58 CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN. 



furnished by these exijeilitioiis coiieeniiug- the geogi'aphy aiul tupogfaphy of the ((luntry were 

 the first ever given, and with these expeditions was inaugurated more exteudi-d work in tlie 

 following year. 



There was another river, however, known in tlic H;i1i\ i' lungiU! as the Noiitak. discharging 

 into tlii^ estuary about tiiirty miles north of tlie Kowak. and whicdi seemed to have escajied 

 notice. Althougli this river is ligured vaguely ajjon the latest ma))s of Alaska, it was knii\\ n 

 only from native accounts, for there is no record of its ever having jjeeu visited by white men. 



The traders of the Yukon River, whcse knowledge of the country entitles them to belief, 

 informed the writer that they knew nothing concerning it. Indians in their emjiloy, however, 

 had traded with a tribe living on a northern river, which, they asserted, might have been the 

 Noiitak, but aside from this statement nothing could be learned concerning it. 



These facts are stated to indicate how utterly blank was that vast region even to those best 

 infornred Uj)>)u the subject, and may convey a slight idea of the doubts and anxieties attending 

 the work of exploration. 



GEOGRAPHICAL. 



Before entering )ipon a detailed description of the Noiitak River and the territory through 

 which it flows, it is thought that a brief review of the geographical and tnjxigrnphical features 

 of the country would afford a clearer insight into the subject. 



As we approach Kotzebue Sound from the dii'ection of the Bering Straits, a long line of 

 dark moimtains gradually rises on the eastern horizon and seemingly extends to the very shores 

 of the sea. A closer ai)proacli, however, reveals the fact that they are some distance inland 

 anil are separated from the sea by a j^lain thi-ee or four miles in width. 



On the charts of the region these well-known landmai'ks are known as the j\lnlgrave TTills. 

 and through which the Noiitak flows immediately before discharging into the estuary. ( )]i('n- 

 ing inland from Kotzebu'^ Sound and connected by a neck about three miles in width is a body 

 of water known as Hotham Inlet, into which the Kowak and Noiitak Rivers are discharged. 

 For the most part the estuary is extremely shallow, a feature due to the vast c£r;antities of 

 alluvial matter deposited there by the rivers. 



As already stated, the region immediately above the mouth of the Noiitak is monutiiinous. 

 a feature shared by no other river in Northern Alaska. Before entering the inlet the riM'V 

 divides in a V-shaped delta, the arms of which are about equal in volume. Uniting above, 

 the Noiitak almost immediately enters the highlands of the coast range; after passing througii 

 it trends in a, northerly direction and enters a flat section of territory, throughout which it is 

 divided into a maze of channels. The basin is bounded on either side by parallel ranges of 

 hills, about ten miles distant, which, as we proceed, become higher, gradually assuming the 

 •shape and size of inountains. This section of the river is nlioTit one hundred miles in length, 

 and is characterized throughout by shallow water and a ra|nd current. A slight growtli of 

 timl)er, consisting chiefly of spruce and Cottonwood, is found along the immediate Ijanks of 

 the river. 



As we approach the head of this section the mountains rapidly converge toward the ri\'er, 

 and eventually confine it to a channel of ordinai'y dimensions. The Noiitak now enters the 

 third section of its lengtli, namely, the mountain district. After passing througii the Grand 

 Canijns, which mark the entrance, the ranges again diverge, forming a beautiful valley from 

 three to fiv(^ miles in width. The ranges on eithei- siilc are not continuous, but arc bicikcn 

 in i)laces pleasantly divtn-sifying-the scenery. They have, in general, an easterly trend, and 

 follow the ri\-('i' for about one hundred miles. 



The fdiirlli. (ir upper .secticm, comprises that part of the river lying im the table-lands of 

 the interi(n', and exceeiis in length that of all the lower sections combined. As nuiy be inj'ei'red 

 fi'om the name, this region consists of an elevated plateau, rolling occasionally into hills and 

 then stretching away into vast tracts of moorland. 



The river is fed hei-e by a number of lakes, none of which, however, are Inrge or impcn-- 

 tant. Theic is no timber of any de.scrijjtion in the region, anil the ll(.)ra is limited t-o the hardier 

 varieties uf plant life. 



