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[Illustration: AT THE FOOT OF THE CHILKOOT PASS]

                                 ALONG
                         ALASKA'S GREAT RIVER

             A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF THE TRAVELS OF AN ALASKA
                 EXPLORING EXPEDITION ALONG THE GREAT
                  YUKON RIVER, FROM ITS SOURCE TO ITS
                   MOUTH, IN THE BRITISH NORTH-WEST
                           TERRITORY, AND IN
                           THE TERRITORY OF
                                ALASKA.


                                  BY

                          FREDERICK SCHWATKA,

    LAURENTE OF THE PARIS GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY AND OF THE IMPERIAL
            GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF RUSSIA; HONORARY MEMBER
          BREMEN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, ETC., ETC., COMMANDER
                          OF THE EXPEDITION.

              TOGETHER WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE
                           KLONDIKE COUNTRY.

                         _FULLY ILLUSTRATED._

                           CHICAGO NEW YORK
                        GEORGE M. HILL COMPANY
                                MDCCCC

                           COPYRIGHT, 1898,
                           GEO. M. HILL CO.




PREFACE.


These pages narrate the travels, in a popular sense, of an Alaskan
exploring expedition. The expedition was organized with seven members
at Vancouver Barracks, Washington, and left Portland, Oregon, ascending
through the inland passage to Alaska, as far as the Chilkat country. At
that point the party employed over three score of the Chilkat Indians,
the hardy inhabitants of that ice-bound country, to pack its effects
across the glacier-clad pass of the Alaskan coast range of mountains to
the headwaters of the Yukon. Here a large raft was constructed, and on
this primitive craft, sailing through nearly a hundred and fifty miles
of lakes, and shooting a number of rapids, the party floated along the
great stream for over thirteen hundred miles; the longest raft journey
ever made on behalf of geographical science. The entire river, over two
thousand miles, was traversed, the party returning home by Bering Sea,
and touching the Aleutian Islands.

The opening up of the great gold fields in the region of the upper
Yukon, has added especial interest to everything pertaining to the
great North-west. The Klondike region is the cynosure of the eyes
of all, whether they be in the clutches of the gold fever or not.
The geography, the climate, the scenery, the birds, beasts, and even
flowers of the country make fascinating subjects. In view of the new
discoveries in that part of the world, a new chapter, Chapter XIII, is
given up to a detailed description of the Klondike region. The numerous
routes by which it may be reached are described, and all the details as
to the possibilities and resources of the country are authoritatively
stated.

  CHICAGO, March, 1898.




CONTENTS.


  CHAPTER.                                                         PAGE.

     I.  INTRODUCTORY                                                  9

    II.  THE INLAND PASSAGE TO ALASKA                                 12

   III.  IN THE CHILKAT COUNTRY                                       36

    IV.  OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASS                                       53

     V.  ALONG THE LAKES                                              90

    VI.  A CHAPTER ABOUT RAFTING                                     131

   VII.  THE GRAND CAÑON OF THE YUKON                                154

  VIII.  DOWN THE RIVER TO SELKIRK                                   175

    IX.  THROUGH THE UPPER RAMPARTS                                  207

     X.  THROUGH THE YUKON FLAT-LANDS                                264

    XI.  THROUGH THE LOWER RAMPARTS AND END OF RAFT JOURNEY          289

   XII.  DOWN THE RIVER AND HOME                                     313

  XIII.  THE KLONDIKE REGIONS                                        346

   XIV.  DISCOVERY AND HISTORY                                       368

    XV.  The People and Their Industries                             386

   XVI.  GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES                                       413




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.


                                                                    PAGE

  FRONTISPIECE (DRAWN BY WM. SCHMEDTGEN)
  THE INLAND PASSAGE                                                  12
  SCENES IN THE INLAND PASSAGE                                        19
  SITKA, ALASKA                                                       29
  CHILKAT BRACELET                                                    36
  PYRAMID HARBOR, CHILKAT INLET                                       43
  CHILKAT INDIAN PACKER                                               53
  METHODS OF TRACKING A CANOE UP A RAPID                              64
  CANOEING UP THE DAYAY                                               65
  DAYAY VALLEY, NOURSE RIVER                                          73
  SALMON SPEARS                                                       76
  DAYAY VALLEY, FROM CAMP 4                                           77
  WALKING A LOG                                                       80
  CHASING A MOUNTAIN GOAT                                             82
  ASCENDING THE PERRIER PASS                                          85
  SNOW SHOES                                                          87
  IN A STORM ON THE LAKES                                             90
  LAKE LINDEMAN                                                       93
  LAKE BENNETT                                                       101
  PINS FOR FASTENING MARMOT SNARES                                   112
  LAKE BOVE                                                          116
  LAKE MARSH                                                         121
  "STICK" INDIANS                                                    127
  "SNUBBING" THE RAFT                                                131
  AMONG THE "SWEEPERS"                                               134
  BANKS OF THE YUKON                                                 135
  SCRAPING ALONG A BANK                                              140
  PRYING THE RAFT OFF A BAR                                          145
  COURSE OF RAFT AND AXIS OF STREAM                                  152
  WHIRLPOOL AT LOWER END OF ISLAND                                   153
  GRAYLING                                                           154
  GRAND CAÑON                                                        163
  THE CASCADES                                                       169
  ALASKA BROWN BEAR FIGHTING MOSQUITOS                               174
  IN THE RINK RAPIDS                                                 175
  CLAY BLUFFS ON THE YUKON                                           176
  OUTLET OF LAKE KLUK-TAS-SI                                         184
  THE RINK RAPIDS                                                    191
  LORING BLUFF                                                       193
  KITL-AH-GON INDIAN VILLAGE                                         197
  INGERSOLL ISLANDS                                                  201
  THE RUINS OF SELKIRK                                               205
  IN THE UPPER RAMPARTS                                              207
  MOUTH OF PELLY RIVER                                               209
  LOOKING UP YUKON FROM SELKIRK                                      213
  AYAN GRAVE AT SELKIRK                                              217
  AYAN INDIANS IN CANOES                                             221
  AYAN AND CHILKAT GAMBLING TOOLS                                    227
  PLAN OF AYAN SUMMER HOUSE                                          229
  KON-IT'L AYAN CHIEF                                                230
  AYAN MOOSE ARROW                                                   231
  AYAN WINTER TENT                                                   233
  A GRAVEL BANK                                                      236
  MOOSE-SKIN MOUNTAIN                                                243
  ROQUETTE ROCK                                                      250
  KLAT-OL-KLIN VILLAGE                                               253
  FISHING NETS                                                       258
  SALMON KILLING CLUB                                                259
  BOUNDARY BUTTE                                                     261
  A MOOSE HEAD                                                       264
  MOSS ON YUKON RIVER                                                267
  STEAMER "YUKON"                                                    276
  INDIAN "CACHE"                                                     289
  LOWER RAMPARTS RAPIDS                                              295
  MOUTH OF TANANA                                                    303
  NUKLAKAYET                                                         307
  THE RAFT, AT END OF ITS JOURNEY                                    312
  INDIAN OUT-DOOR GUN COVERING                                       313
  FALLING BANKS OF YUKON                                             319
  ANVIK                                                              330
  OONALASKA                                                          344
  THE KLONDIKE GOLD DISCOVERIES                                      348
  AT THE FOOT OF CHILKOOT PASS                                       350
  THE DESCENT OF CHILKOOT PASS                                       354
  A MID-DAY MEAL                                                     358
  AT THE HEAD OF LAKE LA BARGE                                       360
  INDIAN PACKERS FORDING A RIVER                                     364
  THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS                                             366

ALONG ALASKA'S GREAT RIVER.




CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.


This Alaskan exploring expedition was composed of the following
members: Lieut. Schwatka, U.S.A., commanding; Dr. George F. Wilson,
U.S.A., Surgeon; Topographical Assistant Charles A. Homan, U.S.
Engineers, Topographer and Photographer; Sergeant Charles A. Gloster,
U.S.A., Artist; Corporal Shircliff, U.S.A., in charge of stores;
Private Roth, assistant, and Citizen J. B. McIntosh, a miner, who had
lived in Alaska and was well acquainted with its methods of travel.
Indians and others were added and discharged from time to time as
hereafter noted.

The main object of the expedition was to acquire such information of
the country traversed and its wild inhabitants as would be valuable to
the military authorities in the future, and as a map would be needful
to illustrate such information well, the party's efforts were rewarded
with making the expedition successful in a geographical sense. I
had hoped to be able, through qualified subordinates, to extend our
scientific knowledge of the country explored, especially in regard
to its botany, geology, natural history, etc.; and, although these
subjects would not in any event have been adequately discussed in a
popular treatise like the present, it must be admitted that little was
accomplished in these branches. The explanation of this is as follows:
When authority was asked from Congress for a sum of money to make such
explorations under military supervision and the request was disapproved
by the General of the Army and Secretary of War. This disapproval,
combined with the active opposition of government departments which
were assigned to work of the same general character and coupled with
the reluctance of Congress to make any appropriations whatever that
year, was sufficient to kill such an undertaking. When the military
were withdrawn from Alaska by the President, about the year 1878, a
paragraph appeared at the end of the President's order stating that
no further control would be exercised by the army in Alaska; and this
proviso was variously interpreted by the friends of the army and its
enemies, as a humiliation either to the army or to the President,
according to the private belief of the commentator. It was therefore
seriously debated whether any military expedition or party sent into
that country for any purpose whatever would not be a direct violation
of the President's proscriptive order, and when it was decided to
waive that consideration, and send in a party, it was considered too
much of a responsibility to add any specialists in science, with
the disapproval of the General and the Secretary hardly dry on the
paper. The expedition was therefore, to avoid being recalled, kept as
secret as possible, and when, on May 22d, it departed from Portland,
Oregon, upon the _Victoria_, a vessel which had been specially put on
the Alaska route, only a two or three line notice had gotten into
the Oregon papers announcing the fact; a notice that in spreading
was referred to in print by one government official as "a junketing
party," by another as a "prospecting" party, while another bitterly
acknowledged that had he received another day's intimation he could
have had the party recalled by the authorities at Washington. Thus the
little expedition which gave the first complete survey to the third[1]
river of our country stole away like a thief in the night and with far
less money in its hands to conduct it through its long journey than was
afterward appropriated by Congress to publish its report.

[1] The largest river on the North American continent so far as this
mighty stream flows within our boundaries.... The people of the United
States will not be quick to take to the idea that the volume of water
in an Alaskan river is greater than that discharged by the mighty
Mississippi; but it is entirely within the bounds of honest statement
to