BAirTH SCIENCES ItBRARV 55th Congress, | SENATE. ( Document Sd Session. J (No. 172. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ROUTES OF EXPLORATION IN ALASKA IN 1898 WITH GENERAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TERRITORY (ten maps in accompanying envelope) Prkpabkd in accordance with Pubuc Resolution No. 25 of the Fifty-fifth Congress Third Session, approved March 1, 1899 PRINTED IN THE ENQRAVING AND PRINTING DIVISION OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WASHINGTON, D. C. 1899 rARTH UDilARlf Q- EQGRAPHY B EPT . CONTENTS. Page. Summary of Plans and Results, by The Director 11 Part I. — Special Reports of Expeditions. Report of the Sushitna expedition, by Gr. H. Eldridge and Robert Muldrow 15 General topographic features of the route 15 Geology 19 rormations 19 Granite 19 Sushitna slate series 20 Cantwell conglomerate 20 Kenai series 20 Recent deposits 21 Eruptives 21 Structure 21 Mineral resources 23 Gold 22 Coal '. 22 Possibilities of agriculture 24 Clinaate 24 Temperature and weather observations in 1898 25 Weather conditions in 1897 25 Routes to the interior 26 Magnetic variations, Sushitna River, 1898 27 Report of the Kuskokwim exjoedition, by J. E. Spurr and W. S. Post. . 28 Itinerary 28 Topography 29 Cook Inlet. 29 Skwentna region 30 Kuskokwim region 30 Kanektok region 31 Togiak region 31 Nushagak region 31 Naknek region 31 Population 31 Climate 32 Vegetation and birds 33 Game and fish 34 Geology 34 R6sum6 36 Mineral resources 36 Land and water routes 37 ( 991165 4 CONTKNTS. Page. Tablf of (listjincos iiloii}; route from Tyoiiek to Kutinai 38 Mn;;ii(>tic variations, soutliwcstcrn Alaska. IHllH 39 Report on tlu" rcjfion Itctwccn Hesurrcction Hay and the Tanana Kiver. l>y W. ( '. Mendenliall 40 Int rod net ion 40 (itH);rniphy and topojcraphy 41 ('(K)k Inlet and I'rince William JSound 41 (leneral toi)o;j:ra|)hy 41 Routes 43 Met liods of t ravel 44 Ueneral j^eolo^fv 45 Sunrise series 45 Atre 45 Matanuska series 46 Age 46 Greenstone series 46 Tanana series 46 Known {jold districts 47 Tnrnajj:ain Arm 47 Matanuska Valley 47 (General gravel sheet 47 Coal \ 48 Timber and j^rass 48 Game 49 Climate 49 Aprrieulture 50 Inhabitants 50 Report on Prinee William Sound and the Copper River refjion, by F. C. Schrader 51 Itinerary 51 Geography '. 53 Pojiulation 52 I'rince William Sound natives 52 Prince William Sound whites 52 ( 'opper River natives 52 Prospectors and explorers 53 Climate 53 Prince William Sound 53 Valdez sununit 54 Copper River district 54 Animal life 54 Kish 54 (Quadrupeds 54 Birds 54 I nsects 55 Vegetation 55 Prince William Sound 55 Copper River district 55 Topography 55 Geology 57 Orca series 57 Valdez series 57 Age of the Valdez and Orca series 57 CONTENTS. 5 Page. Copper Mouiituiu greenstone or aniphibolite-sehist 57 Klutena series 58 Igneous rocks 58 Copper River silts 58 Mineral resources 59 Copper 59 Copjjer Mountain mine 59 (jrladhaugh Bay mine 59 Latouclie and Knights islands 59 Gold-bearing quartz 60 Placers 60 Coal 61 Routes and trails 61 Table of approximate distances by Gr lacier trail 63 Report of the White River-Tanana expedition, by W. J. Peters and Alfred H. Brooks 64 Narrative 64 Previous explorations 65 Geography 65 Geology 67 Nasina series 67 Basal gneissoid series 68 Tanana schists '. . 68 Wellesley formation 68 Nilkoka formation 68 Younger sedimentary rocks 68 Igneous rocks 69 Summary of the bed rock geology 69 Glacial phenomena ; . . . 69 Silts and gravels 69 Volcanic ash 69 Mineral resources 70 Gold 70 Copper 71 Coal : 71 Timber 71 Game 71 Climate 72 Agriculture 73 Routes and means of transportation 73 White River 72 Trails to White River 73 Tanana River 73 Trails to the Tanana 73 Railway routes 74 Inhabitants 74 Whites 74 Indians 74 Marks and monuments along the route of travel 74 Table of approximate distances 75 Magnetic declinations 75 Report of the Fortymile expedition, by E. C. Barnard 76 Itinerary 76 6 CONTENTS. Pack. Metlnxls <»f work 78 Topojjnipliy 78 Koiitivs 79 Mt'tlioiis of travel 80 I'opiilatioii 80 Milling ju'tivity 80 (4ol(l 80 Coal 81 Soda springs 81 (Climate 81 Timber 82 Food resources 82 Part II.— Gkxkral Information Concerning the Territory; BY Geographical Provinces. The Yukon di.strict, by Alfred H. Brooks 85 Geography 85 Limits of the Yukon drainage basin 85 Yukon plateau 86 Rivers of tlie Y'ukon Basin 86 The nuun Yukon River 87 Koyukuk River 87 Tanana River 88 Porcupine River 88 Wliite River 89 Pelly and Lewes rivers 89 Geology 89 Rock formations 89 Glaciation 91 Recent volcanic activity 91 Mineral resources 91 Gold 91 Gold Mountain 92 Mynook district 92 Birch Creek district 92 Seventymile district 93 Mission Creek district 93 Fortymile district 93 Sixtymile district 93 Koyukuk district 93 Porcupine River 94 Klondike di.strict 94 Other gold di.stricts of British Northwest Territory 95 Atiin Lake ]>iilati(>ii 123 Kosourci's 123 From tlio Yukon Mouth to Point Barrow, by J. E. Spurr 124 Topojrraphy 124 Kxplorntions 124 Norton Sound 125 St, Lawrence Island 125 Cape I'rince of Wales and vicinity 125 Kot/.ebue Sound 125 Pt)int Hope to Point Barrow 126 The Kowak River, by J. K. Spurr 127 The Noatak River, by J. E. Spurr 129 The coast from Point Harrow to the Mackenzie, by Alfred H. Brooks. 130 * Part III— Tabulated Information. Meteorolotrical tables 133 Mean temperature 133 Extremes of temperature, maximum 134 Extremes of tenjperature, minimum 134 Precipitation 135 Periods ilurinjj: which certain Alaskan rivers are free from ice 136 Report of Postal Service in operation in Alaska, March, 1S99 136 Postal routes 136 Post-offices established 137 United States land offices 138 Gold production of Alaska, by districts 138 Ration list adopted by J. E. Spurr 138 LIST OF MAPS. (J?i separate envelope.) 1. General chart of Alaska. * 3. Siishitna River and adjacent territory. 3. Head waters of Skwentna and Kuskokwiin rivers. 4. Middle Kuskokwini River, south to Bristol Bay and Togiak River. 5. Lower Kuskokwini River and Kanektok River. 6. Knik Arm to Tanana River via Matanuska and Delta rivers. ^ 7. Copper River and Klutena Lake. ^ 8. Prince William Sound. 9. Tanana and White rivers. 10. Fortymile quadrangle. 'Through the courtesy of Hon. G. D. Meiklejohn, Assistant Secretary of War, the maps pre- pared in connection with the expeditions to Alaska under Captains Glenn and Abercrombie are published herewith. MAPS im DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. SUMMAEY OF PLAINS AND RESULTS. By The Director. In January, 1898, Congress provided $20,000 for surveys in Alaska by the United States Geological Survey. In pursuance of this legisla- tion several expeditions of geologists and topographers were organized. The parties were outfitted in Seattle, Washington, under the direction of Mr. G. H. Eldridge, geologist, and sailed northward on the United States gunboat Wheeling on April 5, The officers assigned to the expedition were Messrs. G. H. Eldridge, J. E. Spurr, and Alfred H. Brooks, geologists, and E. C. Barnard, W. J. Peters, W. S. Post, and Eobert Muldrow, topographers. In addition to these assiguments, Messrs. W. C. Mendenhall and F. C. Schrader, geologists, were, upon request of the War Depart- ment, detailed to the military parties under Captains Glenn and Abercrombie, respectively. Upon reaching Skagway two parties were detached, one in charge of Mr. Barnard and the other in charge of Mr. Peters. These parties, organized under the general direction of Mr. Barnard, successfully crossed the White Pass. They were to descend the Yukon and remain together until the mouth of the White River was reached, at which point the Peters party, with Mr. Alfred H. Brooks as geologist, was to euter upon a special field of work — the exploration of the White and Tanana river systems. The Barnard party was to proceed to the Klondike region for the purpose of making a topographic sur- vey of the district adjacent to the eastern boundary of Alaska, the one hundred and forty- first meridian. It was planned to extend the surveys westward from the Yukon between the sixty- fourth and sixty fifth parallels of latitude and to include the Fortymile district. The map to be made by Mr. Barnard's party was designed to serve as a basis for a careful geologic investigation of the region. The topo- graphic work in this locality was to be on the scale of about 4 miles ^'2 MAPS AND DESCKIPTIONS OF ALASKA. to the iuch, ami, in addition, it was proposed to map on the scale of 1 mile to the inch a small area inclndin*'' and adjacent to the new mili- tary post on, the Yilcon. . Messrs. iln Id row- aud-Fost were attached to parties under the direction of Mi>ssit-r. ^'ildridfce' and Spnrr, ffcolo^ists, respectively. After paitinj; froln tire Barnard and Peters parties at tSkagway, Messi-s. Hldridp:e and Spnrr with their Jissociates continned in the WhecVnifi to Cook Inlet, from which point they were to proceed up the Snshitna to abont latitnde iV.\° 40', where several forks of the river combine. At tliis point the Kldridge parly, with ^Ir. INIuldrow as topt>j;ra])hcr, was to commence the exploration of the northeast por- tion of the Snshitna drainage basin, and, if possible, to close on Mr. Peters's snrvey down the Tanaua. The other part}', under Mr. Spurr, with ]\rr. I'ost as topographer, was to proceed westward across the divide between the Sushitna and the Kuskokvvim for the purpose of surveying the head waters of the Kuskokwim and of determining the uavigabilitj' of that stream by descending to the usual portage to the Lower Yukon. All the parties expected to rende/vons at St. Michael l)y September 15, but the contingencies of exploration in remote regions could not be accurately foreseen and the chiefs of parties were at liberty to pur- sue such homeward routes as might seem most favorable under the conditions existing in the autumn. The Barnard and Peters parties descended the Yukon and returned from St. Michael; the Eldridge party was forced to return to Cook Inlet and thence to Seattle; and the Spurr party, on arriving at the mouth of the Kuskokwim, found opportunity for more extended exploration, and returned along the coast to Katmai, where it was picked up by the Alaska Commercial Company's steamer Dora. The energj' with which these parties pursued the explorations and surveys assigned them has been characteristic of American explorers, but is none the less creditable to these men. The methods with which they determined the positions and topography of their routes of travel, and the accuracy with which they observed the geologic and natnral-history featnres of the country traversed, combine to render the results far more valuable than has usually been the case under similar circumstances. The reports which follow set forth brietiy the principal results of their observations, giving in untechnical language useful information with reference to the geography, geology, mineral resources, animals, vegetation, climate, and population of the districts explored. All statements have been condensed. To supplement the original information comprised in these several reports a compilation of all available authentic data has been made and is included in the second part of this publication. This second part relates to the whole of Alaska, which is divided into geographic SUMMARY OF PLANS AND RESULTS. 18 proviuces, and each proviuce is described separately. Finally, a series of condensed tables of important information has been added. The work of 1898 increased much the definite knowledge of Alaska which had been obtained by explorations scattered over the preceding years. The map of that portion of Alaska lying south of the Yukon has been almost completely reconstructed. Rivers pre- viously known have been for the first time accurately surveyed, and many new lakes and rivers have been discovered. The movmtain systems have been traced out, and magnificent ranges 12,000 to 20,000 feet in altitude have been found where previously the maps presented blanks. The source of the Kuskokwim has been found far distant from where it was supposed to be, in high mountains, where a swampy plain had previously been believed to exist. The phj'siography of southern Alaska has been independently studied and worked out by each party, and there is substantial agreement in all the principal incidents of interpretation. The important question of general glaciation has received special attention. The geologic for- mations and the distribution of coal-bearing and known gold-bearing- rocks are broadly determined. Much valuable information has been accuinulated in regard to the distribution of timber and game, with possibilities of agriculture or of stock raising, and in regard to feasible routes for pack trails, wagon roads, or railways, by which the country may be traversed or the interior reached. The present report has been prepared in accordance with the special act of Congress, to accompany the maps of the several routes of explor- ation and the revised general map of Alaska. It has been written by the several geologists and topographers of the expeditions, and the whole has been edited by Mr. Spurr. Fuller discussion of the geology and physical geography of the regions visited by the different parties, with details of scientific and economic interest, will be presented in the Twentieth Annual Report of the Survey. PART I.— SPECIAL REPORTS OF EXPEDITIONS. REPORT OF THE SUSHITNA EXPEDITION/ By G. H. Eldridgk and Robert Muldrow. GENERAL TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF THE ROUTE. Cook Inlet is a structural basin of vast size, open to the North Pacific at its southern end. At present the sea occupies about half the total area, the remaining portion having been gradually filled and elevated until it now forms a broad valley 75 to 100 miles wide by 150 to 175 miles long. The inclosing mountain ranges have an intricate and rugged topography and an approximate average height of 8,000 to 10,000 feet, but they are sharply saw-toothed and relieved by numerous peaks 12,000 to 20,000 feet in altitude. The loftiest and most rugged mountains are those constituting the Sushitna-Tanana divide; they include the highest peak on the North American conti- nent — Mount McKiuley, 20,464 feet in elevation — and may be called the Alaskan Mountains. West of Mount McKinley, in the same range, are two peaks closely approximating 16,000 feet. The ranges which lie west of Cook Inlet and the Sushitna Valley resemble the Alaskan Mountains in ruggedness, and include a number of lofty peaks, of which the volcanoes Redoubt and Iliamna, 11,000 and 12,068 feet high respectively, are the most interesting. East of the Sushitna Valley and Cook Inlet, also, the mountain ranges have great rugged- ness, and there are many points but little lower than those in the Alaskan Mountains. To the range north of the Kenai Peninsula the name Talkeetna may be applied. In all these ranges the crest line is saw-toothed, while the slopes are cut by gorges 4,000 to 10,000 feet deep, with precipitous walls, and their upper courses glacier- filled. At the head of Cook Inlet and west of the mouth of the Sushitna River lies Mount Sushitna. This peak is 4,280 feet high, forming the southern extremity of a low ridge that is cut by the Yeutna, the chief western tributary of the Sushitna, a short distance above its mouth. The vast watershed inclosed by all these mountains is drained by the Sushitna river system. What is locally regarded as the main branch of this stream rises far in the interior, in the comparatively low country between the mountains of the St. Elias and Alaskan sys- tems, and has a course very irregular but in the main southwest. About SO miles from the inlet it receives the Chulitna, and from this point the river has an almost due south course. The Chulitna has ' See map No. 2, in accompanying envelope. 2-Alaska. 15 16 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. iiiaiiN forks risiuf; in the Alaskan Mountains, some of them originating in the canyons of Mounl iMcKinley itself. Both the main river and the dnililna carry heavy volumes of water, each stream averaging perhaps one-fourth mile in widlh. A mile below the Chulitna the Sushitna receives from the northeast the Talkeetna, a tributary of secondary size rising in the Talkeetna Mountains, and '20 miles above the mouth of the Sushitna the Yentna enters from the northwest. The last-named stream rises in the mountains forming the divide between the Sushitna and the Kuskokwim, and is approximately 150 miles long. Data relating to the region drained by the Yentna may be found in the accompanying report by Messrs. Spurr and Post (p. 28) All three of the great tributaries of the Sushitna carry vast amounts of sediment, derived from glaciers and from the banks, which are con- stantly wearing away. Their currents are between 4 and 5 miles an hour, and their main channels are deep. The valley of the main Sushitna below its continence with the Chu- litna merges with that of the Yentna and forms a gently undulating tract of country, 100 to 125 miles broad, which rises gradually from 4 or 5 feet above high tide at the mouth of the river to 300 to 400 feet at the border of the foothills. From the summit of Mount Sushitna the vallej' appears to be well timbered with poplar, spruce, and birch, the latter on ridges and other elevated portions. Meadow and swamp land is freely interspersed with the timbered areas, and lakes form a conspicuous feature. At the periphery of the valley the country is generally high and rolling, in some localities forming foothills to the adjacent ranges, while here and there the general valley itself is cut by low yet conspicuous ridges, some of igneous rock, some of specially heavy gravel deposits, and, rarely, some of sedimentary rocks. At the mouth of the Sushitna is a large delta that is traversed by three or four channels of considerable size, of which the westernmost is used by Indians and traders for access to the river, since it is deeper and shorter and safer of approach than are the others. The delta above the general tide level is a vast body of marsh land, relieved along the channels by fringes of alder and poplar and in the upper portion by spruce. As the distance up the river increases, the tim- ber, especially spruce, grows thicker. Between the delta and the mouth of the Chulitna the Sushitna maintains a width of one-half to 2 miles, and is for the greater portion of the distance studded with islands, though there are occasional stretches where the stream flows through a single broad and deep channel. The stage of the water causes marked variation in the relative proportion of islands and bars, thus seriously affecting the ease with which the river is ascended, since, on account of the current, the greater portion of the distance has to be made by towing, either in the stream or along the main shores. Minor channels, however, frequently enable one to avoid the swifter REPORT OF THE SUSHITNA EXPEDITION. 17 currents. The main channel is generally well defined and of consid- erable depth, sufficient, it is believed, for the passage at all times of light-draft stern- wheel steamers. The banks of the river in the delta region are of sand, and rise but 5 or 6 feet above ordinary water level. With an occasional exception it is not until a point a mile or two above the Yentna is reached that the gravel banks, so common along the river above, become a pronounced feature. From this point, how- ever, these banks continue quite to the foothills, varying in height from 25 to 200 feet. There are usually no bottom lands, in the sense in which the term is accepted in the United States, along either the main river or its tributaries. From 5 to 10 miles above the mouth of the Chulitna the character of the main Sushitna Valley changes; it now lies in the foothills, and a little farther up is inclosed between ridges 3,000 to 4,000 feet high, which separate it on the southeast from the Talkeetna and on the northwest from the Chulitna. The stream itself runs in a picturesque gorge 400 to 500 feet deep, which has been cut in the bottom of an earlier valley. Forty-five miles above the mouth of the Chulitna, falls and rapids are reported in the main river, which prevent boating both upstream and downstream. However, for a distance of about 25 miles a portage may be made over the highlands on the northwest side of the river, and boats may then be again utilized for transporta- tion of supplies nearly to the great glaciers at the head of the stream. The current in the upper river is much swifter than in the lower. The ancient valley of the Sushitna, referred to above, is nearly closed at its lower end, 10 miles above the Chulitna; it broadens to 6 or 8 miles in the vicinity of Indian Creek, 25 miles farther up, and maintains this width in a general way as far as the great bend in the river 50 miles above the Chulitna. Beyond this it is said to further broaden and to take the character of an open highland country, with mountains here and there about its periphery. Although this early valley of the Sushitna shows evidence of having once been well worn down, nearly to base-level, it has since been deeply cut by mountain torrents and its floor has been rendered uneven by erosion of the underlying highly folded slates, so that the region is one of hills and dales beautified by growths of spruce and birch and interspersed with open grassy or moss-covered parks and lakes of great picturesqueness. The timber line in these mountain valleys reaches as high as 3,000 feet above sea level; above this the alder growth extends for 500 or 600 feet, and is succeeded finally by moss-covered slopes or bare rocks. The general valley of the Chulitna was observed from the range separating it from the Sushitna Elver at a point opposite the mouth of Indian Creek, the distance between the streams here being about ^5 miles. The course of the main Chulitna is a little west of south. It receives numerous large tributaries, glacial and otherwise, from the 18 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OK ALASKA. iiKumtaiiis to tlif wi'st. while I'nmi the east there enter two impor- tant hniiiclu's, led by t<»rreiits that flow from icy amphitheaters hij^h in the mountains on this side. The main valley lies directly at the base of Mount McKinley and the peaks northeast of it. It is well timlKMed and watered, and there appear to be hundreds of acres of meadow and ^ra.ss laiuls similar to those in the upper portion of the Sushitna. At the head the Chulitna has several prominent forks, which rise far back in the raufje, some leading to passes less than 4,000 feet in altitude. Two of these forks were ascended last season, and the passes at their heads crossed, by independent parties from the Geological Survey and the Army. The Survey party czossed at the head of the easternmost fork, finding there two passes to the waters of the Tanana, about a mile and a half apart, one about 3,700 feet in alti- tude, the other 4,200 feet. The lower pass lies east of the other, with an approach of gentle grade on both sides. In the immediate vicinity of these are two other passes, one leading from what is probably an upper fork of the Sushitna, the other from a tributary of the Chulitna next west of that ascended by the Survey party. The latter pass is the lowest of the four aud bears a small lake on its summit; it is probably about l>,?)(H) feet in elevation and of easy approach. The Army party, taken from a detachment of the Fourteenth Infantry, under Captain Glenn, aud consisting of Sergeant Yanert and a private, under the pilotage of an Indian took what is possibly the main tributary of the Chulitna and crossed the range at a point perhaps 10 miles west of the Survey party's route by a pass estimated at but 2,700 feet elevation and more direct. This pass, or the valley lea miles above its mouth, and a third on the main fork of the Sushitna 87 miles above its mouth . The Tyonek field is the easiest of access, and its outcrops have for some time afforded coal for use in a small local steamer and for domestic purposes at the agency of the Alaska Com- mercial Company at this point. The area of this field was not inves- tigated, but from in-10 July 11-12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 1() July 17-20 Julv July July July July Aug. Aug. 31 l-o 6 Aug. 7-10 Aug. 11 Aug. 12 Aug. 13-15 Aug. 16 Aug. 17-18 Aug. 19 Aug. ao Aug. 21 Wetither. Vicinity of Devil Creek Startfil up river in boats. I !- En route. Independence Creek. . •En route. Mouth Lake Fork Head of boating on 26th. Reached head of river, 4 miles above boating. This below glaciers Start back down river Clepser Creek Lake Fork Devil Creek '- Devil Creek to Portage Creek; portage. . Sushitna River, mouth Portage Creek. . . ( Vicinity of Portape Creek. On loth )" started tlown river Sushitna Station, 20 miles N. of Cook Inlet On 18th mouth of river En route southward Ladds Station Tyonek (■ Clear. Shower ; clear. I Clear. ; Shower ; clear. ; Hain. I Cloudy. (^ Showers. Clear. : Clear. I Shower ; clear. Cloudy. I Clear, with occasional lijjht showers. I Lightning on 14th at Buckley Creek. I Clear. I Rain. Clear. Cloudy: warm. Rain. ' Cloudy. ' Rain. (Jlear and cool.. , Rain. ! Clear. I Cloudy. Cloudy and shower. Clear. Clear, with occasional showers each day. Rain. Clear. Do. Do. Do. Clear, with occasional showers. > Rain. I Clear, with occasional showers. Clear, t Do. I Cloudy. Do. Clear. Do. Do. Cloudy; rain. KOUTES TO THE INTERIOR. There are several routes from Cook Inlet to the interior of Alaska; one from the head of the Matannska, by way of the Delta Eiver, to the Tanaua, explored by Captain Glenn and detail, United States Army; a second from the Sushitna Valley by way of the Yentna and Kuskokwim into the western interior, followed by Mr. Spuir, of the Geological Survey; and a third, explored by the party of the Survey under the writer, by way of the Sushitna and Cantwell rivers to the Tanana. in the vicinity of the latter route are several passes by which the Alaskan Mountains may be crossed, one of which was taken by a detail from the Glenn party — Sergeant Yanert and a private, accom- panied by one or two Indians. The route followed by the writer lay along the western shore of Cook Inlet from Tyonek to the mouth of the Sushitna Eiver, thence up the river to the mouth of Indian Creek — thus far, 1.jO miles, by canoe. From here an old and very obscure Indian trail was taken across the uplands east of Indian REPORT OF THE SUSHITNA EXPEDITION. 27 Creek to the head of this stream, distant from the mouth about 20 miles. A pass of .'5,700 feet elevation leads hence to the valley of the Upper Chulitna, the route first passing through a cove in the range and thence to the easternmost of the upper and larger forks of the stream; this fork, about 10 miles from the head, further divides into two, a conspicuous conical point marking the confluence. The west- ern of the forks leads to the desired pass, although the trail first leads to the east of the point mentioned, passing over a high ridge and thence into the upper valley. In this portion of the valley there is a steady but gentle ascent to the eastern of the two passes. From the pass the route lay directly downstream for about 65 miles, nearly to the open valley of the Tanana. In reference to the desirability of a portion of the foregoing route, it is quite possible that it would have been preferable to have ascended the Chulitna in canoes, for from our later observations the belief was acquired that it was feasible, notwithstanding information from Indians to the contrary. In any event the latter route is worth attempting, since there could be little loss of time even should it be necessary to turn back, and if that were not necessary, greater and easier progress would be made than by the route which was followed across country, for in the latter instance all supplies must be packed on the back. Moreover, with the canoes at the head of the Chulitna it would not be a very difficult task to pack them across the com- paratively short interval (10 miles) to the waters of the Cautwell. It is also possible that the tributary ascended by Sergeant Yanert will prove the natural and more direct route to the waters of the Cantwell and so to the Tanana. Moreover, there may be other advantages by this route, such as the constant timber supply which exists on both sides of the mountains to within a very few miles of the divide. Con- ditions in this particular could not be worse than on the route followed by the Surve}^ party, where with the exception of a single locality no timber occurs for a distance of 60 to 70 miles, even alder being scarce for long distances. Magnetic variations, Sa-'^hltna Ricer, 189S. Lat. OH.) Loug. (W.) Place. Date. Variation (E.) 61 19 150 38 Mouth Sushitna River. :\ray 12-15 27 15 61 35 150 27 Mouth Yeiitna River. May 26, 9 :45 a m. 27 20 61 54 150 07 Sushitna River June 3, 4 :30 p. m. 2? 50 63 20 150 10 Forks Sushitna River. June 20, 4:30 p.m. 29 80 62 49 149 39 Sushitua River mouth of Iiulian Creek. July 5, 4:33 p.m. 29 30 REPORT OF THE KUSKOKWIM EXPEDITION/ liv J. E. Spubr and W. S. Post. ITINERARY. The Kuskokwim expedition, as landed at Tyonek, consisted of J, E. Spurr, geologist and chief; W. S. Post, topographer; and A. E. Har- rell, Oscar Rohn, George Hartman, and F. C. Hinckley, camp hands. The purpose of the expedition was to ascend the west branch of the Sushitna River and to cross over from its head waters to those of the Kuskokwim, then if possible to descend the Kuskokwim as far as the water route to the Yukon, then by way of this water route and the Lower Yukon to reach St. Michael, where steamboats could be found to transport the party back to Seattle or San Francisco. Since nearly all of this region was entirely unknown, we hardly knew what prepa- rations to make, but all our supplies were taken with a view of meet- ing 80 far as possible any condition which might be encountered. We started out with three light cedar canoes, specially built in Peterboro, Ontario, and these proved excellent for all-round purposes. We arrived at Cook Inlet on the 26th of April — a rather unfortunate time, since it was too late for ice and snow traveling and too early for water travel, the rivers being not yet broken; moreover, we were delayed several days by heavy gales. On the 4th of May, the gales having abated, two canoes proceeded to the mouth of the Sushitna, arriving there on the 7th, while a surveying party proceeded along the shore to the same place. On account of the condition of the ice, we were obliged to camp on an island in the delta until the 20th of Maj", when we started upstream in our boats, paddling or pulling ourselves up by the bushes. We had supposed the ice to be already broken, but the real break-up occurred while we were ascending the river to Sushitna Station, and we had exciting times dodging the ice jams. At Sushitna Station we attempted to secure Indians as guides, but were unable to do so, the natives claiming that the river we wished to ascend was too rapid and dangerous at that time of the year; very few of them, indeed, had any knowledge of the route at all. We accordinglj' left without guides and entered the western branch of the river, known to the natives as the Katcheldat or Yentna. Although the Yentna River is not very long, it proved so difficult of ascent that it was the 3d of July before we reached the spot where we began our portage to the Kuskokwim. In the meantime we had • See maps Nos. 3, 4, and 5, in accompanying envelope. 28 REPORT OF THE KUSKOKWIM EXPEDITION. 29 slowly M^orked our way through a series of snag ilats which alternate with short narrow canyons, and had met with many accidents. Our journey over the Tordrillo Mountains, which we found to form the divide between tlie Sushitna and the Kuskokwim, occupied in all nearly two weeks, as we had to portage around canyons on the smaller streams and climb over a pass about 4,400 feet high. However, we finally reached, on the other side of the divide, a rapid stream of considerable size, which we afterwards found to be the Kuskokwim. After running down this river toward the north a hundred miles or so we saw a few Indians, for the first time in nearly two months; and on the 1st of August we reached the old trading post known as Vinasale, where, however, we were disappointed in finding no pro- visions. After leaving this place we ran down to the trading post Kolmakof, but finding no provisions here we continued to near the mouth of the river, where, at Bethel, we found a Moravian mission and a trading post. Here our party was divided, Messrs. Hinckley, Madison, and Harrell crossing to the Yukon by the water route and thence to St. Michael, from which point they proceeded homeward; the remaining four of the party proceeded down Kuskokwim Bay and attempted the exploration of the Kanektok, a river hitherto unknown. The ascent of this river proved difficult and occupied us nearly two weeks, after which we were obliged to portage more than 20 miles across a high mountain pass, on the other side of which we found a large lake which is the chief source of the Togiak Eiver. Eunning down this river, in a few days we reached Nushagak, by the route outlined on the map. At Nushagak we hired skin bidarkies and paddled across Bristol Bay to the Naknek Eiver, and by way of this river and the lake in which it heads reached the native village of Savonoski, from which point a rapid portage of 60 miles across the high and bleak Katmai Pass took us to the Aleut village of Katmai. After considerable delay at this point, we were luckily picked up by the Alaska Commercial Company's boat Dora, and reached Seattle on the 11th of November. TOPOGRAPHY. Cook Inlet. — Cook Inlet passes through and behind the barrier ranges which confront the navigator in a nearly continuous line from British Columbia to Prince William Sound. The entrance capes are rugged, while farther in low wooded plains slope down from the high flanking ranges. The characteristic feature of Cook Inlet drainages is rapid flow from high altitudes to the sea in short distances. The Sushitna waters debouch from mountain gorges onto a sloping plain of glacial drift and gravels, which extends inland from the mouth of the river 100 miles northwest and north. The immediate region around the mouth 30 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. is low, and in the surroundinjj panoninia of uiountains the only near feature is the isolated Mount Sushitna. In the distance rise the vol- canic peaks of the C'higniit Range; then farther northward the Being Mountains, the Tordrillo Range, and the McKinley or Traleyka Range; and to the east the mountains of Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Peninsula. Skirrntua rcf/ioii. — A short distance up the Yentna from its mouth the low banks are replaced by gravel blulls 150 feet high, which continue the entire distance to the base of the mountains, the Yentna River roughly maintaining the grade of the plain. The junction of the Yentna with the Skwentna is marked by the isolated Yenlo Moun- tain. The Skweiitna is varied in character by four short canyons, which alternate with the wider valleys confined by gravel bluffs. Eighty miles from Sushitna Station the base of the mountains is reached. Above this the river flows in a valley flanked by peaks varying from ■i,UOO to 7,000 feet in height, while torrential streams, some of which are glacial, enter on either side. The mountain slopes are rugged and dirticnlt of ascent: timber disappears at an altitude of L',r)00 feet, and topography like that of the higher liocky Mountains appears in the heart of the range. Remnants of glaciers lie high on the northern sides of the mountains, while below maj' be traced ancient marine teri'aces, giving more rounded contours to the lower slopes. In its extreme upper part the valley of the Skwentna bends sharply to the south and has its source in lofty mountain msisses. Some dis- tance below the head, however, a portage of 20 miles over the main divide reaches the Kuskokwim waters, which flow northward from the same mountains. The pass traversed by us is 4,400 feet high and is surrounded by picturesiiue mountain peaks; it has an east west course and crosses the range at right angles, and although not the low- est pass it is the most practicable. To the north, curving like a horse- shoe, lie the structural valleys of Happy Creek and Ptarmigan Valley. These valleys are topographically continuous, are 5 to 10 miles in width, and are about ."),.")00 feet in altitude where they meet. /w'vA-oAvr/m rrf/io)!. — The Kuskokwim at the point where we reached it is already a large river, o^cupying a deep mountain valley with untimbered peaks on either side. After receiving many tributaries it finally leaves the mountains and enters a great gravel plain, where it splits into small shallow channels. Sixty miles beyond its rapid course is arrested, at the flats; and, soon after, meeting the eastern fork, it becomes a wide and sluggish river. Farther down the river enters mountains, and leaving these below Kolmakof, flows through the treeless tundra. Here the banks are low, though they often run back to hills of some height. After leaving the mountain valley below Kolmakof, the mountains near REPORT OF THE KUSKOKWIM EXPEDITION. 31 Holy Cross Mission on the north side of the Yukon can be seen in the distance, and to the south the detached Kilbuck Mountains and the ranges south of Kwinhagamut. Kanektok region. — ^The Kanektok near its mouth flows through the same tundra as the Lower Kuskokwim, but 30 miles inland it again meets the mountain front. The ranges here are extensive but are separated by wide valleys, and the rounded summits at first encountered are replaced in the heart of the range by sharp peaks. At the head of the Kanektok we encountered the first of the large lakes which are among the most noticeable and important topographic features of southwestern Alaska. From a small stream running into this lake a series of short carries between small lakes brings one to the main portage, which leads to Togiak Lake. The pass which is crossed is 2,200 feet high, and the mountains around are from 3,000 to 6,000 feet in altitude. Togiak region. — Togiak Lake is bordered by imposing mountains. Descending the Togiak' Eiver we found the valley to widen to a plain, and at the seacoast the mountains are mostly distant. The coast from Togiak to Jifushagak is usually bordered by a cliff, while in all the bays there are flats running far out at low water. Nusliagak region. — The Nushagak River is the most important one draining into Bristol Bay. Its chief source is the large Tikchik Lake, but it has several important tributaries. In its lower course it runs through the same low land which stretches toward Iliamna Lake and southward past Naknek; its higher parts lie in a mountainous country. The largest lakes in Alaska — Iliamna, Clark, Naknek, and Becherof — all lie within a short radius of the I^^ushagak district. Naknek region. — In proceeding up the Naknek Eiver a lowland coun- try is passed, which suddenly gives way to precipitous mountains when the lake is reached. These mountains are frequently isolated, although the central mass forms continuous chains for considerable distances. Glaciers are more numerous here than in the regions pre- viously described, on account of greater precipitation near the coast. POPULATION. The native of the Sushitna is Indian, probably belonging to the class of Athapaskans, and resembling in a general way the Copper Biver natives and those of the Tanana and Upper Yukon. These Indians speak a language which is very limited in vocabulary and Inflection; they are of medium stature, with generally intelligent fea- tures, and are by occupation fishermen and hunters. The Sushitna Indians have a village at Tyouek, and another at the Sushitna trading post, but on the Skwentna they have no permanent habitations, although they ascend this river in the spring as far as the mountains for the sake of hunting. l!^either on the upper, torrential portion of 3-Alaska. 32 MATS AM) DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. the Kuskokwim are there any permanent habitations, the first natives encoiinlorod luMnf^a hiuulred miles or so down the river; these belong to the same j^eiieral type as the Sushitnas, and are called Kolchane by the other inhabitants of the Kuskokwim district. They are a poor and sealteree City up Resurrection Creek to Pass Creek near its head, and then climbed through the low divide to the head of Summit Creek, which enters Canyon Creek in the heart of the mining district. From Turnagain Arm northwestward to Knik Arm at least two overland routes are available at present. One of these is by way of Indian Creek and is reported to be very short and to offer no serious obstacles. The other, which appears on the map (N^o. C>), is from the head of Turnagain Arm by way of the valley of Glacier Creek, and leads over a rather high divide — 3,750 feet above sea level — to the upper waters of Yukla Creek. This stream enters Knik Arm almost due south from the North American Trading and Transportation Company's station. The route from the head of Cook Inlet to the Tanana, which was examined last summer, while probably longer than the one by way of Valdez Inlet and Copper River, is perfectly feasible for the establishment of a trail or railroad, which would pass up the valley of the Matanuska to a 3, 000- foot divide at its head. The approach to this divide, however, is at least 100 miles long, and gives ample distance for overcoming the elevation. After passing from the valley of the Matanuska to the interior plateau, no obstacles of importance are encountered until the foothills of the Alaskan Range, 75 miles to the north, are reached. Here a short climb of 400 or 500 feet out of Gakona River Valley must be made in order to reach the head waters of the Tanana drainage. Probably by swinging eastward or westward from this interior plateau other routes may be found down other branches of the Tanana which will possess special advantages, depend- ing upon the point at which it is desired to reach the latter stream. Along practically the entire distance from Cook Inlet to the Tanana sufficient timber is found for furnishing ties and fuel, and the open character of the valleys and of the interior plateau reduces the danger of earth- or snow-slides to a minimum. It is scarcely necessary to add that over any route which permits the establishment of a railroad a pack trail can be built at comparatively small cost. METHODS OF TRAVEL. The Sunrise mining district may be reached previous to the Ist of May by the Portage Bay route within a distance of 40 miles, or by the Resurrection Bay route within a distance of 90 miles, from open water; before that date travel is wholly by sled or packing. After May 1 steamers reach the head of the inlet and give direct access to this district. The interior of Kenai Peninsula is also reached by way BETWEEN RESURRECTION BAY AND TANANA RIVER. 45 of Eesurrection Bay in winter by sledding, while in the summer sea- son it can be approached by this route or by way of Sunrise City, either with pack animals or on foot. Small boats may also be taken up the Kenai or Kussilof rivers by tracking, but this method is very laborious and slow. At present the best methods of reaching the interior from the head of Cook Inlet are by sledding up the rivers in the winter months, and by the use of pack trains in the summer season. Pack animals will be able to live off the native grasses during June, July, August, and a part of September. Often all of the latter month may be relied upon on the coast side of the mountains, but north of this range freezing begins in August, and the grasses then rapidly lose their nutritive value. The Tanana Eiver at the mouth of the Delta can be reached from Knik in a month of rapid traveling; but in order to insure the arrival of the stock in good condition thirty- five days at least should be estimated for the trip. Horses seem better adapted for this work than mules, because of considerable areas of soft ground which must be crossed; in these areas and in the mossy tracts the smaller feet of the mule are a decided disadvantage. Pack animals should be chosen which have been reared on the range and are accus- tomed to depending entirely upon grass for a living. Heretofore supplies have been taken short distances up the Matanuska Eiver in boats, but the stream is so full of shoals and so swift that tracking, which is the only possible way of making progress upstream, is too slow and is attended with too many possibilities of loss to be regarded as practicable. GENERAL GEOLOGY. SUNRISE SERIES. About the western end of Prince William Sound, the northern part of Kenai Peninsula, and the adjacent mainland the rocks are dark slates and gray tufaceous sandstones or arkoses. They have been altered somewhat, developing a cleavage in the slates and a joining in the more massive beds. At least two systems of quartz veins occur in the harder rocks, usually very thin, and, so far as observed, never persisting across the boundary into the slates. Quartz occurs also in pockets, which may locally reach several feet in thickness, and some- times at least are mineralized. The rocks contain a few thin diabase dikes and more numerous highly altered acid dikes, originally prob- ably aplites. These latter in some instances carry gold, introduced probably at the time of the great metasomatic alteration to which they have been subjected. Age. — ISTo fossils have been found in these rocks, but from their relations to the Matanuska series, described below, it seems probable that they are pre- Cretaceous. 46 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. MATANUSKA SKRIES. Throu«;hnut the ^ratanuska and the upper part of Taxlina valleys the rot'ks, wherever examined, proved to be unaltered or but slightly altered sediments; shales — red, black, and bufif — predominate, but some limestones, sandstones, and conglomerates occur. Of the latter, that forming Castle Mountain is by far the most imposing bed, measuring probably 1,000 feet in thickness. Bedded limestones were noted at but one point, and that the most northerly reached, on the head waters of Bubb Creek; here a shallow syncline brings a stratum of gray limestone 200 to 400 feet in thickness down to the hilltops. Beds of limestone concretions are sometimes found in the shales. The strike of the series, although interrupted by many minor structures, is generally parallel to the mountan range and to the val- ley of the Matanuska Eiver — i. e., about X. 70° E. Dips vary greatly, but are usually away from the coast, and steepest as the latter is approached. Many faults of unknown but probably slight throw, and light folds, make an accurate estimate of thickness with the data in hand impossible, but (>,000 feet is probably a safe minimum estimate. The slight evidence gathered favors the theory of an over- lap of the Matanuska series upon the older Sunrise series to the south. Age. — A few fossils collected at the base of the limestone bed men- tioned above are pronounced by Mr. Stanton to be Lower Cretaceous. The relation of this bed to the rest of the Matanuska series indicates that the latter can not well be younger. GREENSTONE SERIES. Across the interior basin, in the first line of foothills of the Alaskan Eange, a series of green schists, diabases, and augite-diorites is found. The schists are probably derived from the diabases in some instances at least, but are now highly altered and contain much secondary quartz, chiefly in veins. There is at present no evidence available as to their age, and so far as known they have no economic value. XANANA SERIES. Along the lower valley of the Delta Eiver, through the heart of the Alaskan Eange, the rocks are chiefly quartz-schists. Their alteration is so complete that except for a few narrow graphitic bands their original character would be in doubt; but this belt indicates their clastic origin. They have been intruded at several periods by both acid and basic dikes; they have highly developed schistosity, and carry two or more series of quartz veins. The older series has been much squeezed and broken, while the younger is one of the latest phenomena. Accompanying the quartz veins is a high degree of mineralization, sulphurets in variety and abundance occurring. Analyses of samples taken from these mineralized zones failed to show gold, and pannings BETWEEN RESURRECTION BAY AND 1 ANANA RIVER. 47 of side tributaries whose gravels were derived entirely from the schists were likewise unproduclive of results, although as much as a teaspoon- ful of sulphurets was caught in the pan. Between the areas occupied by the greenstones and the schists is a narrow belt of rhyolites and derived fragmentary material. KNOWN GOLD DISTRICTS. Turnagain Arm. — Of the formations described above, the only ones known to carry gold are the Sunrise and the Matanuska series. The productive portion of the former, so far as now known, occupies a small portion of the northern end of Kenai Peninsula and a limited belt along the mainland north of Turnagain Arm. So far, within this district only placer diggings have been developed, although within the last season a few quartz claims have been staked. Whether or not they will prove to have sufficient value to justify development is a question that only the future can answer. The placer values within the district are not high, ranging from $2 or f 3 a day to the man to as high as $120 in exceptionally rich ground near the mouth of Mill Creek, one of the upper tributaries of Sixmile. So far the work has been confined entirely to sluicing and wing- damming, although hydraulic work will probably be done in the near future. Matanuska Valley. — The rocks of the Lower Matanuska Valley are known to contain gold, but the region has not been systematically developed and no definite idea has been gathered as to the quantity. A quartz vein on Lower Chickaloon Creek is reported to have assayed |6 or $7 to the ton, and washings in the lower course of Schoonoven Creek have yielded values equivalent to $2 or $3 a day to the man. This gold probably has genetic connection with a series of diabase dikes which intrude the sediments of the valley in the neighborhood of Chickaloon Creek. General gravel sheet. — Surrounding the northern end of Cook Inlet is a broad belt of lowland covered by gravels varying in depth from a few feet to a few hundred feet, which probably represent delta deposits at a period when the land stood much lower than it does at present. These gravels extend well inland up the various tributaries of Cook Inlet, and are again encountered across the divide at the head of Matanuska Eiver in the interior plateau. They floor this plateau to unknown depths from the northern base of the Coast Range to the southern base of the Alaskan Range. They fill the valleys between the foothills of the latter, and are found again in full development on the head of the Delta River. North of the Alaskan Mountains moral nal gra\ el is distributed as far as the Tanana. This general sheet everywhere seems to carry small quantities of gold, and as practically all streams examined flow for at least a part 4- Alaska. 48 MAPS AND DESCKIPTIONS OF ALASKA. of their courses through it, they yield colors (flakes of gold) to the prospector wherever he may pan. These colors are very puzzling, since it is impossible to tell, without a knowledge of the distribution of the gravel, whether they may have been derived from it or directly from rock in place; but the ordinary prospector, finding fine colors on the lower course of a river, naturally supposes that the gold has been derived from rock in place near the head of the stream, and plans accordingly. This supposition often proves to be entirely erroneous and leads to serious loss in individual cases. As a general rule it may be said that prospecting, to yield any reliable information as to the gold content of the country rock, should be conducted well up in the heads of the tributaries, and the miner should be certain that he is beyond the limit of the gravel sheet. COAL. The sediments of Matanuska Valley carry coal which, judged from the thin seams examined at one or two points, is of very fair steam- producing quality. Mr. Hicks, guide of the expedition, reports coal up Chickaloon Creek, and a bed 6 feet thick on a small stream, called Coal Creek, which enters the Matanuska opposite the mouth of the Chickaloon. North of the valley of the latter stream several dark streaks were noticed in the mountain side west of the valley, which probably represent outcrops of coal beds, since fragments of bright hard coal were found below these outcrops in the gullies. In the valley of Bubb Creek, which belongs to the Copper Eiver drainage system, seams of coal a few inches thick were noted at a few points. Whether or not beds of sufficient thickness to prove even locally valuable occur in this part of the series can be determined only by further and more detailed exploration. TIMBER AND GRASS. On Kenai Peninsula the timber line stands at about 2,000 feet. Below this, spruce, birch, and several varieties of poplar clothe the slopes. The trees are small, occasionally reaching a diameter of 4 feet near the ground, but averaging probably 18 to 24 inches. The timber generally has no value aside from that of fuel, being wholly inferior to the heavier forests found farther south along the coast. Toward the interior from Cook Inlet the timber line gradually rises with the snow line, so that throughout the interior basin, which stands at an elevation of nearly 3,000 feet, scrubby spruce is found. A larger and better quality of spruce grows in thick forests along the lower courses of the Delta Eiver and other tributaries of the Tanana. Nutritious grasses grow abundantly in the birch groves of the Matanuska Valley, and coarser varieties fringe the shores of the lakes and ponds of the interior plateau. Considerable meadows are found BETWEEN RESURRECTION BAY AND TANANA RIVER. 49 along the valley of the Delta Eiver, and. nowhere was there serious trouble in finding plenty of grass for the animals of the pack train. GAME. In the high St. Elias Mountains on Kenai Peninsula and the main- land the white mountain sheep (Ovis dalli) is found in great numbers. It has as yet been hunted but little and is an important source of food for the prospector. This sheep is found also, but apparently in less abundance, in the Alaskan Range. The moose is plentiful throughout the valleys of the entire region explored, but is very shy and difficult to obtain by the inexperienced hunter. Caribou are very plentiful in the foothills of both the Coast and Alaskan ranges. They select the hard, dry ground above timber line, seldom or never descending into the valleys, and were not seen at all in the broad interior basin. Although their distribution is thus somewhat limited, they are easy of approach, and, within the districts where they are found in such numbers, form an important addition to the explorer's food supply. Brown and black bear may be found in the mountainous districts everywhere, but are absent over the interior plateau. Fur-bearing animals occur in limited and constantly decreasing numbers; among the most important are the silver-gray, black, red, and cross fox, the wolverine, the otter, the beaver, and the gray wolf. Waterfowl in great numbers and variety throng the tidal marshes of the coast during the early spring and late fall, and are found during the summer season on the innumerable lakes of the interior plateau. Among the land game birds, ptarmi- gan and grouse are by far the most important, the former frequenting the untimbered uplands and the latter living in more or less abun- dance within the spruce and birch forests everywhere. CLIMATE. Along the coast the climate is remarkably mild, when the latitude is considered. As far north as Cook Inlet it compares very well with that of England and Scotland. The precipitation in Prince William Sound is extremely heavy, and in early April we found snow in Portage Bay from 6 to 7 feet deep on the level; while in Cook Inlet, on the other hand, which is sheltered from the moisture-laden winds of the Japan Current by the mountain mass of Kenai Peninsula, precipitation is very much lighter. Here no frost is to be feared from the Ist of June until the 1st of September, and the temperature gets quite high enough to mature the hardier vegetables. Passing up the Matanuska Valley through the Coast Range, however, the traveler notes a great change. The equable climate of the coast yields to a climate of great extremes just within the Coast Range. The summers are very short and uncom- fortably hot, and the winters long and severe; the snowfall is not 50 MAPS AND DKSCRIPnONS OK ALASKA. great, seldom reaching more than 18 inches. The summers from the 1st of May until about the Ist of July are relatively dry; then a rainy season sets in, usually lasting thn-e or four weeks. Following this, before snowfall begins, is a period of bright, clear, cool autumn weather, which is the best time of the entire season for work, since the insect pests have then disappeared. AGRICULTURE. A few experiments have been conducted in Cook Inlet in the raising of the hardier grains and vegetables. Last year potatoes sufhcient to partially supply the Sunrise City mining district were raised at Tyonek. Lettuce, turnips, and radishes of excellent quality were also grown, and rye has been reported to have been raised successfully in the past. Some hardy varieties of wheat were sown this fall, and there seems no reason why this important food plant should not mature here. The Russians have successfully raised cattle, the abun- dant meadows of natural grass furnishing pasture during the summer and hay for the winter months. In the interior the greater severity of the winter and the shorter growing season make it improbable that anything except the very hardiest vegetables can ever be raised. INHABITANTS. Five hundred to a thousand white men, usually prospectors and claim owners, generally winter about the head of Cook Inlet. This number is more than doubled during the summer; but this population is essentially transient, and the great majority of the prospectors never penetrate more than 30 or 40 miles from the coast. The native inhabitants are assembled in colonies at Tyonek, Ladds Station, and Knik. They do not number, all told, more than a few hundred souls, and this number is constantly diminishing through pulmonary complaints. In character they are gentle, harmless, and surprisingly honest. Along the route which we followed to the interior very few Indians were seen, chiefly because our line of travel lay along the divides, while the permanent homes of the Indians are found along the great waterways, which are their lines of travel. Two hundred and seventy-five miles from Knik we met a small band of Upper Copper River Indians on a hunting trip along the head waters of the Delta River, and another band was encountered near the same point on the return trip. A Matauuska Indian village is situated on a small lake draining into Taxlina River I'car the head of the Matanuska, and smoke from the hunting lodges of members of this tribe was noticed at several points along the lower course of Bubb Creek. EEPOET ON PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE COPPER RIVER REGION/ Bv F. C SCHRADER. ITINERARY. The United States Army Copper River Alaskan Expedition No. 2, of 1898, to which the writer was attached, left Seattle on the steamship Valencia April 7 and landed at Port Valdez, Alaska, on April 19. At the beach the snow was 6^ feet deep, and our tents were pitched in deep pits dug in it. As the reindeer counted on for transportation had not been brought, our camp remained here until August 5, when, with a pack train of 23 horses, a hasty and somewhat hazardous trip of nearly two days was made across the Valdez glacier, over the Coast Mountains, 5,000 feet high, and into the Copper River drainage, our objective field of work. As the season was now already far advanced, it was apparent that a survey to the head of the Copper and the Mount Wrangell district would be impossible. The work of the writer was therefore carried down the Klutena to Copper Center on the Copper River, then down the Copper to the mouth of the Tasnuna, and thence westward, closing the circuit to Yaldez by way of Tasnuna and Lowe rivers. During most of the time spent in the interior, from late in August till the return to Valdez on October 19, one party of the expedition was in charge of the wiiter, who carried on the geologic work, while the topography was done principally by Mr. Emil Mahlo. Two other parties were in charge of Captain Abercrombie and of Lieutenant Lowe, respectively; of these the former proceeded to Mentasta Pass and the latter to Forty mile on the Yukon. From Valdez to the Tonsina River the work was carried on by tran- sit. By the wrecking of a raft in crossing the Tonsina the transit was lost, and the remainder of the circuit was completed by compass. From Valdez to Taral transportation was principally by pack train, although some supplies were sent down from Copper Center by boat; but at Taral all further progress with the pack train was cut off by "Woods Canyon, whose walls slope up iato high snow-peaked moun- tains on either side. From this point to the mouth of the Tasnuna, therefore, travel was by boat; and thence, packing on the backs of * See maps Nos. 7 and 8, in accompanying envelope. 52 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. men, the journey up the Tasnuna was continued over a divide about 1,800 feet hijjh, down Lowe River to Dutoh ('amp Basin, and from that basin by pack train into Valdez. GEOGRAPHY. Prince William Souud is a large bay lying between (50° and 61** north latitude and 146° and 149° west longitude. It is bounded on the north and northeast by the mainland, on the west by the Kenai Peninsula, and on the south by numerous islands. The many deep indentations of the coast line on the north, with the outlying islands, present natural harbor facilities of the highest class for even the largest ocean vessels. Nearly north of the sound, but separated from it by a high, rugged range of coast mountains, is the Copper River Basin, whose drainage extends northward to the parallel 63° 30'; the river itself, upon breaking through the range, debouches over a large delta into the Gulf of Alaska, just east of Prince William Sound. POPULATION. Prince WiUiam Sound natives. — The natives about Prince William Sound, probably several hundred in all, are known as Aleuts. They have long been under missionary influence, mainly Russian, Their chief settlements or villages are Tatilak, iN^uchek, Chenega, Eyak, and Allaghanik. They trade with the whites and are often employed by them, chiefly in hunting, fishing, and boating. They are not a very healthy people, consumptive tendencies among them being common. Prince WiUiam Sound whites. — About a dozen white men have mar- ried into the native tribes and have become residents there, being engaged in trade or some other industry, such as blue fox raising. At Orca and Eyak are large salmon canneries, owned by American companies and operated during the summer months only. The labor employed here is mostly Chinese, imported from San Francisco for each season only. Orca is also a United States post-office, with monthly mails. Copper River natives. — The Copper River natives are distinct from the Aleut tribes on the coast and seem to be more closely allied to the Xorth American Indian; their total number is probably less than 300. The country is apportioned off politically, each clan adhering closely to its own district in hunting and fishing. Until recently those best known to the whites were the Taral or Chittyna natives, whose chief, Nicolai, has been mentioned by Lieutenant Allen, Lieutenant Schwatka, and Dr. Hayes. Mcolai, however, has now lost his influence among his people, who with unanimous praise refer to Hanegatta as the most wealthy, powerful, and capable leader of their PRINCE WlLLIAiVI SOUND AND COPPER RIVER REGION. 53 tribe. The Tezlinas and Gakonas, constituting the Upper Copper Eiver natives, are commonly known as the Kolchanes; they are said to number about 200, the Tezlinas about 125, and the Gakonas some 60 or 80. The Tezlinas occupy the country from the Copper River westward along the Tezlina Eiver and Lake to Knik River. The country from above Lake Klutena down the Copper to near Taral is occupied by the ''Stick" natives, headed by the sturdy chief Stiphan. The Copper River natives, on the whole, seem to be honest. Though poor, they are hospitable and obliging people, and on several occa- sions last summer they saved the lives and property of whites who had gone astray. Frospectors and explorers. — Owing probably very largely to the liberal advertisement of passage to the Copper River country by transportation companies, many prospectors and adventurers bound for the Klondike or to indefinite destinations in Alaska were led, in the season of 1898, to try their fortunes in the Copper River country. Many hoped at the same time to proceed by way of the prospective all- American route into the gold districts of the Upper Yukon. The influx began in February and continued until late in June, during which time it is estimated that more than 4,000 persons and their outfits landed at Yaldez, the great gateway to the Copper. Of these, more than 3,000 are supposed to have entered the Copper River Basin over the summit of the Valdez glacier. In the meantime several hundred prospectors landed at Orca and attempted to ascend the Copper River from its mouth, but very few of them reached Taral and the Chittyna. The exodus began early in May and continued until late in October, many returning over the glacier to Valdez afoot and many down the Copper by boat. Probably 300 remained in the country, mostly at Copper Center, during the winter of 1898-99, and a score or so at Valdez on the coast. Among those in the interior numerous cases of scurvy, some of which were serious, are reported to have occurred. The letter mail taken from Valdez into the Copper River during the three months of August, September, and October numbered more than 4,200. Applications for the establishment of an official post- office at Valdez and at Copper Center are now on the files of the Postmaster- General . CLIMATE. PiHnce William Sound. — The climate at Prince William Sound is mild, with a high average percentage of cloudiness, very heavy pre- cipitation, and great barometric range. Spring, midsummer, and a part of the fall are rainy and foggy. The annual snowfall is from 7 to 10 feet. Fierce blasts are said to occur in winter. 54 MAPS AND DESOKIPTIOXS OF ALASKA. During the summer of 1898 the weather at Valdez was as follows: From April "^4 to May 1: continuous heavy snowfall, with some thawing; little or no wind. May: generally rainy, foggy, and mild. June 1 to about July 10: fine weather, generally bright and sunny; mid- days warm but not hot; temjierature generally comfortable to cool; little or no fog July 10 to August 10: generally rainy and foggy. Valdez mvimit. — The summit is almost constantly enveloped in storm and fog, with precipitation nearly always in the solid state. Copper River district. — The change of climate experienced in a couple of hours' travel — 7 or 8 miles — from the bleak, frigid, and stormy summit down into the Copper River Basin in August is remarkable. Here the slopes are clothed with timber, variegated flowers, grasses, and berries, while the clear bright skies rival the halcyon summer days of the Upper Yukon or the rainless districts of western United States, According to the reports of prospectors the summer months are bright and warm, with midday often hot; night frost may occur at any time, but is very- rare in June, July, and early August. The streams begin to freeze late in October, and snow to fall a few weeks later. The annual snowfall is from 2 to 4 feet. The winter seems to be much the same as on the Upper Yukon, though not quite so cold; but it is a storm- ridden country, swept by fierce blasts descending from the interior to the coast. ANIMAI. LIFE. FUth. — In the lakelets in the Copper River country several species of handsome lake trout occur, but the fish most relied upon for sub- sistence by the natives is the salmon, notably the king salmon, which normally ascends the Copper and its tributaries in great numbers annually. Large quantities had already been dried by the pros- pectors on Lake Klutena early in August, and the fish were still run- ning late in September between Taral and Copper Center. Qiiadrvpedn. — There is large game in the Cx)pper Basin — several species of bear, caribou, and some moose. In the mountains toward the coast Rocky Mountain sheep were shot by prospectors, and wolf are also said to occur. Beaver are present on most of the tributaries and lakelets. Red and gray squirrel, though usually of small size, are abundant throughout the timber. No rabbits were seen by us, though they were long ago reported by Allen. Porcupine are common. A species of field mouse was seen, and a third-grown or dwarf frog. Birds. — The eagle, black crow, hawk, goose, duck, ptarmigan, grouse, sea gull, sandpiper, snowbird, American robin, brown thrush, PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND COPPER RIVER REGION. 00 oriole, blackbird, woodpecker, and many other migratory species of birds were seen. Insects. — During the months of May, June, and July the mosquito is a veritable pest. Sand flies and gnats also occur later in the season. Flies, grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies, moths, and several species of Neuroptera were seen on the mountain slopes at the foot of Lake Klutena late in August. VEGETATION. Prince William Sound. — About Prince William Sound the chief timber is spruce, sometimes called Sitka spruce, with some yellow cedar, cottonwood, willow, and alder. The poplar is usually confined to the flats in the mouths of the valleys and inlets, where some good grass also occurs. The timber line is about 2,000 feet, above which only moss and dwarf shrubbery grow. All the hardier garden vege- tables were successfully grown in Valdez last summer. Copper River district. — In the Copper River district the country is comparatively well, though not densely, timbered. Spruce is the dominant and most valuable tree and has a good, tall growth; hem- lock, aspen, balm of Gilead, birch, poplar, alder, and willow are also present. The timber line scarcely reaches to 2,000 feet. Though the surface is normally clothed with a dense growth of moss, large areaa of good grass also occur, the grasses representing half a dozen or more species, some of which resemble the silver-top, red-top, and blue-joint of the Western States. They are of a rank, succulent growth, and often 3 or more feet high, excellent for grazing and seemingly good for hay purposes. Wild flowers, many species of which are identical with those found in the States, occur in great abundance. In luxuri- ance of growth the wild roses along the Copper greatly surpass any- thing ever seen by the writer in the States. The ripened hips of the roses are much used by the natives as food, and in the absence of fruit diet the members of the party also partook of them with much relish. In many localities wild red currants occur in great abundance, also great quantities of the moss berry, or ground cranberry; and the black currant, gooseberry, blueberry, huckleberry, red salmon berry, red raspberry, cranberry, and a kind of Viburnum, or high -bush light- red cranberrj^, are also found. From early June to the close of the season of 1898 all the ordinary garden vegetables were successfully grown at Copper Center by Mr. Jacob Sittel, a gardener from Portland, Oregon. TOPOGRAPHY. Prince William Sound has the topography of a submerged coast, its deep inlets, fiords, and bays denoting the lower reaches of former 56 MAPS AND DKSCRIPTIONS OK ALASKA, Bubiierial valleys, while the ontlyhiji; ishiiula represent the crests of mountainous ridges whose bases are now under water. From below Orca northward the relief of the country changes from rather rounded, low, and somewhat dome-shaped hills to steep or almost abrui)t-fa€e e bowlders, whose large size and numbers would seem to favor the occurrence of the parent bed rock near by. Pebbles showing the contact of diabase with the Orca sedimentaries occur along the beach about Oravina Point and northward, and on the north shore of Blighs Island a t>T)ical medium -grained iron-gray diabase meets the darker slate; this is prob- ably only a large dike. A somewhat similar rock occurs at the head of the Klutena River. Gabbro is found about 8 miles below I'iake Klutena, on the northwest side of the Klutena River, in a hill ritung about 1,100 feet above the river. The rocks of the Mount Wrangell group have long been suppost"^ to be volcanic, but as they have never been visited by any scientii^^t nothing definite is known of them. Specimens received from Messrs . Cantwell and Mason, who in the summer of 1898 had penetrated to and collected from the north ''crater" of Mount Drum, were pronounced bj' the writer, from hand-specimen examination, to be a red rhyolitc and probably a gray andesite. The prospectors reported that th^J entire mass of Drum, as far as seen, is made up principally of thi s red rhyolite, and that it extends over many thousand square mile« northward around and beyond Mount Sanford. Copper River silts. — These betls form the plateau terrane of ttie Copper River Basin. They are composed for the most part of fine- grained, light buff-colored, unconsolidated silts, with local deposits of sand and gravel. The stratification is horizontal, and this, with the fineness of the material and the areal extent of the beds over the PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND COPPER RIVER PwEGION. 59 basin, probably more than 2,000 square miles, leads to the view that they were most probably deposited in some large lake or branch of the sea. The beds are exposed in the form of bluffs and terraces along the Copper Eiver above Taral, and on the tributaries of that section of the river, often rising steeply from the river to a height of 400 or 500 feet; and they probably exceed 1,000 feet in maxi- mum thickness. Geologically the beds seem to be very young. They nowhere show tendency to consolidation, nor do they seem to carry any fossils other than recent shells, occasionally found near the tops of the beds, of organisms such as now live along some of the streams in that district. MINER AJL RESOURCES. COPPER. About Prince William Sound it is common to find iron and copper sulphides disseminated almost anywhere throughout the country rock; but on some of the larger islands of the sound, and at several local- ities on the shore of the mainland, occur mineralized zones of con- siderable extent and of very promising et'onomic value. The worth of the ores rests chiefly in their copper value, but in some of them gold and silver have also been assayed in good pacing quantities. Copper Mountain mine. — At Copper Mountain near Tatiklak, in Landlock Bay, where one of these deposits is being mined by the Alaska Commercial Company, the ore as observed by Mr. J. E. Spurr occupies a shear zone in the green amphibolite-schist, and consists principally of copper pyrites and bornite. It is best exposed about 300 feet above sea level. On the northwest base of the mountain, facing the head of Copper Mountain Bay. a somewhat similar deposit occurs, known as the Rip- stein ledge. Gladhaugh Bay mine. — Just above Tatiklak, in the head of Glad- haugh Bay, a vein or deposit consisting mostly of iron and copper pyrites and about 600 feet in width is being worked by a Vancouver companj'. The contact of an igneous rock (diabase) with the country rock here seems to have something to do with the ore deposit. Latouche and Knights islands. — Other localities which are receiving considerable attention and are being developed are Knights and Latouche islands. On the latter, which lies in the southern part of the sound, the deposit seems to be a phenomenally large one. The ore is mostly bornite and copper pyrites, and is of good grade, fre- quently running as high as 25 per cent copper to the ton, with from $1 to .^3 in gold and silver. Up in the Copper River country native copper in small amount was 60 MAPS AND DESCRIFl'IONS OF ALASKA. long ago found iu possession of the natives. Its source is supposed to 1)0 the Chittviia and Upper White Kiver districts. Prospectors who ascondeil the Chittyua iu the summer of 1898 report the prospects of copper good, and display nuggets of the native metal 3 inches in diameter. North of the Chittyua the Stick natives report the best source of copper to be up the tributaries coming dowu from the south- west base of the Mount Wrangell group; while the Taral natives, so far as c;in be learned, are probably familiar with a considerable deposit of the metal or its ore up the Chittystoue, or southeast fork of the Chittyua, each tribe being best acquainted with that in its own district. OOIiD-BBARING QUARTZ. The quartz found in the country rock usually occurs in discontin- uous stringers or veinlets and not in large quantities. Assays of samples collected at several points show it to carry gold, which is probably the source of the placer or fine gold found disseminated in the gravels throughout the country. So far as the observations of the writer extend, the country can hardly be considered promising for gold-quartz mining. One assay, however, collected by the writer from Wilson Point in Prince William Sound, yielded 1.25 ounces of gold, and 3 ounces of silver, or a total money value of about $27 to the ton. The vein (which was discovered by the writer) is about 3 feet in thickness and is an aggregate stringer vein, being made up of a great many parallel quartz stringers or veinlets trending with the bedding of the rock. It is probably a shear-zone deposit. Its dip is nearly vertical. No idea of its linear extent was formed, as it soon passed beneath the deep covering of moss and snow; it seems, however, to warrant further investigation and probably development. PLACERS. About the most of Prince William Sound and in the Copper River country, gold placer digging is yet in its early stages. The consider- able prospecting, however, which has been done seems to indicate that the country as a whole is not very promising in this line, although fine or flour gold occurs almost everywhere, both in the gravels on the coast and in the Copper River district. Several years ago gravels at the mouth of Mineral Creek, which flows into Port Valdez, are reported to have yielded fair pay to several pioneers who worked them. Some work was also done on the south side of the sound, in Solomons Basin, with similar results, and recently in Canyon Creek Bay some coarse gold has been sluiced. Claims are staked off at various locations, some in the terminal moraine gravels PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND COPPER RIVER REGION. 61 at the foot of the Valdez glacier. Some coarse gold has also been panned from the gravels in Dutch Camp Basin. In the Copper Eiver country the thick deposit of gravels and lake beds, which during most of the summer carry considerable water, is a great impediment to effectual prospecting. According to seemingly reliable prospectors, good coarse gold was found last summer on a branch of the Slana River near the head waters of the Copper, and on Quartz Creek, one of the upper tributaries of the Tonsina, where many claims are reported staked and some men are wintering. Mr. Charles Brown, United States Quatermaster at Valdez, has lately reported that men are working on Manker Creek and Mahlo River, both tributaries to the Kluteua, and on some of the head waters of the Teikell. COAL. So far as seen by the writer the formations met with seem to be barren of coal. It may be mentioned, however, that on the Upper Gakona River some prospectors rei)ort the occurrence of coal in work- able quantities. ROUTES AND TRAILS. The only route used for getting into the Copper River country from Valdez during the season of 1898 was the Valdez glacier route. Start- ing from Valdez, the trail leads 4 miles northeast, with a very gentle rise over the delta gravels, to the foot of the Valdez glacier, thence about north for 18 miles up the glacier to the summit, which is 4,800 feet high. The glacier is broken or transversely marked by four or five successive long benches or terraces, from one to the other of which the rise of 100 feet or more is usually sharp and sometimes diflicult, the topography of the ice being very rugged, with crevasses, ridges, and turrets. With the exception of these benches the ascent from the foot of the glacier to near the summit is gradual; but just before reaching the top there is a steep rise of a thousand feet at an angle of 15° to 20°. The pass is guarded by a couple of prominent peaks, one on either side and standing about a mile apart. From the summit the trail descends rapidly, but nowhere abruptly, for a distance of 6 miles through a canyon-like vaUey to the foot of the Klutena glacier, which is the source of the Klutena River. From the foot of the Valdez glacier to the foot of the Klutena glacier, a distance of 25 miles, there is no vegetation, timber, or brush, but only a waste of barren rock walls, peaks, and snow and ice, so that fuel for camping while on the glacier must be brought from either end. From the foot of the Klutena glacier the trail con- tinues down the north side of the river and lake to Copper Center, where the elevation is about 1,050 feet. 62 MAPS AND DESCRrPTIONR OF ALASKA. From Copper Center to the T-an.ana, Yukon, and Fortymile rivers, the best and shortest route is the Millard trail by way of Mentasta Pass. This trail, crossing the Copper, bears northeastward somewhat near the base of Mounts Drum and Sanford, over the high ground of tlie big benared in aceuniey to the results of even the roughest surveys which liave been made elsewhere in the Territory. We know that the Upper Koyukuk drains a large basin and that in itvS upper course it is divided into several streams of nearly equal size. Tanana River. — The Tanana River has its source near the head waters of the White and also of the Copper River, and is one of the most important tributaries of the Yukon. Tt ha.s a general northwest- erly course and joins the Yukon some 800 miles above its mouth. As a special report in this publication (p. 64) is devoted to this and the White River, the reader is referred to that for a more detailed account. Porcupine River. — The Porcupine, one of the largest tributaries of the Yukon, joins it near the Arctic Circle, in the Yukon Flats. It has long been known to the British fur traders, who used it as a high- way to Fort Yukon, at its mouth, which was established in 1847. In 1888 Mr. R. J. McConnell, of the Canadian Geological Survey, crossed from the Mackenzie waters to the Porcupine by way of the Peel River portage.* ]McConnell followed the river down to its mouth, but did not carry his surveys much beyond the international boundary. In the same year Mr. William Ogilvie, Dominion Land Surveyor, crossed from the Yukon to the head waters of the Porcupine, and again from the Porcupine to the Mackenzie, by the McDougall Pass.* In 1889 a United States Coast and Geodetic Survey party, in charge of Mr. J. H. Turner, ascended the Porcupine about 50 miles by steamer, and continued in small boats to the one hundred and forty-first meridian, where they wintered, for the purpose of establishing the international boundary by astronomic observations." In March, 1890, a small party led by Mr. Turner crossed to the Arctic coast, with dog teams, along the international boundary line. The Porcupine heads in about latitude 65° 30', within 75 miles of the Yukon; it flows northeast to the Rocky Mountain chain, and then bends sharply southwest, making a total length of about 500 miles to its junction with the Yukon. 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Most of the following notes in regard to gold in the Alexander Archipelago are based upon a report of Dr. G. F. Becker.* The data which are available concerning the gold are too meager to permit any very important generalizations. There is a distinct zonal development of the deposits in the Alexander Archipelago, including Sumdum, Juneau, and Berners Bay, and the general direc- tion of this belt is that of the schistosity of this part of the country. The great mine of this belt is the famous Alaska-Treadwell. The ores are normal gold ores, except that calcite is unusually abundant, and there is sufiicient reason for connecting their genesis with eruptive phenomena. The deposits of this belt are so similar in position and character to those of British Columbia and California that, in the absence of direct evidence, they may be regarded as contemporaneous with them and probably of early Cretaceous age. Farther westward occur the deposits near Sitka, on Baranof Island; and very possibly the source of the gold of Lituya Bay, in west longi- tude 137° 30', may be a prolongation of this group. The mineralizing action on Baranof Island does not appear to have been very vigorous. The island seems to be quite as old as the more easterly belt. In the region of the Alaska-Treadwell mine the main mass of the country and the oldest rock is a carbonaceous slate of very uniform texture. The age of the slate was thought by Dr. Dawson to be very probably Triassic, from its analogy with rocks on the coast of British Columbia, There is no direct evidence as to age yet available. After the sediments had been reduced to the condition of slate, syenite was intruded into them. This intrusion was of a very irregular character, although it may be called a dike. In the Alaska-Treadwell it swells out to 450 feet in width, including, however, large "horses." To the northwest and to the southeast it narrows and is sometimes reduced > Seventeenth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. Survey, Part 1, 1896, p. 772. ' Eighteenth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Sui-vey, Part III, 1898, p. 60. 102 MAPS AND DKSCRIFPIONS OF ALASKA. to a system of parallel dikes divided by slate. After the syenite intrusiou eaiue one of g-abhri). It forms a dike a couple of hundred feet in width, and follows the northeast wall of the deposit pretty closely, thou DKSCItll'I'IONS OF ALASKA. glat'ier trail, which crosses lor a distance of 25 miles over the Valdez and Kluteua {jUu^ers. The highest part of the trail is 4,800 feet above sea level, and the whole route is totally destitute of vegetation. From the foot of the Kluteua glacier the way leads down the Kluteua River to Copper Center, whence the Millard trail leads north toward Meutasta Pass, the gateway to the Tanana, Fortymile, and Yukon. Other routes arc being investigated. Explorations. — Prince William Sound was lirst discovered by Captain Cook in 1778 ; it was further explored by the Spanish through Fidalgo in 1700, and by Vancouver in 1794. In 1779 Caudra (Spanish) correctly surmised the location of the Copper; in 1783 Nagaief (Russian) discovered and ascended the Copper for a short distance; in 1794 Purtof made a pa»ssage to the second mouth of the Copper from the west side; and in 1796 an expe- dition under Smiloff to the Copper River was cut off by the natives.* Lastochiu in 1798 visited the Copper with great caution.* In 1803 Bazanolf explored the Copper River for a short distance, ' and sixteen years later Klimofsky made another attempt.* In 1843 two parties of the Russian- American Company explored the Susliitnaaud Copper rivers to trade with the natives."^ In 1848 Serebranikoff, to whose researches our best knowledge of the course of the river for a long time was due, ascended the Copper, but was killed by the natives for his misconduct." At the mouth of the Chittyua a single Russian remained for a few years and traded with the natives.^ In 1882 C. G. Holt ascended the Copper as far as Taral.* In 1884 Capt. (then Lieut.) W. R. Abercrombie, of the United States Army, ascended the Copper as tar as the Miles glacier.* In the same year John Bremmer, a miner, ascended as far as Taral and wintered there with the natives until the spring of 1885, when he accompanied Allen.'" During the spring and summer of 1885 Lieut. H. T. Allen, of the United States Army, made a creditable reconnaissance trip by boat and portage up the Copper from its mouth, leaving its basin north- ward by way of Suslota Pass.'* In 1891 Lieut. Frederick Schwatka and Dr. C. W. Hayes, in exploring overland from Fort Selkirk to the cjoast, crossed the divide between the White and Copper rivers, at Scolai Pass, and descended the Nizzena, the Chittyna, and thence the • Alaska and its Resources, by W. H. Dall, p. 817. »Op. cit., p. 370. »0p. cit.. p. .321. *Op. cit., p. .3.31. • Bancroft's Historj- of Alaska, p. 526. • Alaska and its Resources, by Dall, pp. 272, 343. 'Op. cit.. p. 272. • Lieut. H. T. Allen's Reconnais-sance in Alaska, 1885, p. 223. • W. R. Abercrombie's unpublished report on the Copper River Expedition No. 2, of 1898. ""Lieut. H. T. Allen's Reconnaissance in Alaska, 1885, p. 23. "Op. cit. PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND (M)PPER RIVP:R COUNTRY. 107 Copper to its mouth/ The topographic map about Scdai Pass and the Upper Chittyua by Hayes is the only one made of that district and is of value. It shows a rugged mountainous district with many local glaciers. On the Lower Copper, at the Miles glacier, the river tumbles over a belt of huge moraine bowlders and is impassable for boats, necessitating a portage of sometimes a couple of miles across moraine and glacier. During the summer of 1898 the delta of the Copper was surveyed by a party from the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in charge of Mr. Eitter. Native population. — The natives about Prince William Sound prob- ably number about .300. They are mostly Aleuts, who are peaceful and have long been under missionary influence. Tatitlak, Chenega, Eyak, N"uchek, and Alaganik are their chief villages. They are not a healthy people, being frequently afflicted with pulmonary complaints. About a dozen white men have married into the native tribes and have become residents. Two large salmon canneries, one at Orca and the other at Eyak, are operated by American companies during the summer months only. The labor they employ is mostly Chinese, imported from San Francisco for each season only. Orca is also a United States post-office, with monthly mail. The Copper Elver natives probably number fewer than 300 in all. Of the Kulchana, the Tezlinas and ' ' Sticks ' ' (or Stephans) dwell on the Upper Copper, the Mcolai or Taral natives on the Chittyna. They are peaceful, hospitable, and honest, and aided the whites in many ways during the summer of 1898. Prospectors and adventurers. — Led by the gold fever in 1898, it is estimated that more than 4,000 people, mostly Americans, and their outfits landed at Valdez during the spring and early summer. Of these, about 3,000 are supposed to have entered the Copper Eiver country by way of the Valdez glacier, while several hundred attempted to ascend the Copper from its mouth. As the hardships of the coun- try were severe and but little gold was found, the exodus began early in May and continued till late in October. Of these people probably about 300 in all remained in the Copper Eiver country, mostly at Copper Center, during the winter of 1898-99, and a score or so at Valdez, on the coast. Application has been made for the estab- lishment of United States post-offices at Valdez and Copper Center. Resources. — The resources of Prince William Sound are timber, fish (such as salmon and halibut), copper ore, with some gold, and fur-bearing animals, such as the bear, wolf, fox, and seal. The busi- ness of raising blue fox for their pelts has attained considerable development. In the Copper Eiver country timber abounds almost throughout the • An expedition through the Yukon district, by C. W. Hayes: Nat. Geog. Mag., May 15, 1893, Vol. II, p. 124. 108 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. biisin. Sns of several localities alxtiit the middle of Kadiak Island itself where plant-bearing sediments occur. Dr. liecker and Mr. Piiriugfton collected samples of coat near the l»each at Ked Kiver, Kadiak; and in the Eleventh (\*nsus report coal of <>^ood (juality but inconvenient of access is stated as occurring at Sitkinak Islanl(l occurs average j)robal)ly 1 to 2 feet in width and cut across the cleavage. Associated with the gold are the sulphurets pyrite and mispickel. Fi-ee gold is easily panned from the quartz outcrops, but )io definite determination of values has been made. Along the southern shore of Kadiak Island, at Portage and Ayukulik rivers, the beach gravels have been washed for the light gold which they contain. The sands carrying this gold are probably derived from the mountains several miles back from the beach ; they occur in patches seldom more than an inch in thickness and a few square yards in area. The industry is as yet unimportant and does not promise well unless some cheap process, such as cyanidiug, which will save all of the fine gold, can be used in its extraction. By the methods at present used a great deal of this flour gold is lost. THE ALASKA PENINSULA AND THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. Bv W. C. Mendknhall. Geographji. — The Alaska Peuiusula and the Aleutian Islands from Lake Iliamna to the island of Attn, and including the westernmost possessions of the United States, are geographically a unit and will be treated as such. This region is the southwestern extension of the volcanic chain west of Cook Inlet, and as the mountains are more or less completely submerged they appear as isolated islands or a con- tinuous laud mass. From Kamishak Bay the group extends south- west, gradually curving to the west and northwest, and with the Commander Islands, oft" the Kamchatkan coast, which belong to the Russians, it constitutes the southern boundary of Bering Sea. Topo- graphically two types are represented — the rough volcanic backbone, lying close to the southern shore line of the peninsula, and the low tundra apron, flat and lake-covered, stretching northward from this backbone to Bristol Bay and the adjacent parts of Bering Sea. Of these two types, all of the Aleutian Islands and the southern edge of the peninsula belong to the first, while only the remainder of the peninsula is included under the second. All of the islands are mountainous, heights of more than 8,000 feet being reached. These elevations and the abundance of precipitation give conditions favora- ble for the production of glaciers, many of which flow down from the higher summits. Geology. — No systematic study of the geology of this peninsular and island belt has thus far been made, although many observers have contributed limited notes on portions of the region. Chief among these is Dr. W. H. Dall, from whose publications most of the notes for this summary have been taken. The sedimentary rocks, where found, are generally of Tertiary age, sandstones and conglomerates prevailing, with some beds of associated shale ; in these Tertiary rocks occur the coal and lignite seams which have been exploited with indifferent success in manj^ localities. The sediments are sometimes undisturbed, but are more usually folded, faulted, intruded, metamorphosed, or buried under flows — phe- nomena of vulcanism of later date than the sediments and con- tinuing in fact down to the present. There seem to be fragments of an earlier sedimentary record than the Tertiary in places; e. g., on the Island of Attn, the westernmost of the Aleutians, metamorphic slates and quartzites are known, and in the middle members of the 115 11() MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. Shuniajiin <^i()up of islands a similar series is reported. Jurassic rocks occur in the region of Katmai and Naknek Lake and at many other localities. Hut the recent volcanic phenomena of the belt are much the most conspicuous geologic feature. The island of Bogoslof rose from the sea in 1790, and a neighboring island, called fJrewingk, appeared in 188;> and has ohangetl considerably in elevation and outline since its appeanmce. Akutan Island is usually active and is regarded by Dr. Dall as emitting more lava than any other volcano in the chain. The Semisopochnoi, the Four C-raters, Unalaska, Uniniak, Atka, Great Sitkin, and many other of the islands are the sites of historical eruptions. The recent lavas, according to Dr. Becker, are andesites and dacites, the latter having been found only on Unga Islajid near the Apollo mine. Granites are reported also from the interior of this island. Many hot springs occur throughout the peninsula and on the islands, and are undoubtedly a phase of the volcanic phenomena. Gold. — The Apollo Consolidated, on the Island of Unga, one of the Shumagins, is the only mine west of Kadiak which has yielded any considerable amount of gold. The deposit, according to Dr. Becker, is a reticulated vein or mineralized shear zone, and stands nearly vertical, striking about N. 40° E. The country rocks are andesites and dacites, which probably overlie sediments. Besides sulphurets, calcite, native copper, and probably orthoclase occur as gangue min- erals. The ore averages about ^S to the ton. There are other deposits in the immediate neighborhood, apparently along the strike of the same Icjid which is worked at the Apollo. Except this deposit, we have no reliable reports of gold on either the peninsula or the islands. CoaL — Since the explorations of the Russians, coal has been known at many points in the peninsula and adjacent islands, one of the most promising localities being that of Herendeen Bay, on the northern shore of the peninsula. A 4-foot coal bed was opened here in 1890 and several hundred tons of the mineral were taken out; but after pushing the tunnel for 200 or 300 feet, the coal was cut off by a fault and persistent search failed to relocate it. Two or three hundred tons were used bj'^ the U. S. S. Albatross, whose engineer reported very encouragingly on its steaming qualities. At Anialik Harbor, east of Katmai Bay, three scjims of impure coal, each about 18 inches thick, are known to exist, and other beds are reported on the Ugashik Lakes, at the head of the river of the sjime name. On the west shore of Chignik Bay a small IG-iuch seam has furnished fuel for a near-by cannery, and proves to have very satisfactory steaming qualities. At Portage Bay and at Coal Bay, farther west, coal is also reported. Mining operations have been carried on in a small way at several ALASKA PENINSULA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. 117 localities in the Shumagin Islands, but the coal here is in thin beds and proves to be of poor quality. On the Aleutian Islands proper there have been no developments, but coal is reported on TJnalaska and on one or two of the other islands. Tertiary rocks, which may carrj- lignite, occur at many points throughout the group. liontes across the peninsula. — Three routes long in use by Eussian traders and Indians converge at Katniai; two cross the peninsula by way of Naknek River and Lake, and one by way of Igagik River and Lake. Farther west Herendeen Bay, an arm of Port Moller on the Bering Sea side, is connected by easy portages with Pavlof Bay and Portage Bay on the south. Inhabitants and industries. — The inhabitants of the region are mostly Aleuts, probably belonging to the Eskimo race. They live in small villages scattered among the islands and hidden in the numerous bays. With them are a few white traders and miners who have married native women in order to avoid the law prohibiting all except natives or white men with native wives from hunting the sea otter. Twenty years ago many an Aleut hunter lived in affluence on the income derived from the sale of sea-otter pelts; now the animal is very scarce and the industry has about disappeared; but in recent years cod and salmon fisheries have become more important and bid fair to restore in a measure the vanished prosperity. Bears, foxes, and land otters, and in places on the peninsula caribou, are important sources of food and income. A few Russian priests still preside in their districts, and the little churches are a source of much pride to the natives. Villages. — The village of TJnalaska, on the island of the same name, is the most important town in the islands, and the westernmost post- office in the United States has been established here. Belkovsky, on the peninsula, was formerly of much importance as the center of the sea-otter trade, but has declined with the disappearance of this animal. Unga, Atka, and Attn all have populations of 100 or more. LAKES TLIAMNA AND CLARK, By J. E. Spurr. These two lakes are the largest iu Alaska, Lake Ilianina being half as large as Lake Ontario. As may be seen on the map (No. 1), they have the same general trend and are CHmuected by a broad river. They are drained bj^ the Kvichak, which is not navigable for steamers. These lakes are surrounded on nearly all sides by high mountains. Along the southeast side of both rise the volcanic peaks of the Chig- mit Range, of w^hich the chief are Mounts Iliamna and Redoubt. The Iliamna volcano was active in 1778-79, and again in 1876. The St. Augustine volcano, in the sea near by, had a violent eruption in 1883, and is still steaming. North of Lake Clark rise the peaks of the Tordrillo Range, which forms the Sushitna-Kuskokwim divide. From Kamishak Bay a portage route extends along the valley of a small river across the mountains to Lake Iliamna. By another gap in the mountains the inhabitants of Lake Clark cross to Cook Inlet at Kustatan. Lake Iliamna was early known to the Russians, but Lake Clark was known only by vague rumors until 1891, when Schanz and Clark visited it with dog sledges, making a map and describing the inhabit- ants. Iliamna Village, on the lake of that name, is populated by half- breed Russian Eskimos, whose progenitors settled here from the Island of Kadiak. The other inhabitants of Lake Iliamna are Eskimo as far ^ the Nogheliug River, while the inhabitants of Lake Clark are purely Indian. A trading past for natives has been maintained for some time at Iliamna Village, the provisions being taken over the portage across the Chigmit Range. Last summer some prospecting was also done by people who reached the lake by the same route. Lake Clark, on the other hand, has been very little visited by white men. 118 THE NUSHAGAK RIVEK By J. E. Spurr. The country at the mouth of the Nushagak and for some distauce up is very flat, while the upper tributaries run through a mountainous country. The Xushagak derives most of its water from the large Tikchik Lake and the Mulchatna Eiver, which heads in the Tordrillo Range. The whole valley is densely wooded, and on the Mulchatna many very large trees are found, sometimes over 3 feet in diameter. The region at the mouth of the Jfushagak was early visited by Russians, and the traders and priests made lon^ journeys throughout the surrounding country, of which, however, little record exists. As early as 1890 prospectors are known to have been on the Mulchatna and to have found fine gold. In 1891 Schanz and Clark, as already noted, ascended the Mulchatna and crossed to Lake Clark. The same year Greenfield passed from the Kuskokwim to Nushagak by the Holiknuk. At the mouth of the Nushagak large canneries have been established, which have a capacity of about 120,000 cases of salmon during the season of five weeks. There is a central trading post at Nushagak, and a Moravian and a Greek mission. The valley of the Nushagak and its tributaries is populated by Eskimos of the ISTushagak type, and several branch trading posts are found here, Avhich are sup- plied from the main station. 119 THE COAST FROM BRISTOL BAY TO THE YUKON. By J. E. Spurr. Topography. — The region around the month of the Kvichak River, at the head of Bristol Bay, is flat and swampy, and the shores are blnlVs running up to 150 or 200 feet in height. This is also true of the shores from Nushagak as far as the western shore of Togiak Bay. At Cape Newenham the mountains which form the divide between the Togiak and the Kuskokwim come down to the coast. On the eastern shore of Kuskokwim Bay a broad strip of tundra, growing wider to the north, separates the mountains from the salt water. The shore between Kuskokwim Bay and the Y''ukon delta is in general compara- tively low, although in places mountains of considerable height come down to the sea, especially at Cape Vancouver and at Cape Dyer. Along this whole coast the tides are very great, especially in the funnel-shaped bays, such as Nushagak Bay, Togiak Bay, and Kus- kokwim Bay. Since the water in the vicinity of the shore is very shallow these enormous tides leave great stretches of sand flats bare at ebb tide, and these often run out to sea 5 or 10 miles from the actual shore line. Outside of the flats are shoals which are never laid quite bare, so that on the whole the coast is a dangerous one. Population. — The entire length of the coast line is fairly well popu- lated, and all the people belong to the common Eskimo race, although to many different tribes. Those in the vicinity of Nushagak are some- what civilized from long contact with the Russians, and later with Americans brought by the salmon-canning industry. Northwestw ard, however, the population becomes more primitive, till in the region between the Kuskokwim and the Yukon, and especially on Nunivak Island, they are reported to be untouched by any civilizing influence whatever. Settlements. — The head of Bristol Bay is the scene of a great salmon- canning industry. At the mouth of the I^aknek River, at Koggiung, at the mouth of the Kvichak, and especially around Nushagak, there are large canneries. The season is five weeks long, and the region of Nushagak then presents a very busy appearance. In the month of September, however, the vessels depart, carrying with them the men employed, together with the salmon which have been put up, so that during the winter only about twenty white men remain on Nushagak Bay. 120 COAST FROM BRISTOL BAY TO THE YUKON. 121 At Togiak, on Togiak Bay, there is a half-breed trader who main- tains a station for the natives. Kiiskokwim Bay is navigable for sea-going craft only for a few miles north of Kwinhaganint, and from this point the provisions have to be taken np as far as Bethel in a small sloop. At Tnnuuak, on Cape Vancouver, there is a half-breed Russian trader. A Catholic mission school was formerly established here, but did not prove successful. Pfibilof Islands. — These lie some distance southwest of the coiist which has been described, in Bering Sea, and were discovered by the Eussiau, Pribilof, in 1776. In 1869 the islands were declared a Government I'eservation and a company of soldiers was stationed there. From 1870 to 1890 the islands were leased to the Alaska Commercial Company, having become very valuable on account of the immense number of seals which congregated there during the season. During the twenty years of occupancy this company paid to the Government in seal taxes nearly $6,000,000. Since 1890 the North American Commercial Company has held the lease at a higher tax. On account of being so assiduously hunted the number of seals obtained has decreased to 20,000 annually. THE KUSKOKWIM DRAINAGE AREA. Bv J. E. SlM'UK. The Kuskokwiiu River is described at gieiiter leiij;tli iu the special report of the Kuskokwim expedition iu Part I of this publicatiou (p. 28). The river is the second largest iu Ahiska, and the largest whose drainage area is confined to the Territory. Its length is about 700 miles to its chief source iu the Tordrillo IMountains, and it is navigal)le for steamers for about T)?") miles above Apokagamut (near the mouth). Topograph;!. — The main bi-auch of the Kuskokwim rises, as stated, in the picturesque Tordrillo Range, while the east fork probably heads close to the McKinley Mountains. A short distance after leaving these I'anges, however, the two chief branches unite and flow through a level country — the Kuskokwim Flats. The river keeps mostly to the north side of the flats, and the hills beyond, forming the divide between the Kuskokwim and the Tanana and Yukon, are compara- tively low, timbered, and r(mndeinf2^, there are no natives. In the country between Norton Hay and Ksehscholt/ Bay there are also no inhabitants, althoui,di a village — Attemut — has been repre- sented on maps. During the summer of 1.S98 discouraging reports from the Klon- dike reaching the west coast, many prospectors turned their attention to unknown parts of the Territory, and a hirge number poured into Kot/.ebue Sound. Probably a thousand men prospected there during the summer, ascending also the various rivers which empty into the sound. So far as learned, however, no one had any luck, although tine gold exists on some of the streams; the conclusion was reached by most, therefore, that the region is worthless as a gold-mining country. Point Hope to Point Barrow. — At Point Plope there is an Episcopal mission, and between Point Hope and Point Barrow are several w'hal- ing stations, the principal one 15 miles east of Point Hope and owned by Liebes & Company, of San Francisco. Between Cape Lisburne and Cape Sepping there are occasionally small Eskimo villages, and around the mission at Point Hope there is a large village. Between Icy Cape and Cape Lisburne there are no natives, and very few between Icy Cape and Point Barrow. At Cape Beaufort, and in many places thence northward to Point Belcher, coal of good quality, probably belonging to the Carboniferous period, has been reported. The climate along here is extremely bleak, large packs of floating ice being in the sea all summer. At Point Barrow and at Point Hope the lowest winter temperature is only about 30° below" zero, while at Point Hope the average winter temperature is 15° below zero. At Point Barrow there is a Government relief station, designed princi- pally for whalers. THE KOWAK EIVEE. By J. E. Spurr. The word Kowak seems to be a corruption of the native pronun- ciation, which is more nearly Kubuk or Kuvuk, the word meaning great river, and being the same as the Eskimo name for the Yukon, KivikpaJc, although in a different dialect, and also the same as the Kookpuk, which enters the Arctic above Point Hope. The Kowak River was partly ascended by Lieut. John C. Cantwell, U. S. R. M., in 1884, in a small boat, and more successfully the following year, when a steam launch was used to carry the party up the lower part of the river. At about the same time Lieutenant Stoney, U. S. N"., also explored the Kowak. The report of the latter officer is not yet available, so that most of our knowledge of the river comes from Cantwell 's report.^ According to this report, in twelve days from the mouth the head of boat navigation — a narrow canyon, filled with sharp- pointed rocks over which a rapid current flowed — was reached. Above this point the journey was made in a skin boat. N^ear the head the river splits into two branches, one coming from a lake, while the other rises in mountains across which a portage leads to the Koyukuk . This route is that always used by the Kowak Indians when going to the Koyukuk to trade. Near the mouth of the river a short range of mountains separates the Kowak from the north branch of the Selawik. Above this for hundreds of miles the river flows in intricate channels with many sand bars, while on both sides is low, rolling tundra. Farther up the timber becomes plentiful, and then the tundra is succeeded by the mountains, where the head of boat navigation is reached. , Above this the skin boat had to be towed. The shores were very rocky, with forests of spruce, pine, birch, and balm of Gilead. Between the Kowak and the Noatak the country is very mountainous, with numerous deep lakes and small rivers. As reported by Lieutenant Cantwell, the climate of the Kowak region is remarkable for its extremes. In the middle of July the temperature rose by day as high as 96° in the shade, and seldom fell below 88°. On the .Slst of July it Avas noted that the mosquitoes were still terribly annoying, while on the 8th of August the mountains were snow-covered and there were heavy frosts at night, after which time ' Cruise of the Convin in the Year 1885, Washington, Goyemment Printing Office, 1887. 9-Alaska. 127 128 MAI'S AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. there wius an iniich hardship fnmi the cold as there had been pre- viously from llie heat. Along most of the route game, fish, and berries were comparatively abundant, and there were many fresh signs of bear, porcupine, and deer. Not far from the mouth of the river seams of impure clayey coal Avere observed; and similar liguitic coal, but of finer quality, was brought by the Indians from several of the tributaries. A remarkable feature of the Kowak is the ice cliffs, described by Cantwell. These border the river, rising from it steeply for many feet, and are com- posed of pure, hard ice, on top of which is a greater or less thickness of clays and silts, which in turn support a growth of trees and shrubs. The ice, therefore, appears to play the part of a geologic formation. Similar ice cliffs were early reported from Elephant Point in Eschscholtz Bay, and what appears to be the same phenomenon has been personally described to the writer by Lieut. E. P. Bertholf as occurring at the mouth of the Kookpuk Eiver, north of Point Hope. CantwelPs party reports having found colors of gold in nearly every part of the Kowak. Last summer (1898) many of the pros- pectors who sailed for Kotzebue Sound attempted to explore the Kowak, but, so far as known, with no great success. A number of steamers started up the river, but on account of the low water the ftirthest point reached was about 125 miles from the coast. N^o well- authenticated finds of gold have been reported. THE NOATAK RIVEE. By J. E. Spurr. Hotham Inlet was first explored and named by Captain Beechey, R. N., in 1825. In 1849 the mouth of the Noatak was observed by H. M. S. Herald, and was reported as being unnavigable for any dis- tance, even for ship's boats. The river itself, so far as known, was first explored by white men in 1885, in which year S. B. McLenegan, of the Revenue Marine Service, was sent out to explore it, and suc- ceeded in ascending nearly to the head. Near its mouth the Noatak cuts through the Mulgrave Hills, but just before entering the inlet the river forms a delta and divides into two branches, which are about equal in volume. Back of the moun- tains the river runs through a flat country, in which it divides into many channels. Here the valley is bounded on both sides by parallel ranges of hills about 10 miles distant, which farther upstream become higher; at the same time the valley becomes narrower, till the river runs in deep gorges or canyons. Above this region a beautiful moun- tain valley, 3 to 5 miles in width, is again found; and still higher, around the head of the river, is an elevated plateau with occasional hills and vast tracts of swamp. This upper region is full of lakes, but bears no timber of any description. The journey by Mr. McLenegan up the Noatak lasted from the 2d of July until about the 31st, the trip being made in a 3-hatch bidarky, or skin boat. Frequent rains and floods made traveling difficult, and the moorlands at the head of the river were reported at the end of July as a scene of utter desolation, being without life and covered with snow and water. The general current of the river is reported to be 10 to 12 miles an hour. The people inhabiting the Noatak Valley are Eskimos, and were estimated by McLenegan to be about 225 in number. There are several native routes between the Kowak and the J^oatak, and proba- bly also between the I^oatak and the Koyukuk. ]S^o coal was seen along the river, and no gold. Tools of jade were in use by the natives, and it was supposed that this mineral came from the mountains near by. In 1898 a party of prospectors ascended the Noatak in rowboats 250 miles in twenty-seven days, returning in thirty hours. They found no gold. Many wild berries, especially currants, were reported along the route, and many waterfowl and ptarmigan, l>ut there were no signs of large game. 139 THE (^OAST FROM POINT BARROW TO THE MACKENZIE. By Alfred H. Brooks. On tlu' north Alaska is bounded by the bleak Arctic coast, which tor ten months in the year is locked in ice. The coast line is com- panitively even, but is broken here and there by the deep embay- ments which mark the mouths of the larger rivers. Shallow water is usually found near the coast, and sand bars and reefs are numerous. From the international boundary westward to Poiut Barrow stretches a low tundra plain, covered with moss and scant grass, and dotted with numerous lakes. Through this plain meander sluggish streams and rivers. During the short summer this tundra belt is little more than a marsh . Near the stream banks are found a few stunted alders and willows, but elsewhere the coast is devoid even of these low shrubs. To the south the plain merges into a rolling country, also moss covered, and beyond these foothills is a mountain range which separates the North Arctic drainage from the rivers of Bering Sea and Kotzebue Sound. At the international boundary this range is but a few miles from the coast, with elevations of 4,000 to 7,000 feet, but in its western extension it recedes rapidly from the shore line, and decreases in elevation, so that opposite Point Barrow it is 150 miles inland and has an elevation of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet. The region is drained by numerous rivers, but only a few of these have been visited by white men. Turner River was discovered and approxi- mately mapped by Mr. Turner; the Colville and the Ikpikpung are known through the investigations of Lieutenant Howard; and Lieu- tenant Rjiy mapped the lower course of the Mead River. ' Thie brief summarj' is based on the following publications, to which the reader is referred for further information: Voyage from Montreal on the River St. Lawrence through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, in the Years 1789 and 1793, by Sir Alexander Mackenzie; Piiila- delphia, 1802. Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea in the Years 1825, 1826, and 1827, by John Franklin: Philadelphia, 1828. Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America effected by the OflScers of the Hudson Bay Company during the Years 1836 and 1839, by Thomas Simpson; London, 1813. Narrative of the Voyage of the Blossom to the Pacific and Bering Straits, by Capt. F. W. Beechey, London, 1831. A Personal Narrative of the Discovery of the Northwest Passage, by Alexander Armstrong; London, 1K")7. Alaska and its Resources, by William H. Dall, 1870. Report of the International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, 1881-1883, by Lieut. P. H. Ray. Report of J. H. Turner; United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Part I, 1891, p. 87. Lieutenants Stoney and Howard's reports have unfortunately not been published. A map of the region they explored, which embodies their work, was published by A. L. McDonald at San FVan- cisco in 1 8*.>8. 130 COAST FROM POINT BARROW TO THE MACKENZIE. 131 Strauii^ely euouf^^h, this north coast of Ahiska was explored long before some of the more accessible parts of the Territory were. As early as 1789 Mackenzie reached the Arctic Ocean at the mouth of the great river which besirs his name. In 1826 a boat expedition in charge of Mr. Elson, sent out by Capt. F. W. Beechey, of H. M, S. Blossom, reached Point Barrow, and the same year Sir John Franklin pushed his way westward from the mouth of the Mackenzie to Return Eeef, where he was stopped by the ice. It remained for Peter Warren Dease and Thomas Simpson to complete this line of exploration some ten years later. These men went westward from the mouth of the Mackenzie and were stopped by the ice; but Simpson continued on foot and in native boats, and on August 4, 1837, reached Point Barrow. The activity in Arc^tic exploration which followed the disappearance of the Sir John Franklin expedition resulted in a better knowledge of this region, because of the numerous vessels which passed its shores. Important among these was H. M. S. Investigator, whose crew was the first to make the ISTorthwest Passage. Since these early expeditions but little exploration has been done on this north coast. The Signal Service maintained a station at Point Barrow from 1881 to 1883, in charge of Lieut. P. H. Ray, and in the spring of 1886 Lieut. W. C. Howard, U. S. N., left Lieut. G. M. Stoney's winter camp on the Kowak and, with one white man and several natives, made the long trip to Point Barrow. Mr. Turner's trip from the Porcupine River to the Arctic coast along the inter- national boundary, made in 1890, is described in the account of the Yukon district (p. 88). A relief station for the benefit of whalers and a mission school are now maintained at ^ Point Barrow and are annually visited by the vessels of the United States Revenue Service. The Pacific Steam Whaling Company also maintains a station at Herschel Island, to which a vessel is sent every year. The Eskimos have settlements at Point Barrow near the Colville River, and at Herschel Island and adjacent portions of the mainland. They depend on the abundant driftwood for fuel, and on the products of the sea and the wild rein- deer (caribou) for food. The reindeer migrate northward in the spring and return to the mountains in the more southern parts of the Territory in the fall. The natives of the interior are said to make annual visits to the coast for trading purposes, following the reindeer northward and returning with them to the mountains again in the fall. In 1848 the American whaler Superior, commanded by Captain Roys, ventured through the Bering Straits, and this example was fol- lowed by many in the succeeding years. Since then the Arctic Ocean is visited ever summer by numerous vessels employed in whaling, which pursue their calling close to the ice pack, and frequently are forced to spend the winter in this inhospitable region. ;^i q-l O o ^ 1-1 E-H P ^ r. S t O 1-1 w <1 1 1^ s »— ( H 09 ■a ft I-! H <( d e-i u l-J *ti o ^ »-; o -ieiOOCDlNi-lcO "^"'S ooaoaoooooooSaoooooSco 3 aj a? o I ! 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T)i CO t^ o o CO t^ i> o T-< si O* CO CO »0 1-HOJO* 1-1 1-1 I I I I I •noi^BAaia ■gpiKjiSuoi •vimc : 00 OS !OS.-H m-f X coino COOJ-^i-iOTOl ej>-H ■*-»icjcocO'-icooc o OTOT CO CO in CO CD CD in CD C ■apn^iiBi OOT -OJCSXCO-fXINCOt- TOO 'OiT-iTfiniocininr-i CO t- . t^ X r^ TO CO CO 1-" CO in in in • in »n in in 10 CD t- CD CO X in 00 in in COiO'l'OT -* M'-'COi-i -« 0* o iNinco-* •* t- in CO CO CO CD CO CO CD . be 5 t ;::;,,! i III ;||l2«al^6 «t: 3 c3 a o --s a 3 o a 3 3 S'S'^-S'^^" o*^-"^~5aa-"oS3o ia333'S'^"S^^ 133 134 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. t 1 2 •80K 1 -i| : i i IBnaav o •jiaqmMSQ "S^SSi: S5:S S i:: 2 ■a9qxn»AOH "S^S^S SSS S 3 8 ■jaqojoo SStoSS SSui s s « 'J3qni9}d8s 50t-Sto5' S?-5D 3 S •jsnany " sssss ss £- g •Xinf : • QO 30 QO annf = SSSg^ : 3 5 3 ■avjh »essfe? sgg ?: s s nJdv °SSgS?§ §gS S 5 ^ •qojBK = g!8553 §§!S 28 iS s XiBiuqa^ °g§E5=' feiSS; S; § S AiBnn'Bf = s?s?s g^a g $:; ^ apn^tauoq = apniijBT = 1 IS ,^ o a (7 a a •"s St. Michael Point Barrow /iitt-rioy. Anvik ■ n urs.C t- £ 5 as **^S3S SS ^9 f kS mm m ^ g 1 w Hi Eh O » SS°S~c3 TT 1 T 7 gg^S?2"' ^00 ■* 10 in ^ OO OT 00 CO CO s OT S S ^co3cococ5 Sg ^ ? ssssss ss s; fesgs^"" -- » 00 in t- S2:;:SfeS 7! ! r T W 03 7T tl !! 7 >! ? Tif-^! !! ! 7! T T!!-!! 'if T 1 T 1^ i7 1 a X ill ! cS 1 a c a" :- > 5 !:< METEOROLOGICAL TABLES. 135 ^"H .^ t- CO t- - -r OJ o» OJ o >-• CO --1 1 ^8 )^ *- a r- o o CO >- c c: CO o aJ '"' i feS^Sg^^gSSSSS S S ^ 00 CO t> OJ c CD OJ "^ C 05 ■^ c CO C5 05 ^ 00 -^ CO 1- c cr CT X c o ^-i>OiO:M^05CO«5C i> O IT s 1-H o id CO CD rt r4 -^ X 0« r- a in c 05 l^ *s ^ 2 S "* "= J- cr c O 05 05 ■* ^— < c o 00 oi o- rt ir X ec c i- If X IN OQ OJ CC «■ Tt in in tU) 23 ^ C IN CC ■^ 1— 1 3 s oa — Tf s s 5 5 1- t- 'It cc 05 £ B T); 3 ■^ in cc OJ O) Ol Tf 05 '-' £ o 00 ir cc S3 l- a- ■^ Ol a ri- •r IN CO Tf «s 3 1-3 ce CO IT ^ 05 in >> X ^ X O' o- 0! -r X o- ~ t- O 04 0! •^ o- OJ Tf X o o: c cr. o lO o o t- CC 00 c o '■S d ^ •V 03 "a! _? 1 3 eS "a a •a £ "a c a J ^ ^ ^ D a i "i i ^ i t Ji! "o ii PS 3 oi 3 C8 ■g 0; C "a '> : ii D S P- 3 £ o *■ fl 4J a 0. "c _^ oj ^ D ^• fe S. h^ K -1) < pq i4 O b. CC H 01 136 MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALASKA. PERIODS DURING WHICH CERTAIN ALASKAN WATERS ARE FREE FROM ICE. Elver. Time of ice breaking. Time of final freezing. Yukon: Lakes on Lewes . . Miles Canyon . . . Mouth of Tanana. Russian Mission. Port of St. Michael Stikine Copper Sushitna Matanuska About June 1, 1898.. AboutApril 26, 185)8. May 23 (average of twelve years; ex- tremes, May 15 and June 5). May 22, earliest ; generally last week in June. April 28, 1898 May 10 (average) . . . . May 20, 1898 Middle of May About Oct. 5, 1898. Oct. 12, 1898, Oct. 1, 1897 (exception- ally early). Nov. 4 (average of five years ; ex- tremes, Oct. 30 and Nov. 10). About Oct. 15. About Oct. 30. Generally in Octo- ber. REPORT OF POSTAL SERVICE IN OPERATION IN ALASKA, MARCH 1, 1899. Postal routes. STEAMBOAT SERVICE. Ap- proxi- mate length No. of route. From— To- Number of round trips. GflBces supplied. miles. 78,(»4 San Francisco, Cal . . Dawson, Canada . . 4,408 3 during summer. Unalaska, St. Michael, Cir- cle, and all Yukon River points. 78,085 Seattle. Wash Dyea, Alaska 1,000 2 a month... Pkagway. 78,086 Juneau, Alaska Kadiak, Alaska 1,150 2 a month, April to Oct. Sitka, Yakutat, Orca, Seldo- via, Tyonek. 78,087 Seldovia, Alaska Tyonek, Alaska — 110 2 a month. May to Oct. Sunrise (when steamer lands). 78,088 Sitka, Alaska Unalaska, Alaska. . 1,G36 1 a month for five m o nths, Nov. to March. Y'akutat, Nu- chek (n. o.), Orca. Valdez, Seldovia, Ka- diak, Karluk, Sandpoint, Unga,Belkof- ski (n. o. ). 78,089 Juneau, Alaska Skagway, Alaska. . 106 3 a week Haines. Dyea. 78,093 Seattle, Wash Skagway, Alaska . . 1,012 2 a month or oft«n- er; usu- ally 6 to 7. PortTownsend, Mary Island, Sax man, Ketchikan, Fort Wran- gell. Juneau, Skagway. POSTAL SERVICE IN OPERATION. Postal routes — Continued. STEAMBOAT SERVICE— Continued. 137 No. of route. From— To- Ap- proxi- mate length in miles. Number of round trips. Offices supplied. 78,094 Seattle, Wash Dyea, Alaska 1,043 2 a month . . . Mary Island, Metlakahtla, Fort Wran- gell, Juneau, Skagway. Mary Island, S a X m a n , Ketchikan, Fort Wran- gell, Juneau, Skagway. Unalaska, St. Michael, Cir- cle, and all Yukon River points. Orca. Yakutat.Seldo- via, Kadiak, Karluk, Sand- point, Unga. 78,095 Seattle, Wash Dyea, Alaska 1,022 2 a month . . . 78,097 Seattle, Wash Dawson, Canada.. 4,018 3 trips dur- ing sum- mer. 78,099 78,100 Valdez, Alaska Sitka, Alaska Nuehek, Alaska . . . Unalaska, Alaska . 120 1,526 2 a month, April 1 to Oct. 31. 1 a month, April 1 to Oct. 31 each year. STAR SERVICE. 78,101 Fort Wrangell, Alaska. Jackson, Alaska. . . 195 20 a year Shakan, Kla- wock. 78,104 Ketchikan, Alaska . . Loring, Alaska .... 22 2 a month. .. 78,105 Juneau, Alaska Tanana, Alaska.... 1,276 2 a month . . . Dyea, Sheep Camp, Daw- son, Foi-ty- mile. Eagle, Star, Circle, Rampart. 78,106 St. Michael, Alaska. . Tanana, Alaska . . . 900(?) 1 a month . . . Kutlik (n. 0.), K o s e r ef sky (n. 0.), An- vik, Nulato (n. o.), Koyu- | kuk, Nowika- kat (n. 0.) 78,107 78,108 Metlakahtla, Alaska. Chilkat, Alaska 15 1 a week. . . . Haines, Alaska . . 2 1 a week .... » Post-offices established. Anvik. Chilkat. Circle. Douglas. Dyea. Eagle. Fort Wrangell. Haines. Homer. Hope. ^ Jackson. Juneau. Karluk. Kenai. ^ Ketchikan. Killisnoo. Klawock. Kodiak. Koyukuk. Kuthk.i Loring. Mary Island. Metlakahtla. Nowikakat. ^ Orca. Peavy. ^ Rampart. St. Michael. Sandpoint. Saxman. Seldovia. Shakan. Sheep Camp. Sitka. Skagway. Star. Sumdum. Tanana. Tyonek. Unalaska. Unga. Yakutat. Yukon. ^ Postmasters not commissioned. 138 M.\l»8 AND DESORIPTIONS <>F ALASKA. UNITED HTATEH LAND OFFICES. United States locsvl land ofticew have been estiibliahed in Alaska at Circle City, Pejivy, Sitka, and We^ire, but aH yet (Mar. 13, 1899) the only oflice opeu for businevsa is at Sitka. GOM) PRODUCTION OF ALASKA, HY DISTliK VPS.' Districts. 1896. 1897. 1896. Admiralty, Douglas, and Unga i.slands. Juneau SI. 370,861. 65 $1,238,082'* 86.300 225,000 185,000 31,890 17,000 191,300 15,000 400,000 50,000 Figures not recei ved, but total gold pro- duction es- timated as about — SilviT Bow Basin Korntr.s Bav 241,273.73 160,000.00 90,171.23 39,000.00 120.000.00 15,000.00 800,000.00 25,000.00 Suuulum Ijituva 13av Cook Inlet Norton Sound Yukon River Territorial Totals §2,861,306.61 $2,439,572 $2,839,572 > Taken from reports of the Director of the Mint. » Douglas and Unga. Wells, Fargo & Co. estimate the total gold production of Alaska for 1898 as $3,321,491. RATION LIST ADOPTED BY J. E. SPURR. (For one man one month.) Farinaceous food (three-quarters flour) Meats and fatty foods (chiefly bacon) Nitrogeneous food (three-quarters beans) Sugar Tea Dried fruits and vegetables (three-quarters dried fruits). . Baking powder (1 lb. to each 35 lbs. of flour) about Salt Pounds. 38i 28 Total about 86 _J X JU- i T 4 V 5 1 <^-^ Y r b I I ! ! ► ?^.^^ (_-/«->- 7 ' .' ' ^ t.. '^ oJ ^^ i c^ J^J^J^ ' / r^ 8 (y. a SasatM^HEaai MAP 9 EXPLdKATIONS IN \ ALASKA PORTIONS OF XANANA AND WHITE \ RI VEK8. 142*00' rrian^uiai 1 ir X.lia.LSIH NllM.lA '%^a O jV D. ' < W^ -t>Js'- <--r^V O Q 0.5 """^ -w^2>^ • //? '^ O ;v ^^-'V K ^i- --0 A .- ..ir::^^ A DIS ^,^f <• r t ,»>Br JIOH \p U C BERKELEY LIBRARIES