The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1901-11-01
The COOK INLET REGION.
It's Natural History interestingly
Treated in a Recent Govern
ment Bulletin.

The Natural History of the Cook
Inlet Region" Alaska, forms the sub
iect of one of the most recent bull
Ietins of the department of agricul-
ture, says the Washington Star.
Among other things it is stated
that the region about Cook inlet was
at the beginning of the field season
of 1900 the only general district Of
consequence on the Pacific coast OF
Alaska that had not been recently
visited by naturalists.
Cook inlet, it is stated, is the first
important indentation of the Alaskan
coast east of the Alaskan peninsula.
1t is a long narrow inlet, bifurcated
at its upper end into two large arms
-Knik arm and Turnagain arm. The
first of these, Knik arm, is about Is
miles long and at it's upper end re-
ceives the waters of large stream,
the Matanuska. The other, Turn
again arm, is 80 miles or more in
length, and extends inland until
within about five miles of the waters
of Prince William sound. West of
river, the largest stream emptying
into the inlet. South of Turnagain
arm, and connected with the main
land only by the five miles of glacier
between the head of the arm and
Prince William sound, is the kenai
peninsula. Numerous relatively small
streams enter both sides of Turna-
gain arm and both sides of the main
inlet as well, so that in addition to
the great volume received from the
Sushitna there is a large secondary
supply of fresh water. Except in
Turnagain arm, the country border.
ing Cook inlet is low and compare.
lively level, though high mountains
from ten to sixty miles inland can be
seen on all sides. The small trading
station and native village of Tyonek
is situated on low sandpit on a
plain about 90 miles west of the
mouth of the Sushitna. Hope City is
situated at the mouth of Resurrec.
ton creek, on each side of which rug.
ged mountains rise to an altitude OF
5000 feet or more.
Moose, bear and mountain sheer
are the principal big game, although
they have already been hunted to
considerable extent, it is probable
that they are more abundant than in
any equally accessible place in North
America. Fur-bearing animals are
well represented, but, as elsewhere in
the north, have been much reduced In
numbers. The smaller, less conspic.
uous mammals are such as are gen.
orally found throughout northern
Alaska.
Birds are not found in great mum.
bers. Land birds, with the exception
OF grouse, which are fairly common
are not numerous in species or in.
dividuals. Water birds. particularly
httoral or semi-pelagic forms. are no.
hceabiy uncommon, probably on ac-
count of the brackish water of the
inlet and the comparative absenc.
OF marine invertebrates. Ducks and
geese, however, and birds which feed
IN fresh water are locally quite album.
dant.
Spruce and hemlock timber ceases
between 1000 and 5000 feet eleya.
ton and the higher slopes are clothed
only with matted masses of low
shrubs or wide expanses of tall grass
In the gulches thickets of alders holo
control and few stunted individuals
often struggle well up toward the
sho" Hhe. The characteristic nam
mals on the mountains are the Dali
mountain sheep (Ovis dalli), the
hoary marmot (Arctomys caligatus)
ana the Alaska mountain vole Micro