipped as we are at the present time."