100 FISHEBY AND FUR INDUSTRIES OP ALASKA IN 1912. 



but instructions received from the Bureau to keep expenses as low as 

 possible made it necessary to abandon this and all other important 

 work involving any considerable expense. All that could be done 

 was to make short daily trips into the surrounding country. Al- 

 though this was unfortunate, the time was not whoUy wasted, as it 

 gave an opportunity to see the spring skins brought into Fairbanks 

 from many regions. 



The deputy warden in charge at the Tanana headquarters left that 

 point in February and established a camp at the headwaters of the 

 Kuskokwim Eiver, remaining until June, when he made a trip down 

 the river to Bethel, thence to Russian Mission, St. Michael, and Nome, 

 where he arrived the end of September. Meantime, starting in July, 

 the Fairbanks party traveled down the Tanana and the Yukon to St. 

 Michael and thence to Nome, making stops wherever possible to ac- 

 quaint the traders and others with the fur law and regulations and to 

 gain a knowledge of conditions in that country. The visits to St. 

 Michael and Nome were particularly important because of the promi- 

 nence of those places as shipping points for raw furs. 



NATURAL FEATURES OF INTERIOR ALASKA. 



ThiB interior of Alaska, north of the Alaska range, shows, in general, 

 br(3ad, nearly level valleys and massive rounded hills, rising in mkny 

 cases above the timber hne into high, isolated domes. Northeast of 

 Tanana these bald domes form an extensive range and in some in- 

 stances rise to the height of over 5,000 feet. 



The Mount Hayes district is the source of many small streams which 

 ultimately empty into the Tanana River. This district is composed 

 of a continuous range of mountains and high, bald hiUs. Near the 

 mountains there are high plateaus, miles in extent, forming an ad- 

 mirable feeding ground for caribou. The Tanana near Salchaket 

 begins to widen out for about 100 miles into the broad Tanana Flats, 

 wherein are many islands. Near its confluence with the Yukon it 

 widens again and from Tanana down the Yukon itself is much wider 

 than the upper Yukon. 



The Yukon country from Tanana to Andreafski is very uniform in 

 character. The southern side of the river is mostly a low, level coun- 

 try, while the northern side for miles consists of continuous high lulls, 

 mostly heavily forested with white and black spruce, birch, and Cot- 

 tonwood. Below Holy Cross the hills are not as numerous, and 

 from Anvik down there are a great many islands covered with irri- 

 penetrable willow thickets. Near Andreafski the tundra region be- 

 gins and the country becomes low and very level. 



The North Fork of the Kuskokwim rises among the hills north of 

 Lake MinchUttiina. Most of these hills are low, but a few domes rise 

 to altitudesf of about 3,500 feet. One of these is Mount Sischoo, 



