The Yukon River

The Yukon River is one of the largest rivers in North America. It begins it's journey a mere 15 miles from the Lynn Canal, which is a fjord off of the Pacific Ocean, and ends 2300 miles later emptying into the Bering Sea. The river drains an area of Canada and Alaska the size of Texas. Even from it's very beginning as it leaves Tagish Lake it is an impressive river. It played a major part in the Klondike Stampede of 1898 and remains a vital method of transportation for much of the unreachable territory of Alaska.

In 1898 as the gold seekers arrived in Skagway and Dyea, they faced the Chilkoot or White Pass trails which, if they made it over, left them at Lake Bennett near the headwaters of the Yukon River. There were then two choices, walk or mush out across the frozen lakes and down the river or wait for break up, which that year didn't occur until mid-May. Those that waited for break up then faced the task of building a boat. Most of the gold seekers had no experience building a boat much less surviving an Alaskan winter. But build them they did and when the ice broke up in May, nearly 7000 boats set sail heading down the Yukon River. The river was dangerous due to rapids which these novice captains had not idea how to traverse. Miles Canyon was the first, just south of Whitehorse the second spot was called Five Finger Rapids near the town of Carmacks. These two spots took many lives and tons of supplies to their depths. Today both spots are tame due to intervention by humans. Miles Canyon is subdued by a damn just beyond it that provides power to the Whitehorse area. Five Fingers now only has three fingersdue to the removal of one of the islands.
The Yukon River is glacially fed so it is not a clear, see to the bottom, body of water. It appears muddy all of the time though it varies depending on the amount of recently deposited silt that is suspended in it. Sometimes it has a beautiful blue green color, as the silt begins settling on the bottom, most of the time though it is the color of a mud puddle. Near Dawson City, it has had little new glacial silt added and it begins to look clear again. Dawson City was the ultimate goal of the men of '98. In '96 gold had been discovered just up the tributaries of the Klondike River, whose confluence with the Yukon happens in Dawson City. After Dawson City, the river slows and takes on the meandering quality the most high volume rivers maintain. It is out here to the west of Dawson City and throughout Alaska, that the Yukon continues to be a major source of transportation. During the winter it is a highway for dog mushers and snow machines but more importantly during the summer it is a freight thoroughfare. Most of the area traversed by the Yukon in Alaska has no roadway access, therefore cities such as Fort Yukon, which I visited last summer depend on planes and the river during the summer for goods. Most items come in by plane however large items like ATV's and snow machines will be transported up river shortly after break up from the port at St. Michael on the Bering Sea. The salmon also use the Yukon on their highway during the spawn. The Yukon is the largest example of the influence and importance rivers have throughout and area of the world where building a highway just isn't profitable nor logistically feasible.

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