30 RECONNAISSANCE IN NORTHERN ALASKA IN 1901. 



In 1896 extensive geographic and especially geologic contributions wore made 

 to our knowledge of the Yukon Basin by a United Suites Geological Survey party 

 in charge of Mr. J. E. Spurr," who descended the river and mapped the gold- and 

 coal-producing districts. 



Owing to the extended interest taken in Alaska by reason of the Klondike dis- 

 coveries, during the years 1897 and 189S the Koyukuk* was visited by 1,200 or more 

 prospectors, miners, and adventurers, many of whom ascended the river by steam- 

 boat near!}- to the Arctic Circle. Some of these subsequently explored and pros- 

 pected various tributaries as far up as latitude 67° 30'. Many spent the winter of 

 1898-99 here. During approximately the same period, 1897-98, some of the pros- 

 pectors who had ascended the Kowak crossed the divide to the northeast and reached 

 the Koyukuk by way of the Alatna. 



In 1899 a United States Geological Survey party/ conducting a reconnaissance 

 traverse from Fort Yukon to Nulato, ascended Chandlar River, and, crossing 

 from its headwaters, mapped the Koyukuk from near the head of its middle fork, 

 near the sixty-eighth parallel, to the mouth of the river at the Yukon. 



During the summer of 1900 apart} 7 of prospectors crossed the divide between the 

 head of the Koyukuk and the Arctic drainage by way of Dietrich River and descended 

 the Arctic slope along the one hundred and fiftieth meridian to a point probably a 

 little north of the sixty-ninth parallel. From a personal interview with members 

 of this party the writer infers that the country is passable by pack train. It is, 

 however, mountainous and is reported to contain some glaciers of considerable 

 size, but these are probably valley glaciers only. To the east of this the country 

 has been toaversed by deserters from whaling vessels at Herschel Island, who made 

 their way in a destitute condition from the coast to the Yukon by way of Chand- 

 lar River. From accounts given by some of these men in a personal interview, the 

 writer obtained the impression that this part of the region is largely a waste of rug- 

 ged mountains, containing some glaciers, which are probably confined to the heads of 

 the valleys. 



During the season of 1901 a geologic reconnaissance survey was also made from 

 Fort Hamlin, on the Yukon, by way of Dall, Koyukuk, Alatna, and Kowak 

 rivers, to Kotzebue Sound by a party in charge of Mr. W. C. Mendenhall.** 



During the years 1901 to 1903 the region lying between the Colville Basin 

 and the international boundary was visited, it is reported, by S. J. Marsh and 

 T. G. Carter, two prospectors who landed at Camden Bay in the fall of 1901, and, 



aSpurr, J. E., Geology of the Yukon gold district, Alaska: Eighteenth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 3, 1898. 



bSchrader, F. C, Preliminary report on a reconnaissance along the Chandlar and Koyukuk rivers, Alaska: Twenty- 

 first Ann. Rept. D. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 2, 1900, p. 45S. 



cOp. cit. 



dMendenhall, W. C, Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska: Prof. Paper U. S. Geol. Survey 

 No. 10, 1902. 



