The Alaska citizen., 1914-10-12
HISTORY Of
THE TOWN Of
TANANA, AKA.

/ AS far back as the history Of
white man or legend of Indian te1ls
about. the site of the present city
of Tanana has been recognized as
an important center In the days
before Caucasian foot trod tho
moss and tundra of Alaska. Indian
lore tells US of a large native will
age being established hereabouts and
at the present time mile or 50
above town, are to be seen the
foundations and ruins of three large
log buildings, mute evidences of
large trading business and probably
relic of the occupancy of tire
Russian-American Trading company
History tells us that this company
built its northernmost post at ST
Michael in 1892 so it is. therefore.
penetrate to the Interior until
much later date
Indian legends also tell of the at
tempts of the Russians to carry on
a fur trading business with the ma
tives, which business was at
that time considered the only
one in which there was the
profit they We're looking for By
some of the tribes along the Yukon
IN l,,,
others made fierce war on them
which is evidenced by the tomb
stones in the cemeteries of some of
the older settlements showing that
this or that trader met death at
the hands of the natives as early
as 1856
The only logical data obtainabl"
at the present time shows that the
first trading post at Tanana was
after title to the territory of Alaska
passed from Russia to the United
States. This was the post of the
Pioneer Trading company which was
called "Nukluroyit" by the natives,
meaning point of land It is, there
fore, probable that the post was on
or near the present site of the Epis
copal mission. three miles above
town or opposite the point of land
Tanana river, and the Yukon.
The Pioneer Trading company was
known as an American company. al
though most of those composing it
We're French Canadians. The man
ner in which the post was establish
ed is in itself story of the per
severance of early day Alaskans
and shows that even at that early
date its promoters recognized the
value of a business started at the
junction of two such waterways as
the Yukon and Tanana rivers
Although it seems impossible that
the successful laying of the first
Atlantic cable was the first cause Of
the establishing of "Nukluroyit," il
is nevertheless fact. When the
promoters of the first cable across
the Atlantic were endeavoring to
lay it, the project was derided by a
great many people in different parts
of the country. For that reason
the Western Union telegraph com
pany conceived the idea of putting
a land wire around the world and
proceeded to send party of men to
Alaska for the purpose of starting
the constructive work.
Among those sent We're Francois
MERCER, Michael Labarge (after whom
Lake Labarge was named, Napol-
con Robert, Noise Mercier Ephrem
Gravel, James Bean, John Clark,
Thos. Conlin. Robert Doobell and
John Wilson. The first work of the
party was the exploration of
route for the proposed line, and It
was while they were engaged in that
work they were apprised of the sue
cessful laying of the Atlantic cable.
The party then broke up, but most
of them stayed in Alaska. not maxi
ing their way to the Outside for
many years afterward Necessarily
their outfit of supplies was in
like manner split up. 1t was then
that few of the more adventurous
members of the party under the
leadership of Francois MERCER, or
ganized the Pioneer Trading com
nany and established Nukluroyit
With the change in governments
in Alaska many traders on the Out
side, both in the United States and
1 ! Q. H.. Sacond Column