Interesting Westerners
THERE is not a town of any size on the Pacific Coast in which “Miss Spokane" has not appeared in her quaint Indian costume as the ambassador of the capital of the Inland Empire, nor a community in the nation which has not been presented with her picture.
Six years ago the Spokane Chamber of Commerce decided that the city should have a symbol to be used in “booster” campaigns, and out of a number of designs submitted chose one of an Indian maiden as most fitting for the Indian name, Spokane. Then, said somebody, how splendid would it be to have a beautiful young lady as a living symbol! A committee of judges selected Miss Marguerite Motie as having the type of Beauty best adapted and from that time she has been known always as "Miss Spokane." She has traveled many, many thousands of miles to represent the city at the Portland Rose Carnivals, conventions and fairs; and where she has been unable to go, as in the far East and South, thousands of her pictures have gone in her stead. The merchants of Spokane, when they mail orders to other parts of the nation, enclose a print on which is the wording: “Miss Spokane invites you.”
of Commerce proposed to “Miss Spokane" in Indian love words and proffered her a totem ring of old; she accepted, and is now “betrothed" to the great western city of her state. Twenty true Indian braves from the Glacier National Park acted as her per
sonal escort on her special train to Cali fornia, adopted her into their tribe and gave her the name "Itsatapiaka," which means: “She is an Indian girl." ALVIN E. DYER. U
VAITING the Government's final
action in regard to the widely dis cussed' Alaska coal situation, the eyes of
the public naturally turn to the man on whose report depends the equitable di vision into leasing units of those lands under consideration. From among the very best mining engineers of the United States, George
Watkin Evans was selected by the Department of the Interior for this important and extremely difficult commission. ‘ ' .L-i-Q.
After a summer spent in the Bering river ; coal fields he is now in Seattle at work on his report, upon which the Government Miss Marguerite Motie, known pictorially
will base its own reservations in that field to the world as “Miss Spokane,"
and outline the leases so that every lessee whose beauty is the oflicial On her first journe to a nei hboring will get a square deal. mascot of the Northwest city the president of the Seattle hamber Mr. Evans is a man of forcible yet en gaging personality—athletic in appear ance and not yet forty years old. His a bath and supper he worked at his books rapid advancement in his profession is every night till eleven, and on Sunday the considered phenomenal, since he is purely entire day was devoted to his studies. a product of the West, and starting out at the bottom, worked his way, absolutely
As a result, by the time he was twenty
one he was ready to enter the State Col lege at Pullman, Washington, although He was born in Abercarne, South he had never been to high school and had Wales, in 1876. For several generations sI‘Ii'om ent Pullman very little in public school. he time received the degrees of his people had followed coal mining in that country, but in 1880 his father, Bachelor of Science and Engineer of Watkin Evans, moved the family to Mines; he was also past master in the art America. After several years’ wander of managing his own family. ings amon the various coal minin sec In 1912 it became necessary for im tions of t e eastern states the vans portant representatives of Canadian and family finally settled at the Franklin mine German capital to secure the services of near Seattle, Washington. an American engineer to make an ex— George Watkin Evans followed in the haustive examination of coal holdings in footsteps of every other coal miner’s boy, British Columbia. ()n the re ort of this and began his career, at the age of twelve, engineer hung the fate of the (ground Hog in the Franklin mine. He oiled cars, anthracite coal field and several prospect drove a mule and tended the doors that ive railroads. It is noteworthy that Mr. control the air currents in a mine. He Evans, a typical Western engineer, was carried chain on surveys, and as he grew selected for this work on the recommen older took up the regular tasks of the coal dation of “'all Street financiers. In 1913 he took charge of the examina miner. For six years he labored at the tion of the Matinuska coal fields in mines, without thought of educational ad vantages; though unconsciously he ab Alaska for the U. S. Navy, and completed sorbed an understanding of the working that diflicult work in a manner that not man's point of view and built up a fine only won him the commendation of the physique. Vhen seventeen years old he Department at W'ashington but the suddenly decided to become a mining hearty approval of all Alaskans. a combi engineer. The environment was not at all nation hitherto unheard of in the history ' conducive to educational advancement, of the Alaska coal land tangle. Mr. Evans is considered the foremost but young Evans had heard the inspector of mines casually mention a correspond authority on Alaska coal, but in addition without help from any one higher up.
George Watkin Evans, mining engineer, sent to Alaska by the Department of the Interior to untangle the coal question—some iob
ence school, so he wrote for their course in
to his work for the Government in these
mining engineering. Then began the busiest period of Mr. Evans’ very busy life. From seven in the morning till six
fields he is now consulting mining engineer for the largest coal operating companies
at night he toiled at the coal mines. After
in the West. FLORANCE B. Wittoroinn'. 39
