GEOGRAPHIC DICTIONARY OF ALASKA. 



Bv Marcus Baker. 



INTRODUCTION. 



ORIGIN. 



This dictionary is the outgrowth of work undertaken by the Board on 

 Geog-raphic Names about ten years ago. Shortly after the Board was 

 orgaiiized there was submitted to it a list of two or three hundred 

 names of geographic features in Alaska, the names of which were 

 variously s'pelled or which bore two or more different names. The 

 Board studied these names, sought information and advice from experts, 

 and finally decided all the cases. But the studies made in order to 

 ascertain the facts and to establish principles for guidance in the deter- 

 mination of cases made it plain that nothing short of a complete 

 revision of all the geographic names in Alaska could yield satisfactory 

 results. Accordingly the Board , after full discussion, decided to under- 

 take such revision and to prepare a geographic dictionary. For this 

 purpose it appointed a committee to collect and arrange the material. 

 The committee consisted of Messrs. H. G. Ogden, of the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey, and Marcus Baker, of the Geological Survey. The 

 territory was divided, Mr. Ogden undertaking to catalogue the names 

 in Alexander archipelago and Mr. Baker those in the remamder of 



the Territory. 



In September, 1893, the committee reported that about i,300 names 

 had then been entered upon cards— about 2,400 in southeastern Alaska, 

 by Mr. Ogden, and 1,900 in central, western and northern Alaska, by 

 Mr Baker. For some years thereafter comparatively little progress 

 was made in this work. ^ The cataloguing had been carried on as mci- 

 dental to other duties, and with increasing demands the dictionary 

 work came to a standstill. Thus it remained for several years, save 

 for a little time given to it now and then. 



Meanwhile the gold discoveries had quickened public interest in 

 Alaska. Prospectors swarmed into the Territory and there were 

 numerous exploring and surveying expeditions sent out by the War, 



