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 so much traditional game had been killed by newly arrived gold miners. Some of the early groups of reindeer were accompanied by Asian or Sami (Lapp) herdsmen.
<p>In 1898, a group of Sami herdsmen and their families brought a group of reindeer through Seattle on their way to Alaska. This Curtis Studio photo shows several of the Sami herders near a railroad crossing in Seattle.
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<ul><li>Subjects (LCTGM): Gold rushes; Reindeer industry; Sami (European people)</li></ul>
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Edward_S._Curtis" class="extiw" title="w:en:Edward S. Curtis"><span title="American photographer (1868-1952)">Edward S. Curtis</span></a>
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1898<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1898-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/imlsmohai/search">Museum of History and Industry</a>