Jujiro Wada

Wada said that he arrived in San Francisco in late 1891, and that his purpose of traveling to the United States was to attend Yale University.

In 1886, when he was 13 or 14 years of age (by Japanese counting, which would mean 12 or 13 by American), Jujiro went to work at Toda-Seishi Company, which was a local paper factory.

[3] Wada was a cabin boy and cook aboard the Pacific Steam Whaling Company's bark Balaena from March 1892 until October 1894.

[3] Following his trip to Japan, Wada returned to Alaska, where he went back to working as a shore whaler at Utqiagvik.

Naturalist Edward Avery "Ned" McIlhenny (of the Tabasco sauce family) and two assistants were then living at the Point Barrow refuge station, and during the next few months, the McIlhenny party and the Barrow shore whalers helped the crews of the stranded whale ships.

She wrote a message to the Fairbanks Times and when presented to him by an acquaintance, Wada replied back, calling her "Himeko.

Barnette, who had established a trading post on the banks of the Chena River that subsequently became the site of modern Fairbanks.

[15][16] On December 28, 1902, Wada drove one of Barnette's dog teams into Dawson City to tell the Canadians about the recent gold strikes near Fairbanks.

[17] Reporter Casey Moran of the Yukon Sun subsequently wrote a front-page story whose headline screamed "Rich Strike Made in the Tanana.

"[14] The story caused several hundred miners to leave Dawson City for Fairbanks, where most were disappointed to find that prices were high and the best sites were already staked.

The other part of the story, that I showed a copy of the [Seattle] Post-Intelligencer saying that several years before I had rescued a party of shipwrecked whalers in the Arctic in dead of winter is true.

I did show that paper to let some of the boys know I had been up North, but it was not in a plea to save my neck.After this experience, Wada left Fairbanks for Nome, where, in July 1903, he was arrested on the charge of failing to report the sale of 40 mink pelts.

[22] Said the Dawson Daily News on May 6, 1908: All the Japanese boys in town had wagered their last cent of money on their fellow countryman, and their confidence in their man was never lost.

Many people believed that he would make a strong showing, but only a few had given the dark-skinned boy credit for the wonderful powers of endurance which he displayed ... During the entire race he was off the track but once -- and for only six minutes, the actual time consumed in changing his shoes.

While on the run he ate a little raw egg and some tomato, drank a little mineral water, and that was all.In August 1907, Wada took his money to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Vancouver Daily Province of August 7, 1907 reported that Wada was a fine storyteller, a favorite being the one about the time he trained two polar bear cubs to pull his sled.

It was on this trip that Wada, running short of dog food, reportedly fed the animals his sealskin pants.

"[23] Then, after filing some mining claims and buying a new worsted suit and brown derby, Wada caught a series of steamers to Nome.

[26] Wada signed up to run in Fairbanks' Independence Day Marathon, which was scheduled for July 1, 1909, but he fell ill and so didn't participate.

Said the newspaper article: Clad in a suit of blue serge with white starched collar, Jayerio [sic] Wada, a well known Japanese Alaskan musher, who left for Seward on the Yucatan, of the Alaska Steamship Company, this morning, resembled an agent for an Oriental firm rather than a veteran adventurer ... Wada, as he ran up the gang plank, was recognized by several Alaskans, who were on the pier to witness the sailing of the steamship, he turned and said: 'Good luck everybody.

'After arriving in Seward, Wada and Alfred Lowell, Dick Butler, and Frank Cotter helped pioneer the Iditarod Trail.

[40] During May 1915, Wada was in San Pedro, California, working at Van Camp's tuna packing plant, but left town swiftly after receiving a phone call.

In the Seattle Times on May 15, 1916, Wada insisted the phone call was a job offer in Alaska, and he traveled to New York.

However, on page 217 of Tani, 1995, Wada wrote a letter to his friend Sunada, written on Van Camp Sea Food Company stationery.