stefansson-wrangel-09-30-002-001

Appendix III - The Story of Ada Blackjack

A Statement
Dictated in Seattle, Washington February 6, 1924
to E.R. Jordon, by Ada Blackjack. *

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about 3000 words

Stefansson sent an exploring party to Wrangell Island. They
arrived in Nome, Alaska, September 1st, 1921, and were looking for
a seamstress to take along with them. U. W. S. Marshall E.R. Jordon intro-
duced me to Mr. Crawford, who was head of the Expedition. During
their short stay in Nome, they chartered the boat Silver Wave. The
Commander's name was Jack Hamar, who had spent many years in the
arctic waters.

Before we left Nome I bought some sinew, needles, thimbles
and some linen thread. We left Nome about September 9, 1921, and
arrived at Wrangell Island September 16th, 1921. On our way to
Wrangell Island we stopped on East Cape to get some sinew and
white seal skin; we also bought a small Eskimo skin boat. *

* This was a boat smaller than an umiak. We know from a
letter written|by Frederick Maurer to his wife that the boat was
later lost by being washed overboard from the Silver Wave.

When we got to Wrangell Island the land looked very
large to me, but they said that it was only a small island. I
thought at first that I would turn back but I decided it wouldn't
be fair to the boys. so I felt that I had to stay. Soon after we
arrived I started to sew. on some snow shirts for the boys. We
brought some reindeer skin coats and all I had to do was to
fasten the hoods on to them, for it was very cold and the boys
needed them to go about in.

They used to haul lots of wood to get wood piles for
the winter. They made the frame for the snowhouse for winter and
about the last part of October they put the snow blocks in. We
were living in a tent at first and it was rather cold.

When spring came in 1922 we saw some geese and ducks;
then we had some good meat. That spring the boys got over thirty
seals and over ten polar bears. Not many of the skins could be
used for the weather was so damp and we had no way to dry them,
so only one or two were saved.

The summer 1922 Mr. Knight took a trip to the East of
our camp, about sixty miles. On that trip he said he crossed a
river called Skeleton River, which he had to swim across. He said
it was quite a large river. After he came back the other three
boys left to take the same trip. After his trip Mr. Knight was
never well, complained of a sore back and said he felt weak.
When Knight took the trip he took a dog along to carry his small
things. While the other boys were away Mr. Knight killed a big
polar bear, but we didn't touch the meat for we didn't care for
it because we had ducks and geese and brant. After the boys

* In this statement Mr. Jordon has preserved the slightly foreign diction
of the Eskimo [woman] (who had been brought up in an American mining town).
We print this statement rather than her diary for it is more complete, without contradicting
anything in the diary. She made dictated it before she or anyone knew that Mr. Noice was
going to publish or otherwise make any accusations against her.