842 



YUKON DISTRICT, THE CANADIAN. 



YUKON DISTRICT, THE CANADIAN. The 



following facts regarding the geography of the 

 much-discussed Yukon or Klondike district are 

 compiled from reports, etc., prepared by R. E. Gos- 

 nell, late legislative librarian of British Columbia, 

 Dr. G. M. Dawson, and William Ogilvie. 



The Yukon district has an area of approximately 

 192,000 square miles, within Canadian territory, more 

 than 150,000 square miles of which are included in 

 the watershed of Yukon river. In other words, its 

 area is almost equal to that of France, and greater 

 than that of the United Kingdom by more than 

 70,000 square miles. The northern portion of 

 British Columbia is included strictly within the 

 Yukon basin, which, with the southern part of the 

 Yukon, is drained by three great river systems. 

 Its waters reach the Pacific by the Stickeen ; the 

 Mackenzie, and eventually the Arctic Ocean, by the 

 Liard ; and Bering Sea by the Yukon. The Stickeen 

 makes its way through the coast range in a south- 

 westerly dire'ction, while the Liard in a southeast- 

 erly direction cuts across the Rocky mountains into 

 the Mackenzie valley. The watershed separating 

 these rises to a height of 2,730 feet. The whole 

 northern country may be said to be in a general way 

 a continuation of the more pronounced physical 

 features of British Columbia. The mountain ranges, 

 however, which are more sharply defined in the 

 northern part of British Columbia, generally con- 

 verge toward the north until they merge into each 

 other and broaden out into one composite area. 

 The region, as a whole, being a portion of the Cor- 

 dillera belt of the western coast, is naturally moun- 

 tainous, but it comprises also important areas of 

 merely hilly or gently rolling country besides 

 many wide, flat river valleys. It is more moun- 

 tainous and higher in the southeastern part, and 

 subsides gradually and apparently uniformly to 

 the northwest, the mountains becoming isolated 

 and more separated by broader tracts of low land. 

 The general base level or height of the main valley 

 within the coast ranges declines from a height of 

 about 2,500 feet to 1,500 feet at the confluence of 

 Lewis and Pelly rivers, and the average base level 

 of the entire region is a little over 2,000 feet. 



The mountain axis next in importance to the 

 coast ranges is that forming the water parting be- 

 tween the upper Liard and Yukon on one side 

 and the feeders of the main Mackenzie river on the 

 other. This represents the northwestern continua- 

 tion of the Rocky mountains proper, and forms, so 

 far as has been ascertained, the culminating range 

 of several parallel ridges. Its summits attain heights 

 of 7,000 to 9,000 feet. 



A third notable mountain axis, designated as the 

 Cassiar range by Dr. Dawson, is cut through by 

 Dease river in its upper course, and farther to the 

 northwest appears to form the line of water part- 

 ing between the tributaries of the upper Liard and 

 those of the branches of the Yukon. Peaks near 

 the Dease range between 7,000 and 8,000 feet. In 

 the northwestern portion of the region the moun- 

 tain ranges and ridges are in general lower and 

 irregular. 



In regard to the sources of the Yukon, Dr. Daw- 

 son says, whether reckoned by size or distance from 

 its mouth, the source of the Lewis must be placed 

 at the head waters of the Hootalinqua, in approxi- 

 mate latitude 59 10' and longitude 132 40'. In re- 

 gard to the Pelly, it is not absolutely certain that 

 the Pelly proper rises farther from the common 

 point at Fort Selkirk than its great branches the 

 McMillan and Ross rivers. The volume of water 

 in the Yukon is small compared with many of the 

 large rivers of the American continent, and is 

 about half that of the Mackenzie. The large rivers 

 by which the Yukon district and the northern por- 



tion of British Columbia are intersected constitute 

 the natural and principal routes of travel, and dur- 

 ing the summer months render communication 

 comparatively easy. In size and general character 

 the Stickeen closely resembles the Skeena, which en- 

 ters the coast in a parallel direction about 200 

 miles farther south. The former is navigable for 

 stern-wheel steamers of light draught to Glenora, 

 126 miles from Rothsay Point, and under favorable 

 circumstances to Telegraph creek and the Great 

 canon, which extends many miles, and is quite 

 passable for either steamers "or boats, though trav- 

 ersed by the Indians in winter on the ice. The 

 head waters of the Stickeen are unknown, but lie 

 for the most part south of the fifty-eighth parallel 

 of north latitude, in a country said to be very 

 mountainous, interlocking there with the northern 

 branches of the Naas or western feeders of the 

 Black, a tributary of the Liard. From Telegraph 

 creek, the head of navigation, a pack trail, 62^ 

 miles long, constructed by the British Columbia, 

 Government, follows the valley of the Stickeen 

 close to the river to the head of Dease lake, which 

 is the center of the whole Cassiar mining district. 

 This route Dr. Dawson says has long been known 

 to the Indians, the Stickeen having been to them 

 from time immemorial an important avenue of 

 trade, by which, as by the Skeena, the coast tribes 

 penetrated a considerable distance inland. Stern- 

 wheel steamers for the navigation of this river re- 

 quire good engine power, and should draw not 

 more than four feet of water when loaded. Accord- 

 ing to Mr. J. C. Calbreath, a man of very long ex- 

 perience in the district, who is opening a route from 

 Telegraph creek to Teslin lake for the British Co- 

 lumbia Government, the Stickeen generally opens 

 for navigation between April 20 and May 1. Ice 

 or sludge begins to run in the river about Nov. 1. 

 The river freezes over about the end of November, 

 The highest water occurs in early summer, gen- 

 erally in June. 



A trail was at one time opened from Fraser lake 

 overland to Dease lake, over which cattle were 

 driven ; but this latterly has not been used. The 

 Dease river can scarcely be considered navigable 

 for steamers, though it constitutes a fairly good 

 boat route. The upper Liard and Frances rivers 

 are navigable for large boats, with occasional port- 

 ages, but not for steamers. The difficulties of the 

 lower Liard are such as to render it an undesirable 

 route even for boats, and scarcely suited as an 

 avenue of trade between Cassiar and the Mackenzie. 



Little is known of the Taku river, but Indians 

 ascend it in canoes about 80 miles. From Taku 

 inlet an Indian trail leads southeastward to the 

 Tahltan, eastward to Teslin lake, and northeastward 

 to the lakes near the head of the Lewis. The rivers 

 draining the upper Yukon basin have in general 

 low grades, and afford better navigable water. 



The Yukon is continuously navigable for small 

 steamers from its mouth, in Bering Sea, and fol- 

 lowing the Lewis branch to Miles canon ; thence, 

 after an interruption of about 3 miles, to the 

 head of Bennett lake, and to an additional con- 

 siderable distance by the waters extending south- 

 westward from Tagish lake. 



From the site of old Fort Selkirk the Pelly 

 might be navigable by small steamers of good 

 power to within about 50 miles of the old F"it 

 Pelly banks ; and the McMillan branch is also navi- 

 gabfe for a considerable distance. The same may 

 be said of Stuart river; but White river, so far as 

 known, is very swift and shoal. 



The total length of water that may be utilized 

 for navigation for light stern-wheel steamers on 

 the main river and its branches east of the <'ii' 

 hundred and forty-first meridian, or Alaskan boun- 



