The Wrangell sentinel., 1929-12-19
PRELIMINARY
 REPORT ON THE
 STIKINE AREA
BY DR. FORREST A. KERR Dominion Geological Survey)

Continued from a previous issue)
 Scud river can be navigated for about IT miles by powered boats, with some lining, and considerable difficulty and danger. The river along the lower 25 miles spreads into many channels over a wide gravel bottom and probably under no conditions is good for naviga- tion, though 1t is probable that with considerable lining, for which the gravel bars are we'll adapted, fairly heavily loaded boats could be taken at least 25 miles (possibly much farther) upstream. Since the Scud flows nearly due west and has many wide, glaciated, tributary valleys it affords a means of easy entry into an extensive, largely unknown area.
 Travel on the south side of Pat more creek for many miles is fairly good since there are extensive gravel bars and a more or less con tinuous bear trail.
 The valleys of the larger creek, coming from the east about two miles north of the mouth of Anuk river, gives access to several large mountains and, by low pass at it's head, to a deep, timbered valley which probably drains to the Scud. It is said that by a pass in this general vicinity Indians travelled regularly by well-timbered valleys from the Stikine to the Iskut, reach ing the latter at a point above the canyon. Those familiar with the story are of the opinion that Anuk valley was the route for leaving the Stikine. The supposition that falr- ly easy route to the headwaters or Iskut river from this general vtc1nl- ty does exist is not at all unreason- able. One of the largest tributarles of the Iskut has its source In the same area as the Scud. Other trib- utaries of the Iskut below this creek probably have the same southeast trend and head up just east of Anuk river. Further, since the ice move ment, in this area was in general southward, unusually low nortn- south passes are common, so that the probability is very great that at least one such exists between the Stikine and upper Iskut drainage systems. This is an extremely lm- portant consideration, since 1t IS feasible to reach upper Iskut river by a fairly good route from stewart and if a road or railway were con structed to this point, new means of entry to the great area between scud, Stikine, and Iskut rivers would be afforded.
 Anuk river. for a short distance above it's mouth, flows through canyon in the base of narrow val lev and. therefore, is not easily trayersed; it's drainage area WILL therefore, be difficult to explore
 Porcupine river is similar to the Scud. but being somewhat smaller does not appear to be easily nav igable, though it is probable that boats could be tracked upstream lo or 12 miles Travel by foot would seem to better on the south side since the two large tributaries from the north may be serious oDstacles short distance above the foot or the glacier, low pass leads north east to the valley of a tributary from the east. By means of tnls mass the canyon at the mouth ol tbe tributary is avoided. The valley of the tributary is low, wide well wooded, and extends far northeast. |.
 South of Porcupine river to the Iskut the tributary valleys are oc- cupied by glaciers at no great a,s- tance from the Stikine, ana the streame from these, except tnat Glowing along the south base or Warm Spring mountain are snia ! and for the most part flow in val leys that. present serious difficulties to the traveller. The long ridges III this section afford by far the pest travelling, though that or hasie Graz is somewhat of an exceps,oe ,,, 5 to this rule. For a consideran,e part of the area on the west ai', slae ns inc river no detailed description of route has been given, since It il unlikely that there will pc lnpJr Ir desire at present to travel there, ,l ;. general the glaciers or valley llaS, ;, offer the best courses to pursus II this section.
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