The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1902-01-28
THE COOK INLET REGION.
ts Natural History Treated In Recene
Bulletin.


ts Natural History Treated In n Recene
Bulletin.
The Natural History of the Cook
inlet Region" Alaska. forms the sub
Get of one of the most recent bulletins
IF the Department of Agriculture.
Among other things It is stated that
he region about Cook Inlet was at
The beginning of the field season of
1900 the only general district of cOnse-
luence on the Pacific coast of Alaska
hat had not been recently visited by
laturalists.
Cook Inlet, Il is stated. is the first
important indentation Of the Alaskan
coast east of the Alaskan peninsula.
It is a long narrow inlet bifurcated at
Is upper end into two large arms
Knik arm and Turnagain arm. The
irst of these. Knik arm. is about
fifteen miles long and at it's upper end
receives the waters of large stream.
he Matanuska. The other. Turnagain
arm, is thirty miles or more in length
and extends inland until within about
i've miles Of the waters OF Prince
William Sound West of Knik arm is
the delta of the Sushitna River. the
largest stream cmptyinC into the inlet.
South of Turnagain arm. and con
nected with the mainland only by the
Eve miles Of glacier between the head
Of the arm and Prince William Sound.
is the Kenai peninsula. Numerous rel
atively small streams enter both sides
of TurnaCain arm and both sides Of
the main inlet as well. so that in al
dition to the great volume received
from the Sushtna there is large sec
ondary supply of fresh water Except
i'm 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 Tyonel,
is situated on a low sandpit on plain
about twenty miles west of the mouth
Of the Sushitna. Hope City is situated
at the mouth of Resurrection Creek,
on each side of which rugged mount
aims rise to an altitude OF 5000 feet or
more
Moose, bear and mountain sheep are
the principal big game, and although
they have already been hunted to
considerable extent. il 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 conspicu.
Gus mammals are such as are gener.
ally found throughout Northern
Alaska.
Birds arc not found in geat mum.
bers. Land birds, with the exception
of grouse which are fairly common.
are not numerous in species or individ.
uals. Water birds, particularly littoral
or semi-pelagic forms, are nOticeably
uncommon, probably on account of the
bracllish water of the inlet and the
comparative absence Of marine inver
tebrates. Ducks and geese, however
and birds which feed in fresh water
are locally quite abundant
Spruce and hemlock timber ceases
between 2OOO and 1000 feet elevation
and the higher slopes are clothed only
with matted masses Of low shrubs OF
wide eXpanses of tall grass. In the
gulches thickets of alders hold control
and a few stunted individuals often
straggle well up toward the snow line
The characteristic mammals on the
mountains are the Dali mountain
sheep (Ovis dallD. the hoary narmot
(Arctomys caligatus), and the Alaska
fountain vole (N1icrotus miurus).