Removal of Fort Yukon. 185 



Probably no point on the Yukon is better known by name to 

 people who have not visited the interior of Alaska than fort 

 Yukon. Here once was the largest and best-equipped trading 

 station on the river. It was the most Avesterly of the Hudson 

 Bay company's posts, and until Captain Raymond determined 

 that the site was within the territory of the United States, it 

 controlled all the trade of the upper river. Now a broken chim- 

 ney, several mounds of ashes, and a few graves are all the evi- 

 dences that remain to show where the great station once was. 



Above fort Yukon the names of a number of places appear on 

 our maps, but in reality only two locations are permanently 

 occupied on the whole upper half of the river. These are at the 

 mouth of Forty Mile creek and at the site of old fort Selkirk. 

 The scenery along Yukon river will compare favorabl}^ with any 

 views I have ever beheld myself or seen reproductions of from 

 any river in our country. Our summer trip up the stream Avas 

 one continued succession of pleasant surprises. The hills were 

 heavily Avooded Avith spruce, birch and aspen ; on shore we found 

 floAvers on every side, Avhile birds and insects Avere as plentiful 

 as Ave ever saAV them in the northern states. At fort Yukon, 

 which is little over a mile inside the arctic circle, the heat Avas 

 almost insufferable, both in August and Jul}^ ; and the only Avarn- 

 ing given us of what Ave might expect a little later on was aftbrded 

 at Nulato, Avhere Ave saAV a Avell being sunk Avhicli had already 

 been driven through tAventy-five feet of frozen ground. In spite 

 of our pleasant summer, as we were all ignorant of Avhat might 

 be the rigors of an arctic winter, there Avas much anxiety about 

 what the future would have in store for us. All the traders at 

 Saint Michael Avere certain that the coming Avinter Avould be a 

 severe one, because the one just jjassed had been very mild. 

 Rain had fallen on Forty Mile creek on January 1, 1889, .and, 

 according .to all the laAVS of Alaskan weather, the approaching 

 winter would have to make up for the mildness of the preceding 

 one. Mr McGuesten told us of the Avinter of 1886, when the 

 signal service thermometer at his station recorded — 70°, and 

 his face Avas frozen while going about fifty feet from his house to 

 call some miners who lived in a cabin near by to see hoAV low 

 the temperature Avas. Mr Mayo Avas certain that a later Avinter 

 was still colder, but unfortunately he had no spirit thermometer 

 that year, and so he had to judge entirely by his sensations. 

 With all this expert testimony Ave began to anticipate trouble. 



