Exploring the great YukonAn adventurous expedition down the great Yukon River, from its source in the British North-west Territory, to its mouth in the territory of Alaska . robably fifty or sixtypeople. It is one of the few large villages to be foundat any great distance from a trading station. Beforereaching it we observed a number of native coffinsperched uj) in the trees, the first and only ones we sawso situated on the river. All day on the 12th and 13tha heavy gale from the south made even drifting a couple of northward-trending stretches of theriver that were encountered
Exploring the great YukonAn adventurous expedition down the great Yukon River, from its source in the British North-west Territory, to its mouth in the territory of Alaska . robably fifty or sixtypeople. It is one of the few large villages to be foundat any great distance from a trading station. Beforereaching it we observed a number of native coffinsperched uj) in the trees, the first and only ones we sawso situated on the river. All day on the 12th and 13tha heavy gale from the south made even drifting a couple of northward-trending stretches of theriver that were encountered on the 13th we set the jib,and spun along at the rate of six or seven miles an one place where we were held against the high banksby the force of the gale, we went ashore, and much toour surprise found a most prolific huckleberry patch,where we all regaled ourselves as long as the wind berries were quite common along this part of theriver, and nearly every canoe that put off frOm a camp orvillage would have one or two trays or bowls of wood orbirch-bark full of them, which the natives wanted totrade for tea or tobacco. We camped in what is called. DOWN THE RIVER AND HOME. 321 by the river steamer men the cut-off slough, justsouth of the mouth of the Koyukuk River, a northerntributary of considerable dimensions, which empties intothe Yukon at a i)oint where it makes a short but boldbend to the north, the slough making the route aboutone-fifth shorter. The mouth of the tributary is markedby tlie Koyukuk So^^ka (hill), a high eminence whichis visible for many miles around. This feature is char-acteristic of this part of the Yukon Valley, isolated hillsand peaks often rising precipitously from a perfectlylevel country. The 14tli saw us make Nulato, quite an historical placeon the river. It was the furthest inland trading stationof the old Russian-American Fur Company at the timeof our purchase of Alaska, and had been used as suchby them, under different names,
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Keywords: ., bookauthorschwatka, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1890
