IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 11.25 ■iA12.8 |2.5 itt Uii ■2.2 H^ 1:0 |20 •- I. 1.4 11.6 .^ ^r 7 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Inttituta for Historical Microraproduction. inatitut Canadian da microraproductiona hiatoriquaa 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checlced below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a «t* possible de se procurer. Certains dAfauts susceptibles de nuire A la qualit* de la reproduction sont notAs ci-dessous. 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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour Atre reproduites en un seul clichA sont filmAes A partir de I'angie supArieure gauche, de gauche A droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Le diagramme suivant iliustre la mAthode : \ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Reprinted from THE REVIEW OF HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO CANADA: VOLUME II. PUBLICATIONS OF THE YEAR 1897: Edited bv GEORGE M. WRONG. M.A., Profkssor OF History in the University of Toronto ^^>»^^^ Ca<^^^^ (^cc^i^L^^ ANAVA NATHMAU HISTOI^ICAL NOTliS ON Till: >'UKON DIS- TRICT by GRORGr: A\. DAWSON. C./n.G.. LL.D.. »S:C. Directoi- of tl\e Geological Sw voy of Canada THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: PUBLISHED BY THE LIBRARIAN, 1898 TORONTO: WILLIAM BRKKiS LONDON: THE IMPERIAL PUESS, LIV'-ED, 21 Sl«REY ST, W.C. / ^/ ^ CANADA NATIONAL LIBRARY BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE Historical Note on Events in the Yikon District, NoHTiiwEsT Territories. Tlif liisUuy of till' Yukon district ol" tiic north-west territory and tliiit of the adjacent northern pait of Hritisli Columbia, sejMirateil from it only hy tiie 00th parallel (jf latitude, nnist be taken to«;et her. ft begins with the explorations of the Hudson Bay Couipanv, urule in the interests of trade, for tlie old North- west company never extended its operations into any part of this re;;ion. Next comes the discovery of yoM on the Stikine in l.s6l,and in the Cassiar country proper in 1872, and, at a Ion-;- interval. alMtut 1881, the initiati(jn of minin;,' on the upper tribu- taries nf the Yukon and the subse(|Uent events along that great river and its feeders. The history of Alaska proper, to the west uf the 141st meridian, and that connected w ith *''e negotiations leading up to the convention of 1X25 in regard . the Ivmndary with Rivs.sian America, are not included in the present notes. Probably in consequence of the negotiations with Russia about that time, in tin- ctMn-se of which the Hudson Pay Coin- pii'iy had In-en consulted by the Biitish government (the existing interests in N DisTKirr Clii\it without knowini; mider what name its waters reached the ocean. Two years later, Mcl^eod s successor at Fort Halkett was sent to estuhlish a post in th<' newly discovereil ret;ion, l)Ut owintj to a panic arisinjT from the reported proximity of hostile natives this expedition entirely failed. In 1.S37, a far distant part of the Yukon di.strict was touched by Messrs. Dease and Simpson, whi> examined the Arctic coast hetween the mouth of the Muckeiszie and Point Barrow. In 1S88, the attempt to estahlish posts to the wi'stwar<] hy way of the I.iiard was renewed by the Hudson P>ay Company. The eiiterpiise was entrusted, on this occasion, to Robert Campbell, who thus beoan a series of remarkable explora- tions, the results of which, though scarcely apprcciatetl at tli« time, even b\- the company f(jr which he worked, can never be forgotten in the hi.story of the far north-west. Cumpbell, .accom- panied only by a half-breed and two Indian lads, established an outpost on Dease Lake, and remained there durinij the winter of l.StJ.'S-S!), amid constant alarms from the " Russian " or coa.st Indians and with scarceh anything in the nature of supplies. In May. starvation tV^rced him to abandon his post and return down the Liard. Meanwhile, in IHoT, a long loa.se of what is now the Alaskan "coa.st -strip" had been securer! b)' the Hudson Bay Company on terms agreed upon with the Russian company, find the fur-trado being thus controlled on both sides by the first-named company, it became unnece.ssary to occupy Dt-ase Lake. Campbell, no doubt, first heard of this arrangement on his return to the Mac- kenzie in 18JJ9. The negotiations between representatives of the companies had been carried on in Hamburg, anil with the slow- ness of communication at the time, the authorities in the Mac- kei.;;ie district could not ha\ e been sooner made aware of them Dawson : YiKos Distkk r o or ol' '.•ii- ivsiilt. Tlifiii-.'lniwiinl, iiiicl Tor iimii.v y.-ais, wliat ait. liowi'ver, ('aiMi.l)cli was coininission.'.l l.y Sir (l.-or-iv Simpson to .'xplor.- the •• Nortli Branch " ol" th.- Liaul (tin- D.-asr hcinj; th.- " South Branch "j to its want'c, and to cross tlic h«i<>ht-of-lan Indians and his interpreter, Hoole.f continued on foot for somi" fifty miles till he reached a larjfe river which he named the Velly, after (aie of the jjovernors of the company. He nunle a raft and drifted fta- some miles down the river, Vjefore returnin;;- to Frances Lake, where, meanwhile, the other men of his i)arty had built a lunise which wtis named " (Slenlyon Ibaise,' but afterwards became known as Fort FVances. Fortified by a" trading (Uitfit," which had been sent after him from Fat Halkett, Campbell spent the winter of 1840-41 at Frances Lake. The company being resolved to follow up Campbell's dis- coveries, we find him in 1842 establishing Fort Pelly Banks and ♦.Icihii Fiiiliiy H explorBti.in of 1824, uj) the Fiiilay bianih of Pence River, i)f wliich !i iimuuscri|it Hccoiait exists, does not seem to have led to the i>|iening of any trade route in that direetion. tR«eident as an employee of the coinimny at Fort Yukon in I8(>7, iiccord- ing to Whymper and Dall. 6 Dawson : \'iKn\ IXsiuk r ill .liiiii' I.S4.'{ l('fi\iii;f tlint now pi'st willi n |iarty nl' si\ imii \>< t'\|ilniT tilt' I't'lly livfi' Tliis lif did fnr iiliniit ."{(K) iiiilc^. nr in thf ooiiHui'iici' of tlic lar<;(' lufiiicli iiiniiiii \>y liim tlir Lewes, N(jtliiiij: fiirtlier was done in lliis diicctiim lieyund I'elly Banks for some years, Imt ineanwliile an opeiiin;;' was l)ein;r made into lie Ynkon district in another direction, niudi I'nrtlier iioitli. In 1^42, Ml- J. liell.ol' tlie Huilstiii Hay ( 'ompany. had (•l•n^.sed tlie mountains IVom llie post situated on I'eel Uiver ( Koit Mac- jtherson) near the delta of the MacUeii/ie, and reachetl tiie Porcu- pine, and in lH4(i he di'.scended and explored that river to its oontlnence with the main stream, which the Indians told him was called the Yukon. In the rolinwinL,' year, Kort Yukon was estalilished hy A. M, Murray, at the mouth of the Porcupine. In the winter of IS47-4.S hoals were liuilt at Pelly iianks. and ':i .lune. 1M4.S. Campbell set out to estahlish a post at tin- coiiHueiice iif the j.ewes. This Was named Fort Selkirk. In 1850 Cainphell descended the river from Kort .Selkirk to Fort Yukon, thus provin;j for the tirst time the connection of the Pelly river with the Yukon. From Fort Yukon lie ascemled the Porcupine, cnwscd the mountains and returned to heail- i|Uarters at Fort Simpson Ujt the Mackenzie, to the ;rreat surprise of the people there. One result of this journey was, however, to show that the route rid the porcupine was hetter than tliat hy the LiaruN : Yl'KuS DisTHIi T 7 .,ic iicciiiii'iifi'N ;it lii'iiil-i|iiiirlt'rs im tin- .Nliiekfii/it', rciicliiu;;; Fort Simpson liy liis olil route just licroi-c tin' livri' closctl, latt- in Ocfdiiir W'isliiii;^ to mipciil |)i rsoMiilly to Sir (Icortfc Siuipsou I'oi' li'jivc to i('-('stal)lisli iiis )"fi\()Uriti' post. In- nuidc n most rc- iii.iikiililr jouiiH'V "luring tlif winter, oii siiow-sliors, from Kort Simpson iicross tile coiitimnt to Crow Wiiij; in .MiiiMesotn. wlienci' I • rem-lieil LoMilon in Jiliont n niontli. luit w;is unalile to ;;et the MUtltorizatioll lie (lesireil, liiipierrf House, on t lie eastern lieail-waters oi' tlie I'orc'Upine WHS estalijislied jilMiut \H't:\ us iii> outpost of Kort Macplier.soii (or 'Heel l!i\er post ) ami an internii'diate station on tln' way to Koi't N'ukoii, l)ut no otiier estaMisliments weic maintained hy tlie company in what is now known as tlie Yukon district for many yeai's lliereafter. It appeals that in liS.Vi one ol' Camp- liell's hunters arrived I'rom the Yukon hy way ol" the Pelly and Kruuci's, Imt suhseiiuent to that date the old naite is not known to have heeu anilili traversed until the date of t)U|- survey of 1.SS7. In l.S.').'{, chief factoi' .lames Audei'son states* that four- teen deaths of employees liy drowniiie' or from starvation had attended the attempt to estahlish and maintain this Liard Hi\er route to the Yukon. The winter of IStiO-ti! was spent at Kort Yukon hy Mr. K. Keiinicott, the well-known collector and naturalist. He had readied this post from the Mackenzie district and returue( ration.s on a liniitcil scale con- tintH'il alon;; tlie lower Stikine for a ininil»er of years, ami in (•onse(|nenee of tliesc a llutlson Uay jxist was e.staMislieil in l.S(j2 or ISIi:{ at a point al)ont fifty miles \ip the rivei'. 'j'liis was maiutaiiiefj till 1S7+, when it was moved up to ( lli'iiora. lnlN(i(l, explorations lunler Major I'ope. for a ronte for the We.-.tern I'liion or Collins' Tele;,'rap)i, intendetl to connect Europe ani) North America liy way of Asia, were extemletl to the Slikine hasin. These explorations in the Stikine re;;ion were carried on chuinjf the followinij year hy >i. \V. Byrnes, Vital l.al!e\ir, W McNeill and P. .1. Leich. Kongh sketches were maile of most of the uiani trihntarios of the Stikine, and extendeil, a.s it now proves, hy Byrnes to the head of Toslin Lake. In IM()7, Ketclnnn Hud Lalwirfje pushed exploratt)ry work up the Yukon as fai- as the site of Fort Selkirk, and Dall and Whymjier reached Fort Yukon . but the whole of this woik was aliandoned in the saiiM' y( ar on receijtt of news of the successful liiyiii;;' of an Atlantic calile. In lfS()7 the Rev. . I. McDonald was already stationed liy the Church Mi.ssionary Society at Fort Yukon. It has not Keen ascertaiiieil whether missions were continuously maintained along the Yukon and Porcupine from this date, hut it is prohaMe that this was the case. Russian America havinjf passed hy ce.ssion to the United States in 1 807, in KS6f> Captain C. \V. Raymond was sent by the Tnited States tfovernmi-nt, on the initiative of the Alaska Com- mercial Company, to determine the p(»sition of Fori Yukon. Ifavinjf ascertained that it was to the west of the 141st meridian, there constituting the line of boundary, he promj)tly informed the representatives of the company of the fact, notified them that " the introduction of trading o;oods, or any trad'.' with the natives is illegal and must cease, " and took ])o.ssession of the post. The company then erocted a new i»ost (Rampart House) nearly 100 miles up the Porcupine river. This was again moved in a few years to a point about twelve miles further up the river, where it remained till I8iiii;- out of the convi'vancc of a criiniim!, ow MiirtiM\, ..cross the coast- strip of Alaska. As a result a provisional lioundary-line was ajjreeii upon without prejudice. (Dominion of Canada, Sessional Papers, Vol. XI. No. 11, 1878 ) TlieCivSsiar country pro])er. it will he reinenihered. drains into the Mackenzie hy the Liard River, which cuts across the Uocky Mountains. We have now to trace tin- diseovery of <;-old and tlx- development of minint,Mn the iiasin of tie' Yukon itself, which, altliouj;h contifi'uous and occupying a similar position hetween the Rocky Mcauitains and the coa.st rauuvs, drains ma'thward and then westward to Hehriu"' Si'a. In 1872, Harper and Mct^uestion, \v!io hail heen enectinii- an that a strong ])rospecting party was organi/.d at Sitka by Bean. The party had increa.sed to twenty-tive when wliat is now known as Lake Lindeman was reached, and at least two other miners followed at a later date, (iold was found on river bars, but not in what was considered as rennnierative (juantity. It was in the following year (1881 ) that what may \n- regarded as the first discovery of payable placer deposits occurred, by another party, travelling by the same loute, but ascending afterwards the Big Salmon river for some di.stance. In 1882, more miners went in over the Chilkoot pass, and irold was discovered in this yeai- or the next on the Stewart river 1»^ two brothers named Boswell. There were thirty or foitv miners in all in the Yukon country that .sunnner. In the .same year Dr. A. Krause, on behalf of the Bremen (ieographical Society, made an intere.sting exploration of the Chilkoot and Chilkat pas.ses{xnd the country in their vicinity, of which the results were published in (termany. Also in 1882 a mi.ssion station was established at Rampart House, on the Porcupine, by the Church Missionary Society. In 1883 and 1884, some mining was in pnxn-ess on riv.'r bars, chiefly along the Lewes, and in the first -named year Lieut. Schwatka, V. S. Army, cro.ssed the Chilkoot pass and descended by the Lewes and Yukon to the sea, making a fairly C( rrect sketch of his route. The results of h's joui'uey appeared in aji otbcial report dated 1885. in a populai- work entitled "Along Alaska's CSreat River" (1885), and in various magazine and press articles. He found both Fort Reliance and Belle Isle (a trading-post ( stablished by F. Mercier for the Alaska Com- ''i 12 Dawson ; ViKoN Distuut ,.u.,.ciHl Con.pany just west of tlu- Ul.t uu.ri.lian) abandcned in 1883 In !««•'' ""•• '^^^' """-^ "*' ^'"-' '"'""■'''' were tMigagod on tl„. Stewart, an.l tl,.- l.ars ..f this river were pretty thoroughly worked over, with an ag-reoat. yield in gohl valued at about SlOO.OdO. Ill 188(1 Casiar bar, so far the richest known on the Lewes river, was found and worked. In eonsciuence of the above discov eries and explorations some attention began to be directed U. the valley of tlie Yukon, parti- cularly in British Columbia, and the writer urged up:in the late Hon T White Ministerof the Interior, the importance of gaming some accurate knowledge of it and its possibilities, in the interest ni Canada To Mr. White's approval and encouragement the d,.spa'chof th.. Yukon expe.htion of 1887-88 was directly due. All possible information was in the first place collected, largely bv correspondence with Mr R. Campbell, the original explorer „f the Yukon, then still living as a resident of Manitoba, and ,-irly in the spring of 1887 the writer was despatched in charge o'f a* geological and geographical reconnaissance of the territory. Mr W Ogilvie was a member of this expedition, being specially char.'ed with the nieasun-ment of a lin.' fn.m the head of Lynn Canal by the Lewes river an.l Yukon to the boundary at the Ulst mc'ridian.and Messrs. R. ti. McConnell and J. McEvoy ot tin- (leologieal Survey, were attached as assistants to the expedition. • • i i i It is unneces,sary to follow the work of the parties in detail, as this is ' population of the retfion, about 250 in all, was concentrated there. No authentic news of the discovery reached tlic coast before the early sunnnor of 1887, but in the .spring of that year Harper and Mcl^uestion aViandoned a post they had established at the mouth of the Stewart and moved to Forty-mile Creek. There about 300 men were at work in 1887, makinj^ during the sea.son about 8112,500, much of which, however, came from tributaries of Fortv-mile Creek within the Alaska boundaiy. Four small stei'n-wheel steamers M'ere already on the river in 1887, antl these had ascended as far as the Stewart river. Three of them belonged to the Alaska Connnercial Company. T. Boswell and two other prospectors spent the summer on the Teslin or Hootalinqua river and its branches. About 100 miners remained in the country during the winter of 1887-88, and a station of the Church Missionary Society (Buxton) was established near Forty-mile Creek. The total value of gold produced in the district (exclud- ing Alaska) may be roughlj^ estimated at S70.00I). In the early spring (^f 188S, Mr. W. Ogilvie, having completed his observations for the det»'rmination of the 141st meridian, left the Yukon by the valley of the Tatonchic. crossed the waterslied to the Porcupine (which was found to head neai- the sources of the tirst-named river), and travelled to Lapierie House, thus exploring a route through an entirely unknown territory. After crossing the mountains, he returned southward up the Mackenzie. A possible re-arrangement of the Canada-Alaska boundary was discussed in connection with the Fishery Conference in Wa.sh- ington, early in the year, but without result. (U. S. 50th Cong., 2nd ) 14 DaWS«)X : Yl'KoN DlsTRK'T Sess., Senate Ex. Doc. l-Ki.) Tlu' year I8!S8 was a very unfavour- able ore for mining, but tlie gold pnKlured in the Yukon district (Canailian) wjis estimated at S+0,000. In 18.S9, Messrs. J. H. Turner and J. E. McCratli. of the U. S. Coast i d Geodetic Survfv, wei-e sent by their g' rument to ascertain, respectively, th« points at which the 1-Hst meridian crosses the Porcupine and Yukon rivers. McOrath re-occupied Ogilvie's observation statiiMi. I. C. Ru.ssell of the U. S. Geolo- gical Survey accompanied the above-mentioned parties. He ascended the Yukon and Lewes rivers and crossed the Chilkoot pass to the coast, thus following (above the mouth of the Porcu- pine) tlie route previously examined, geologically, by the writer and Mr. McCoiniell. His notes on the surface geology of the region appear in Vol. I., Bull. tied. Soc. Am. (1890). The goM produced during the year in the Yukon district was estimateil at $175,(100. In 1890, according to Hayes, a party f i^old prfxhioi-d in the Vukon dis- trict in INOI was !?1.0,()()0. With the exeeption of th.- Porcupine river, the trade of which wa.-; C01 a rolled l)y the Hudson Bay Company, the Alaska I'onnnercial Company hciil a practical monopoly of the Yukon valley trade until I.S92. In this y.-ar. the Nia'th American Transportation and Tradini;- Company was or;;anized in Chicai'O, and Fort Cudahy was estahlished as its head-i|uarters, a short distance helow the month of Forty-mile Creek. Mininj,^ e.\tende0 miners remained in the interior dur- ing the wiiUer of 18i):)-!»4. The rstimated value of gold produced in KS!».S was SI 70,000. In the spring of 1,S94. Inspector Con.stantinc and Sergeant Brown of the North-west mounted police, were sent in to the Yukon district to collect customs dues ami pre.servi' oi-d 'r. VV. Ogilvie, in the winter, conducted an exploration up the Taku river, hut did not reach Teslin Lake. Ahout oOO miners wintereti in the district. I. ( ). Stringer, of the Canadi.-m Church Mi.ssi>.nary A.ssociation was at Herschel Island this winter. The estimat< d value of gold produced in lsD4 was 8125.000. Early in the sunimer of INJ).), it was estimated that not K'.ss than 1.000 men were at work in mining in the Yukon distiict, chiefly on Forty-mile and Sixty mile Cieeks, 350heing •■mployed 16 ll.VWstiX; Vl KDN Disritici' on MilltTJiii.l (ilacii-r Cmlo al..in'. A (let u-lnnciit of tw.iity iiiouiitid policf was sent in liy way of (Iw iiiontli of tlir YnkDU. W. Oijilvi.- ac-n>iiii.aiii<-.l iliis jwiity. Kurt Coiistniitinc was built at Cu'laliy as pulici' li.-ail-<|uart.'r>. (llacicf (h'ci-k.a tributary o*" Sixty-mill- L'rit'k. was first wi>rke«l tliisyoar. Tlu' I41st nioii- (liaii was run sontliwanl across tlif luwl-watt-rs of Forty-mile ami Sixty-milf Creeks by U<,nlvie. Twelve whaling vessels remained at Ibrschel Islaii-l in tin- winter of ISOn-iHi and C. E. Wliittaker, of tlif Canadian Cliineb Missionary Association, was statione.l thiir. Tlie i:oM produceii in tlie Yukon district this yeai- was valui'd at ?2.)O.(>O0 In l.S!>ti. 1). \V. l)avis was appointeil collector of customs for th<' Yvds-on district. ]~)urin£: the early sunniier most of the miners Wire employed on the branches of Korty-mile and Sixty-mile Creeks, but al)e>ut 100 men wen- reported to be workinjialon^ th.- Teslin or Hootalin<|Ua. Late in Anyust, "coarse" iiold was dis- cov.n'd by C. W. Cormack in the Klondyke valley. The rich- ness of the find bt-came established before the end of the year, and a ■ rush " occurred. Forty-mile and Sixty-mile Creeks were nearly abamloned and the population of Circle t'ity. Alaska, (more than 100 miles below the boundary) was r'duced from about 1,000 to aiM.ut 300. Dawson, or • Dawson City " was laid out by J. Laduc at tin- mouth of Klondyke Creek. (Macierand Miller Creeks had Ixeii, up to tliis time, the ricliest discovered. Early in the sunnncr, Mr. .1. K. Spurr of the V. S. ( ieolo:j;ical Survey, with two assistants, crosseil l>y the Chilkoot ^lass and descended the river for the purpose of exploring that part of the i:old-l)earinLi; n-jrion which extends into Alaska. Forty liead of cattle were this summer driven in over the "Dalton trail'" from Clulkat to Fort Selkirk. Dalton, by who.se name the trail is known, had already crossed several times by this route, from 189+ or perhaps even earlier, but liad not made it generally known. The arrival of deserters from the whaling vessels at Ilersch.-l Island overland ria Rampart House on the Porcupine, is mentioned in the police report as having occurred aumially for some yean,. The value of gold obtained in the Yukon district in iHOti is estimateil at S^OO.OOO. . DAWsrtV V'tKON DlsTRIPT 17 In till' spri ijjr of lHf)7, T. Kiiwcott wr.s sent t(i tho Yukon dis- trict as ooltl coinmissidiicr, witli two ussistant smvfy to relievo llioso in tlic country who liad fngujfcd lor two y<-ars only. .'. A. McArtlnir and A. St Cyr wiTf sent liy tlic Mir\ «'3-or-i{oiu'ral to rxainiiic tlu' Chilkat pass and Dalton trail, and tlif country hct'.M'cn the Stikinc and 'I'cslin Lake, respec- tively. The continnt;d;;feiit inllux of po])ulation led, later in the season, to the appointment, tVoin Auj^nst loth, of Major .1. M. V»'alsh as chief executive utficer for the Yukon district, .hidjfe .Mc(!uire of the Supreme (.'ourt of the North-west Territories was transferrefl to the Yukon and .Mr. V. C Wade was api>ointed r«-i5istrar, crown prosecutor and clerk of court. Since Septendier 1st, additional detachments of police, a>i'^'rei;atin>;' lOti men, have l»e»'n despatched ti> the Yukon district. In Au;;nst. Mr, T, W, .lenninjr. with a.ssi.stants, was sent hy the Canadian i^'overinnenl t<» examine a route vid the StiUine and overland from TeleL^faph ("reek, the head of navij^ation on that river, to Teslin Lake, with a view to the construction of a railway. In October, the HVtn, Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interica-, crosse, an amotuit ji;reater by half a million dollars than that obtained from the CarilMjo district of British Columbia in l.Stil, the year of the discovery and Hrst workinj,' of Williams and Liijhtninj; Creeks, With regard to the above lirief historical notes on the Yukon district, it may be explained that the data for the earlier years aie for the mo.st part derived from the repoit of the writer which '2 Ih J)a\vson : Yt KON DisTUirr lias alivjuly been rrfcnvd U). Much iittcntitwi was <,n\(ii iit the time to fc!>e estalilisliiiieiit of dnies ami events, 1i^ nn aiis i)f corres- pontlence airried oti with Mr. K. ( 'ampliell, jind otliers eonnectod with its early history. In tlie report reiVnvd to, atlditional jjiirtien- iurs with the names ol" many snbordinate actois may be f(ainil. It will be noted, however, that with thr cxeeijtion of a few eolliib-ral alhisions, at; ition has been strictly oontineil to the Yukon district and iuljacent lorthern part of Briti.sh I'olumbiii. The histor\' of Alaska and that of the coast re<,don are scarcely touched on. To have included these would have orciUly IcnjitheiiiMl these notes and would have involveci the addititai of nnich information alri.ady published elsewhere. It may also be observed, that the H^ures tjiven foi- the value of the ({old produced in the several years are merely rough approximations, inti'n