Marvin T. Broyhill - Adventures in Alaska

Marvin Talmage Broyhill was born July 27, 1888, on his father's farm at Moravian Falls in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He was named after Marvin Talmage, a popular evangelist of the day, but was usually called by his initials, "M.T." Around 1940, M.T. was the subject of a life history compiled by his brother in law, Rev. John Garrett, as part of the Virginia Writer's Project. In it, he provides much information about his early years:

     "After finishing the grades - that was as far as the county schools could take one - I told my father I wanted to leave home and take up some business course when the fall came. And he consented to send me. So I answered some advertisements of various schools and decided I want to go to Omaha, Nebraska. I remember one day as I was hauling up corn from off the farm, I had been teasing my little five year old brother, telling him I was going away and he would be sorry to see me go. Pete [Lincoln] was the pet of all of us and said, 'Yes, I want you to go and I want you go right now', but when I left home little Pete was crying along with the rest of us. Leaving home wasn't so easy, but I had made up my mind to go and I wanted to make good and secure more of an education."
     "When I arrived in Omaha, the government was calling for wireless telegraphy operators and [I] investigated the positions they had to offer and thought I would like the work, so I entered the school to study wireless telegraphy. It didn't take me but a few months to graduate, but to get a position, I had to join the United States Signal Corps.
    "I was only eighteen, so I would have to secure my parents signature to my enlistment papers. I wrote home asked them if they would sign for me to enlist for four years. My parents were willing, but wanted me to come home on a visit first. So I went home for two weeks and returned with the papers all signed. After I was all signed up and passed the examination, and gone through the sham battles as operator, [when] one day the Captain came in our camp and was selecting a number of boys to go to Alaska for the government. And to my surprise I was among the number chosen, "Now boys we don't compel you to go up there, but it's a good opportunity if you want to go. Alaska is a country with opportunity and hardships, you will get double time on your retirement record while you are there". Well I was full of adventure and anxious to go. We sailed from Seattle, Washington in nineteen hundred and six and arrived at Nome, Alaska in about three weeks later. We saw lots of icebergs, which made sailing both slow and dangerous. Alaska was an interesting country: a lot of Americans came up to hunt for gold; some of them got rich, and many went home broke."

An abstract of his military records provided by the General Services Administration states, "Marvin T. Broyhill enlisted on March 8, 1908, at Columbus Barracks, Ohio, and was assigned to Company A, Signal Corps, United States Army.

      M.T. stated that he enlisted in 1906, not in 1908 as stated by GSA, which must be error as the earlier date is substantiated by his statements regarding his being age 18 and requiring parental consent to enlist. His younger brother was named Lincoln, but everyone called him Pete. He was born in 1901, so he was five years old when his big brother announced his decision to leave.
     The great rush for Alaska Gold was one of the most colorful and exciting adventures in American history and news of it flashed around the world. It attracted thousands upon thousands of desperate men, willing to risk their lives seeking to make their fortune. They required supplies, their loved ones wanted to know of their safety and the world cried for news of the latest developments. But communication was limited to hand carried messages: by ship from Seattle, then overland by dog team. In answer to this need, the U.S. Signal Corps managed to lay an underwater telegraph cable from Seattle to the Alaskan port of Valdez by 1901, then attempted to build an overland telegraph connecting it to the wild and largely unexplored interior.
     This was an enormous achievement and would have been a forgotten chapter of history had it not been for General Billy Mitchell, who was later to become the outspoken advocate of air power. In 1901, as a young lieutenant, Mitchell was sent to investigate the delays in stringing the telegraph lines across Alaska. Mitchell returned to the States in 1903, after the line had been completed. This was three years before M.T. arrived in Alaska, so the two men probably never met. But both were among a unique breed of men forever bound together by common hardships and common adventures. After his famous court martial, Mitchell recorded his memories of his Alaska experience in a book manuscript. Excerpts from it were published by the American Heritage Magazine. [Feb, 1961] Mitchell wrote of the Society of Arctic Brothers, a secret society of sourdoughs (those who survived an Alaskan winter, often by eating bread made from sour dough) and Seattle hosted many sourdough reunions, the last in the mid 1950's.
     Although trained in "wireless", M.T.'s job was to maintain the telegraph lines. The lines stretched from Valdez to Fairbanks to Nome, located on the Bering Sea, near the Arctic ocean, a distance of over 2,000 miles. Unfortunately the GSA records provided no information on where he actually worked. The only clues are that he arrived a Nome and re-enlisted at Fairbanks. Somehow he traversed the distance between them and its likely that over his six year enlistment he worked on most of the lines between the two cities. When M.T. arrived the great gold rush had been over for four years. The trails were no longer traveled by desperate men seeking their fortunes; the creeks were no longer being panned; nor was the country side covered with crude digs. Kate Rockwell, the "Yukon Queen" had abandoned her famous saloon and Jack London, whose short stories would forever commemorate the great adventure, had returned to the States. If M.T. had arrived a few years earlier, quite possibly he would have met his distant cousin, former Marshall Wyatt Earp, who, in the twilight of his career worked at a Dawson bar. [M.T.'s great grandmother was Annie Earp] "I was furnished with a dog team of six fine dogs and sleight on which I traveled during the winter."
     The spring and fall were probably the busiest seasons, because an occasional wet snow or rain, would freeze forming ice on the telegraph lines and the weight would eventually cause them to break. The winters were so fierce that Mitchell established a policy of his men carrying a minimum amount of gear to make greater speed, and thus shorten their period of exposure. Mitchell wrote that "Forty degrees below is not particularly cold, or even 45, but for every degree below 50, the intensity of the cold seems to double." The moisture in the breath instantly freezes resulting in a distinct pop and ice would form all over the parka hoods." An ax handle would break in two from brittleness caused by the extreme cold and stepping through a weak spot of ice into water would cause moccasins and trousers to instantly freeze.
     M.T. probably worked on his own - following a line until he found the break, then climbing the pole and splicing the wires back together. Mitchell explained, "We always traveled light, often not carrying a tent but digging a hole out with a snowshoe and banking up a fire of logs opposite it, sleeping in the reflected heat of the embers. Sometimes we slept alone in the snow with the dogs lying on top of us." Although conditions were still primitive, they were apparently better than in Mitchell's time, because M.T. mentioned "traveling from one road house to another where our stations were located." The bitter cold was certainly the greatest danger. Mitchell described an Irishman being nursed at an Indian camp near Goodpaster village.

[His] face and hands were entirely black from freezing, and his ears were all shriveled up and sloughing off. The front teeth ... were broken off from having tried to bite into the frozen fresh salmon ... The Indians had taken off [his] trousers and were rubbing him with snow to try and save him, but I saw at once that his legs were gone and probably his arms. He had worn suspenders to hold up his trousers, and these had frozen from the moisture. There was a black streak on each side of chest and down his back where they had extended. I did not see how the man could have lived.

   Like most other sourdoughs, M.T. forever carried a memento of his Alaska days: A small scar on his cheek, the result of frost bite. Perhaps the damage was limited by Perry Davis Pain Killer so highly recommended by Mitchell, who called it "the greatest medicine ever invented for use in the North". He added, "I do not know the ingredients, other than alcohol and some laudanum, but I would hazard a guess at red pepper, turpentine and Tabasco juice. You can take it internally or rub it on as a liniment. For man or dog, it is one of the best remedies I know for frost bite."
     M.T.'s dog team was much more than a means of transportation and companionship, it was his means of survival. He once stated that often the snow was so heavy that he would walk along the lead dog with his hand over his muzzle, letting the dog lead the way. Mitchell's dog, Pointer, "could feel through the snow with his feet for an old trail and unerringly find it." On one occasion, Mitchell was only able to locate a mail carrier "by the action of my lead dog that he smelled a habitation. It is remarkable how these animals show by their actions what lies ahead of them." Driving a dog team was exhausting work and a seemingly innocent rest could be a death sentence. Circulation would slow down, preparatory to freezing causing an overwhelming desire for sleep. But to lie down and take it easy would result in a person freezing to death in a couple of minutes. Mitchell describes discovering a mail carrier, frozen in a sitting position, his head over his hands. "Between his teeth was a match, and between his knees was a box on which he had raised to scratch the match when his hands had frozen." This was certainly not an isolated event. Jack London described such a man's last few minutes in his short story, "To Light a Match".
     The frozen land provided no food and traveling light for speed demanded carrying a minimum of supplies. A blizzard or accident could cause delays that could quickly consume the meager stores. The annals of the north are filled with stories of men eating their dogs, then webbing from snowshoes, and leather from moccasins and mittens.
     There were other dangers. Mitchell describes finding the body of an Indian whose face had been torn off by a giant bear and a Major in the Canadian Mounties who went stir crazy. M.T. stated that he "wasn't conscious of the sun's glare on the snow and the first thing I knew I was snow blinded, that why I have [had] to wear glasses ever since".
     "The summer day was six months long and the winter night is also six months, and we longed for the first of the sun in the spring", stated M.T. "We had snow all winter and when spring come and the sun came up, it was beautiful. And the Northern lights are wonderful, worth a trip to Alaska just to seem them".
     As the snow melted, it quickly turned the ground into mud. Mitchell noted, "very little would be accomplished if we attempt to transport material in the summer as a pack horse could carry only two hundred pounds fifteen or twenty miles a day; but in winter these same animals could pull from one to two thousand pounds over the frozen snow for even greater distances." This resulted in wire, insulators, poles, food supplies and forage being transported in the winter and cached for use in the summer.
     The mosquitoes were the curse of the Alaskan summer. "At night we built long smudges, or slow-burning fires, around which the mules and horses stood to escape the mosquitoes. After a while the animals got so they would not even leave the smudge to feed or graze, so great was the paint inflicted by the bites," wrote Mitchell, "Two of my mules were literally killed by mosquitoes on this expedition. They were bitten so severely that they would not leave the smudge to feed and grew constantly weaker. Later trying to avoid the mosquitoes, they got in the swift water of the Tanana and were swept away and drowned." Men in the north grew beards in the summer to provide protection from the mosquitoes, but shaved them off in the winter to prevent moisture from their breath freezing and caking them with ice.

Fort Gibbon Barracks

Fort Gibbon Telegraphic Office

In spite of the hardship, M.T. apparently enjoyed the adventure. The GSA abstract shows that he was honorably discharged on March 7, 1911 at Fort Gibbon Alaska, a 1st class private, Company K, Signal Corps, by reason of expiration of term of service (character excellent), but that he re-enlisted on March 8, 1911 (the next day) at Fairbanks, Alaska and in the same organization. No doubt he heard the opinion, "the only thing more stupid than to enlist for Alaskan service is to reenlist for it."
M.T. wrote home to his parents every week. "The mails were irregular and often I would have to wait a month for a letter from and friends on the 'outside', as we called it, only to receive a nice pile all at once. And how glad we were when it come".
"I stayed up there until nineteen and twelve - around six years - and the longer I stayed the more I wanted to go home. So I come out to the States, and bought myself out of the Signal Corps, and home I went. The GSA abstract states that he was discharged on September 20, 1912, at Fort H.G. Wright, New York, as 1st class private, Company G, Signal Corps, United States Army by reason of purchase, (character excellent). Apparently in those days, you could buy your way out of the army.

I wrote the above around 1994. A couple of years after that, M.T.'s sister Dessie died. John Broyhill, son of her brother Gibson obtained two letters that she had received from her brother Marvin almost ninety years before. They are transcribed below:

Letter to Dessie from Fort Gibbon Alaska, Nov. 12, 1909
Neatly typed on plain paper

Dear Sister,

    I have a change to get a letter off to the states today and I will take advantage of it and write you a few lines more in answer to your letter received a few days ago. I received a letter from home, one from Ruel, and one from someone else the same time I received yours.
     Well I have an easy time now as business is dull and most people are snuggled in for the winter. I will take to explain the aurora borealis, or northern lights as they are most commonly called. The best way I can explain them is that they look like a continuous electric wave, or streaks of lighting and cover the entire elements. It is sure a sight to see them. It is well worth a visit to Alaska for the winter season just to see them. The sun sets at 3 p.m. and rises at 9 a.m. and it don’t seem to get over ten feet above the horizon. We can see Mount McKinley from here all clear days. This the highest peak north of Mexico, and is the one that Dr. Cooks claims to have reached the summit of in his recent exploration of the north pole.
     I forgot what I wrote you the last time I wrote. I may be telling this twice as I wrote you in a hurry and did not pay much attention to what I as writing. Is there anyone from Wilkes attending school with you there. Say Dessie as the mails are so uncertain up here, I am afraid to you an more money until navigation opens up. So if you can get along until then just put in your bill and I be pay master. Of course, in necessity I could telegraph it to you but it would cost a high tariff. The mails are carried across the trail from Valdez whit dog teams taking anywhere from three weeks to two months to make it. Sometimes the mails are caught out in the snow storms for weeks at a time and course the mails are sometimes robbed and you can readily see it would be trouble to collect any claims made against the government. But I want to remind you once more to not be afraid to make bills for I will stand back of all of them.
       I have been recently elected secretary and treasure of the Fort Gibbon Social Club. We have sixty-eight members and more coming in every meeting. The main object of the club is to promote sociability, as social dances and dramatics among the men and women of Tanana and vicinity. We have a good time every meeting , and good interest is taken by all. I also belong to the Fort Gibbon Bible Study Club. We have a good bunch of people here, I mean by this that they are social and its seems that they keep closer together than I have ever seen them before. Well this is all the news of importance I have to relate at present. Write soon and give me all the news. But say you can’t tell it to me in three little pages. You and Reuel are in the same row. He asked to write him a long letter and give him all the news and only write me three or four lines. Now I know you can do better than this, "this see". Remember I am in a monotonous country and everything is news to me.
      Your loving Kado
            Marvin T. Broyhill
                    U.S. Signal Corps.

Say I have had you fooled. You thought I couldn’t brag on myself, didn’t you?

Letter to Dessie from Chena Alaska, June 19, 1910.
Neatly typed on stationary titled, "Signal Corps, United States Army – Telegram, received at

My Dear Sister Dessie,

     It has been several months since I have heard from you, and I also think it is your time to write but to stop this argument I will take the advantage of the long day which I have now and drop you a few lines. This day is just four months long. I will not be able to see night until the last of September. REMEMBER this letter was written by the light of the "midnight sun", and at the hour of midnight. We sleep as much one time as the other.
     You have heard lot my bragging on Alaska, but I don’t mean a word of it, I mean as far as my satisfaction is concerned. It is true Alaska has got more money in circulation than any other state in the union according to the population. As I have said heretofore common labor is a minimum of one dollar per hour, while carpenters get three to five, and everything you buy in this country in the way of merchandise cost from five to six times as much as in the states. Penny, nickels, dimes are not in circulation in Alaska. The people have no use for them.
     But do say that Alaska is a monotonous country good for nothing except its gold and other mining resources. If it was not for the money in it, I certainly would not stay up here no not a day longer. But I will tell you right now I am not staying up here for my health of nothing of the kind, and the country don’t get any of my money either. All we have in the summer time is moquites-ss-ss by the million. You don’t know what they are as you never saw them, and when I say mosquitoes you don’t know or see how they could be of much injury to the country. We can’t go outside at all without a head net and then they will eat you up through the clothing. On the other hand, the extreme cold in the winter is a menace to the country.
     Of course I will have to admit that Alaska is noted for its scenery. Just to walk over the hills of Alaska and view the valleys you would not think tem to be so worthless. Last Tuesday which was "flag day" I had a day off and I took a gun and thought I would try my first experience in Alaskan hunting, and of course I wanted a little privacy too. I started down the river over the hills on the north side making my way to a construction camp about six miles away. You will remember that traveling through the country in Alaska is unlike back there. The chances are you will not see anyone and nobody lives between one town and the others which are few and far between. Also in the summer time there is no trail on the river and you have to travel through the woods.. I was making my way to the summit of a hill with my head net on and not thinking of how I was when I reached the top I raised my net and looked around. On the opposite side of the river looking south over the Tanana valley, it reminded me of being on the wireless tower at Omaha Nebraska looking over the Mississippi and Missouri valleys. Far at a distance I could see mountains which reflected my memory to the Blue Ridge back in the "Old North State," Virginia and West Virginia. I could hear nothing but the perpetual song of the mosquites-ss-ss-zz and when I would raise my net a million would dab me in the face. I don’t swear but I had some awful bad thoughts all over there by myself.
     Well how did you make it to pull through school. I am sorry I could not help you no more than I did but I will say if our start to school next fall I will be able to help you. Advise me early. Wishing you much success, and a happy life, I am as ever,
      Your loving brother
              Marvin Broyhill

Mitchell summed up the importance of the project, "...from St. Michael and Nome on the Bering Sea, clear through to New York and Washington, the electric current transmitted our messages with the speed of light. Alaska was at last open to civilization. No longer was it the land of the unknown, sealed tight by the God of Everlasting Snow and Frost. We had forced open the portal with which he shut out the white man from the North."

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