Identifier: exploringgreatyu00schwrich (find matches)
Title: Exploring the great Yukon. An adventurous expedition down the great Yukon River, from its source in the British North-west Territory, to its mouth in the territory of Alaska
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Schwatka, Frederick, 1849-1892
Subjects: Yukon River (Yukon and Alaska) Alaska -- Description and travel United States -- Discovery and exploration
Publisher: (n.p.) Art and Science Publishing Society
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ry. The traderscompanion had suggested and promoted the journey asa quasi scientific expedition, and he collected a fewskulls of the natives and some botanical specimens, but nomaps^or notes were made of the trip, and it was afterwardsaid by the Alaska Companys employes that the explorerwas an envoy of the opposition, as the old traderscalled the new company, sent to obtain informationregarding the country as a trading district. Allowing afair margin for all possible error, I think the river is fromeight hundred to nine hundred miles long, not a singleportion of which can be said to have been mapped * Thiswould probably make the Tanana, if I am right in myestimate, the longest wholly unexplored river in theworld, certainly the longest of the western continent. As we drifted by its mouth we could only form anapproximate idea of its width, which was ajoparently twoor three miles, including all channels and islands, which ♦ I have since learned that Mi*. Bates made a map and took notes
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THROUGH THE LOWER RAMPARTS. 305 may be of the nature of a delta. It seemed to be verjswift and brought down quantities of ujDrooted drift tim-ber of large dimensions as compared with that brought bythe Yukon. Looking back it resembled a suddenlyexposed inland lake on the borders of the main stream,and its swift waters so overwhelmed those of the Yukonthat a great slackening took place in the latter neartheir confluence, forming a sluggish pool into which wehelplessly drifted. All these circumstances give to theTanana the appearance of equality with the more import-ant stream. Once in its current we went skimming alongat a rapid rate that revealed the force of the new stream. At 1:40 P.M. we j^tassed an Indian village of four tentsand two birch-bark houses, containing from twenty totwenty-flve souls. Among the canoemen who visited uswas a half-breed Indian, very neatly and jauntilydressed, who spoke English quite well, and whom wehired to pilot us to the trading station at Nuklakayet,t

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