Herd of reindeer at Port Clarence, Alaska, 1900

• Main Author: Hegg, Eric A., 1867-1948
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Gold rushes; Reindeer; Hegg; Seward Peninsula; Alaska
• Online Access: http://cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org:80/cdm/ref/collection/imlsmohai/id/5507

Beginning in 1892, the United States government brought reindeer from Asia and Europe into Alaska as a new food source for the native peoples. The idea was to replace hunting with herding, particularly after newly arrived gold miners had killed so much of the local game. This 1900 photo by Eric Hegg shows a herd of reindeer near Port Clarence, on Alaska's Seward Peninsula. Although the reindeer multiplied until the 1930s, the experiment was not a success because the animals required too much care. Original copy negative. Original photograph: Hegg, E.A., 1900. Copied by photographer or by Webster & Stevens. 1 negative: nitrate, b&w; 6.5 x 8.5 in.