Alaska and the Panama canal . Alaska to the Russian-American Trading Company, a Russiancorporation, and England turning over nearly all of westernand northwest Canada to the Hudson Bay Fur Company. TheEnglish company had put in a trading post by this time as far ALASKA 17 west as Fort Yukon. This was in Russian Alaska, and itlooked as if these two hig fur monopoly corporations wouldprecipitate their respective countries into serious trouble witheach other. During the year 1793 two important events oflasting benefit to Alaska and the world occurred. GeorgeVancouver, who had been an officer with
Alaska and the Panama canal . Alaska to the Russian-American Trading Company, a Russiancorporation, and England turning over nearly all of westernand northwest Canada to the Hudson Bay Fur Company. TheEnglish company had put in a trading post by this time as far ALASKA 17 west as Fort Yukon. This was in Russian Alaska, and itlooked as if these two hig fur monopoly corporations wouldprecipitate their respective countries into serious trouble witheach other. During the year 1793 two important events oflasting benefit to Alaska and the world occurred. GeorgeVancouver, who had been an officer with Captain Cook, wascommissioned by England to survey the Pacific Coast from 35degrees to 60 degrees north, or from the southern coast ofCalifornia to Skagway. This was the largest order ever givento a surveyor, and it was completed in one year and so welldone that navigators today go by \ancouvers charts. If ourGovernment had charted the bottom of the inside ship passagefrom Seattle to Skagway there would not have occurred the. SOME SNAPSHOTS OF MAN S HliST FRIEM) IX ALASKA. i8 ALASKA wrecking of numerous vessels and the loss of many lives, ashas been the case along this passage during recent years. Thisfamous road for vessels lies, for a large part of the way, nearthe coast and sheltered from the open sea by a series of islands,and would be safe were the bottom of the course charted forthe guidance of sailors. When the weather is favorable thescenery along this passage is very fine. But to return. Another celebrated British subject, Alex-ander Mackenzie, a member of the Northwestern Fur Com-pany, a competitor of the Hudson Bay Company, afterwardtaken over by the trust, crossed Canada to the Pacific Oceanin 1793 by dog team and small boats and came out in the regionof Queen Charlotte Sound, about 500 miles north of only other crossing from ocean to ocean previously madewas through Mexico, only a few hundred instead of thousandsof miles. It was evident at about the be
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Keywords: ., bookauthorboycewilliamdickson18, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910
