22 ALASKA. 



account of Capt. C. W. Raymond, United States Army (see 

 Alaska, its Population, Industries, and Resources, pp. 89-90): 



Fort Yukon is situated in latitude 66° 33' 47" and longitude 145° 17' 47", at 

 a point where the Yukon receives the waters of the Rat or Porcupine River, a 

 large tributary emptying on the right bank and flowing from its headwaters in 

 a general direction a little south ot west. From Fort Yukon to the mouth of 

 the Chetaut River, a distance of about 200 miles, the river has a general direc- 

 tion about west-southwest, the country on both sides of the stream being low 

 and level, usually consisting of sand or gravel. The average width of that 

 portion of the river is about three-quarters of a mile, but in some places, meas- 

 ured across its numerous islands, it widens out to 5 or 6 miles. The current 

 through all its passages is extremely rapid, and in many places the deepest chan- 

 nel does not carry more than 3 feet of water. Vegetation on the banks and 

 islands is principally small willow and poplar, with occasional groves of spruce 

 and birch. 



From the mouth of the Chetaut River, however, the Yukon rapidly changes 

 its character; the islands disappear, the banks rise into hills, and the stream 

 gradually narrows into one channel, deep and rapid, until it finally rushes with 

 great velocity through the Rampart range of hills. The bluffs composing this 

 range rise abruptly from the water's edge, and are composed principally of a 

 hard, greenish rock, though slate is occasionally observed, and at the principal 

 rapids a ledge of granite crosses the river. Most of the hills are covered with 

 groves of spruce and birch, but the trees are all small, and in many places they 

 lie for some distance scattered in every direction, showing the small depth to 

 which their roots descend in the frozen ground and the great force of the pre- 

 vailing winds. From the Chetaut River to the Rampart rapids, a distance of 

 some 60 miles, the Yukon flows in a direction nearly northwest, and averages 

 about two-thirds of a mile in width, which decreases at the rapids to about 150 

 yards. The tributaries emptying into this section are also chiefly from the 

 north and small in volume. The first native village met after descending from 

 Fort Yukon is situated just below the rapids. From here to Nulato, a distance 

 of some 240 miles, the river has a general direction about west by south. 

 There are, however, many bends, although they are less sudden and numerous 

 than in other portions of the river. After leaving the Rampart range the river 

 widens again and diminishes in velocity. The right bank is generally hilly and 

 abrupt, and on the left, though the shore is generally low or flat, the hills and 

 bluffs occasionally approach the water's edge. The average width of the chan- 

 nel is about three-quarters of a mile, but occasionally groups of low islands 

 cause a widening of the river. About 50 miles below the Nuklukaiet station, a 



