ALASKA AND ITS MINERAL RESOURCES 149 



riage may be secured when the water is not frozen. Midway 

 between the latter and Lake Lindeman, about three miles before 

 reaching Lake Bennett, the Canadian custom-house officials have 

 put up a large log cabin, which is used as a place of shelter by 

 those crossing the trail. At this point a trail branches off to the 

 right down to Tooshhie lake ; bat as there are seven miles of im- 

 passable riverbetweenTooshhieand Tagish lakes, travelers bound 

 for the Yukon are warned from taking this route. At the head 

 of Lake Bennett the Skagway joins the Chilkoot trail. The Skag- 

 way trail is somewhat longer than that over the Chilkoot pass, 

 but the pass is much lower. It requires, however, considerable 

 improvement in bad and swampy places. This route has been 

 recently recommended by the United States Quartermaster's De- 

 partment of Puget sound. 



The Dyea or Chilkoot Pass route. — This trail has been used by the 

 Indians for generations, and until a year ago was practically the 

 only route followed by miners and prospectors who entered the 

 interior. It is the shortest route to the headwaters of the Yukon. 



Dyea (or Taiya) is the Indian word, meaning pack or load. 

 Owing to the extensive shoals at the head of Dyea inlet the con- 

 ditions for anchorage and discharging cargoes from ocean vessels 

 are less favorable than at Skagway. They are either unloaded 

 by means of lighters or put upon a rocky point about a mile 

 from the beach, whence they are hauled off in wagons. Dyea 

 trail runs northeastward up the D}^ea river and across the Chil- 

 koot pass, at an elevation of 3,503 feet, to the head of Lake 

 Lindeman, a total distance of 28} miles. The summit is 13 

 miles from Dyea, the first 61 miles following a comparatively 

 open valle}% in which there is a good wagon road. Owing to 

 the windings of the stream within the walls of the valley the 

 river must be crossed several times — by fords in summer, by fer- 

 ries in spring when the water is deep. The trail then enters a 

 narrow canyon with steep, rocky walls, which it follows to Sheep 

 camp, at timber line, 4} miles further on. Through the canyon 

 the trail is rougher, but horses have been successfully used for 

 several years in packing to Sheep camp. Good camping places 

 are found all along the route from Dyea to Sheep camp, and at 

 several points refreshments may be obtained. Sheep camp is 

 the last camping place on the west side of the range, as from 

 there on there is no timber or fuel until Deep lake, on the other 

 slope, 12 mile3 distant, is reached. From Sheep camp to Scales, 

 where packs are weighed by the Canadian authorities, a distance 



