22 
ALASKA. 
account of Capt. C. W. Raymond, United States Army (see 
Alaska, its Population, Industries, and Resources, pp. 89—90): 
Fort Yukon is situated in latitude 66° 33' and longitude 145 17 47 , at 
a point where the Yukon receives the waters of the Rat or Porcupine River, a 
large tributary emptying on the right bank and flowing from its headwaters in 
a general direction a little south of west. From Fort ^ ukon to the mouth of 
the Chetaut River, a distance of about 200 miles, the river has a general direc¬ 
tion about west-southwest, the country on both sides of the stream being low 
and level, usually consisting of sand or gravel. The average width of that 
portion of the river is about three-quarters of a mile, but in some places, meas¬ 
ured across its numerous islands, it widens out to 5 or 6 miles. The current 
through all its passages is extremely rapid, and in many places the deepest chan¬ 
nel does not carry more than 3 feet of water. Vegetation on the banks and 
islands is principally small willow and poplar, with occasional groves of spruce 
and birch. 
From the mouth of the Chetaut River, however, the Yukon rapidly changes 
its character; the islands disappear, the banks rise into hills, and the stream 
gradually narrows into one channel, deep and rapid, until it finally rushes with 
great velocity through the Rampart range of hills. The bluffs composing this 
range rise abruptly from the water’s edge, and are composed principally of a 
hard, greenish rock, though slate is occasionally observed, and at the principal 
rapids a ledge of granite crosses the river. Most of the hills are covered with 
groves of spruce and birch, but the trees are all small, and in many places they 
lie for some distance scattered in every direction, showing the small depth to 
which their roots descend in the frozen ground and the great force of the pre¬ 
vailing winds. From the Chetaut River to the Rampart rapids, a distance of 
some 60 miles, the Yukon flows in a direction nearly northwest, and averages 
about two-thirds of a mile in width, which decreases at the rapids to about 150 
yards. The tributaries emptying into this section are also chiefly from the 
north and small in volume. The first native village met after descending from 
Fort Yukon is situated just below the rapids. From here to Nulato, a distance 
of some 240 miles, the river has a general direction about west by south. 
There are, however, many bends, although they are less sudden and numerous 
than in other portions of the river. After leaving the Rampart range the river 
widens again and diminishes in velocity. The right bank is generally hilly and 
abrupt, and on the left, though the shore is generally low or flat, the hills and 
bluffs occasionally approach the water’s edge. The average width of the chan¬ 
nel is about three-quarters of a mile, but occasionally groups of low islands 
cause a widening of the river. About 50 miles below the Nuklukaiet station, a 
