The Portland daily press., 1880-04-22
River Scenery of Alaska.

-e,---i---;s, eauesaA .-:.I-----------k of deem,
COOL perennial streams, that flow on, ever
fresh and sweet, through grassy plains and
messy bogs and rock bound glacial canons, tell
ing everywhere, all the way down to the sea,
how bountiful are the clouds that fill their am
pie fountains. Some so or 40 rivers have been
discovered in the territory, the number vary
ing as the smaller ones have been called rivers
or creeks by the map-makers. But not one of
them all, from the mighty Yukon 1000 miles
long, to the shortest of the mountain torrents,
falling white from the glaciers, has thus far
been explored. Dali Kennicott and others
have done good work on the Yukon, and min
ers, trappers and traders have been over most
of the region in rambling way, and each have
brought in detached bits of river knowledge,
which, though too often misty and uncertain,
have been put together in maps that are better
than nothing. The coast line in particular,
with the mouths and lower reaches of the riv-
ers, has been fairly drawn, but their upper
courses are in great part invisible, like noun
tains with their heads in a cloud. Perhaps
about 20 of the Alaska rivers are a hundred
miles or more in length
The Yukon drains about as large an area as
that drained by all the other streams of the
territory combined, flowing through British
territory for a distance of 600 or 700 miles in q
general northwssterly direction, then approach
ing the Alaska boundary near Fort Yukon, it
turns abruptly to the left, and pursues SOUTH
westerly course across the territory to the Beh-
ring sea, in latitude about 62o so. 1t is a broad
majestic flood, scarce at all interrupted by rap
ids, nearly 20 miles wide in some places, and
navigable for light-draft steamers about 1900
mies-a noble companion of the great Macken-
zie, the two heading together in the smoothly
sculptured Rocky mountain plateau.
The largest of these rivers, whose sources all
lie within the bounds of Ala !.a, is the Kusko-
quinn, which flows into the b.. If that name in
latitude 60o, and is supposed To be about 800 or
600 miles in length.
The Stickine is perhaps better known than
any other river in Alaska because of its being
the way back to the Cassiar gold mines. 1t is
about $50 or 400 miles long, and navigable for
small steamers to Glenora. $50 miles, flowing
first in general westerly direction through
grassy, undulating plains, darkened here and
there with patches of evergreens, then curving
southwark and receiving numerous tributaries
from the north, it enters the Coast range and
sweeps across it to the sea through Yosemite
valley more than hundred miles long, and
one to three miles wide at the bottom, and
from 5000 to 5000 feet deep, marvelousy beau
tiful and inspiring from end to end To the
appreciative tourist, sailing up the river
through the midst of it all, the canon for a dis
tance of about 110 miles is gallery OF sublime
pictures an unbroken series of majestic noun
tains glaciers, falls, cascades, forests, groves,
HOW6ry Saruen SpotS, grassy meadows, IN end
less variety of form and compositions
ture enough for dozen Yosemites-While back
of the walls, and thousands of feet above them
innumerable peaks and spires and domes of ice
and snow tower grandly into the sky. Sailing
along the river the views change with magical
rapidity. Wondrous, too, are the changes de-
pendent on the weather. Avalanches from the
heights, booming and resounding from side to
side stormwinds from the Arctic highlands,
sweeping the canon like a flood, and filing the
air with ice dust; rocks, glaciers and forests in
spotleSs white. In Spring the chanting of cas-
cades, the gentle breathing of warm winds,
the opening of leaves and flowers, birds build
ing their nests, hundred-acre fields of wild
roses coming into bloom, and tangles of bram-
BILE and huckleberry, swaths of birch and will
low creeping up the lower slopes of the walls
after the melting snow, massive cumuli piled
about the highest peaks, gray rain-clouds
wreathing the outstanding brows and battle
ments of the walls. Then the breaking forth
of the sun on it ALL the shining of the wet
leaves, and the river, and the crystal spires of
the glaciers; the looming of the white domes
in the azure, the serene colt rgrandeur morn
ing and evening, changing in glorious harmony
through all the seasons and years.