YUKON-CHARLEY RIVERS Yukon Frontiers Historic Resource Study of the Proposed Yukon-Charley National River

It was nearly seven o'clock. The swarming mosquitoes had subsided to an even hum as we watched the evening campfire on which our meal of "gruel" cooked. It combined brown rice, dried lentils and peas, the luxury of fresh onions and cheese, and it was welcome after a hard day of backpacking. The muscles in my legs twitched from the unusual strain of walking on spongy muskeg and balancing on wobbly tussocks. Despite several hours of searching, we had failed to find the elusive Montauk Roadhouse. Historic reports from the turn of the century described it being a hundred yards off the Yukon. We found what we regarded as the mail trail and assumed that the roadhouse would not be far from it. Applying every deductive technique, including imagining ourselves the builders of the roadhouse, we finally admitted defeat and floated down to our camp at the mouth of Trout Creek. Tomorrow promised to be an even harder day as we planned a twelve-mile-round trip to the Gilman Creek Cabin. The forest fire of 1969 had badly burned the area, and I knew that only hard work and Dave's New England perseverance would get us there and back in one day.

This was a typical day in my historic-site survey of the area embraced in the proposed Yukon-Charley National Rivers. Some, like this, ended in disappointment. Others, equally demanding, ended with the satisfaction of discovery. Almost sixty days in the summer of 1976 were spent searching for these sites Pouring rain, hordes of mosquitoes, and exhaustive hikes were more than offset by the satisfaction of finding a historic cabin, trail, or mine and by the warmth and hospitality of the "river people".

David Evans contributed indispensably to the survey, not only in finding the sites but in introducing me to the river lifestyle that added a vital dimension of understanding to the historic remains we identified. Dave is a trapper who had agreed to guide me to the sites he knew and help me find others, but he would do so only if we lived his way of life. That meant no freeze-dried foods, heavy reliance upon the land for necessities, and a lot of walking. Having rejected a career in history for which he had studied, Dave had turned to subsistence trapping. His innate curiousity of the land and its people and his deductive reasoning and good common sense paid off when my book knowledge failed. Moreover, I sampled not only the history of the area but acquired a feel for its spirit. To David Evans, more than any other, I am indebted for the successful completion of the survey.

The purpose of the historic resource study is to research the history of the proposal area and identify historic or cultural sites. Survey and evaluation of an agency's historic sites are mandated by a number of historic preservation laws, primarily the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and Executive Order 11593. All sites that qualify for the National Register should be nominated to it. In addition to compliance with these laws, this initial survey provides legislative support data for Congressional hearings on the significance of the area to merit distinction as a national park. Furthermore, essential to the planning and management of any park is knowledge of the area's resources, their use, and their importance. One of the first steps is a List of Classified Structures, for which this study provides the foundation. Finally, interpretation of these resources requires historical research to ensure accuracy, instill human interest with lively anecdotes, and synthesize data into broad historical themes.

The study area consists of approximately two million acres along the Yukon and Charley Rivers of east-central Alaska. It contains mountains, ridges, valleys, rivers, meadows, and a biological cross-section of much of Alaska. The muddy, broad Yukon River contrasts greatly with the clear mountain streams of its tributaries, primarily the Charley, Nation, and Kandik Rivers. While wilderness has reclaimed much of the area, it is rich in history. Unfortunately little has been recorded and thus much has been lost. Other information lies dormant in the memories of a few remaining old-timers. A history of such an area demands not only digging into primary sources, but extensive oral history as well. The dearth of secondary sources in Alaskan history has resulted in a few hackneyed gold-rush stories to characterize the area's exciting and varied history. Hopefully this study will add new dimensions to the colorful past of a dynamic and changing frontier. This study does not pretend to be complete but merely forms a stepping stone for greater detail, additional themes, and a more complete inventory of historic sites as part of a cumulative process.

The following study consists of two parts—a historical narrative of the proposal area and a description of the historic sites within it. The thumbnail sketches of the sites include the approximate locations, significance levels, roles in history, conditions of each, and my recommendations. I hope the photographs give a sense of the remaining fabric and its condition. Sites that qualify for the National Register will receive more complete work-ups at a later date. At appropriate points in the narrative, I have tried to bridge the two parts by including a paragraph describing a site that could be used to interpret a broad historical theme. The description is indented and single-spaced. Thus the reader can skip it if the narrative flow is interrupted. More than 150 sites are described, but only the most illustrative or significant are used in the text.

Although the field survey was the most exciting and dramatic part of my study, most of the year I spent in research. I visited the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Universities of Oregon and Washington, the Oregon Province Archives of the Society of Jesus at Gonzaga University, the Alaska State Historical Library, and the indispensable Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska. I wish to thank collectively all librarians who helped me in my search, but specifically I want to mention Martin F. Schmitt at the University of Oregon and Reverend Clifford Carroll, S.J. at Oregon Province Archives of the Society of Jesus who took an active interest in my project.

There are numerous people I wish to thank. This project owes its funding to William E. Brown of the National Park Service, and without his strong support and amazing patience it would never have been completed. Zorro A. Bradley, also of the National Park Service, assumed many of my administrative responsibilities and allowed me time for field work, research trips, and writing. To Robert M. Utley, now of the Advisory Council of Historic Preservation, I owe the idea of applying Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis to Alaska. But more important, his careful reading of the manuscript improved its style immeasureably. Robert N. DeArmond not only read the text for historical accuracy, but clued me in on a number of sources and even lent me his indices of the Alaska Weekly and other Alaskan newspapers. Friends and colleagues, especially Elizabeth Andrews and Orlando W. Miller, have read portions of it and have made valuable suggestions. Linda Yarborough graciously translated the important Francois Mercier manuscript. Responsibility for the typing was placed in the competent hands of Ilyne Miller, Teri Borders and Sandi Phillips whose good judgement has won my respect. David Hoch designed the fine maps accompanying the site descriptions. The Bureau of Land Management, especially the Fortymile Resource Area, has been most cooperative. No project would be complete without the support of the local people. I wish to thank all those who gave me their time and shared with me their memories. Most particularly, I want to thank George Beck and Charlie Biederman, whose knowledge of twentieth-century Yukon-Charley far surpasses the synthesis of this study. Last, but not least, my gratitude extends to my husband, David S. Grauman, who not only encouraged my travels, but actively shared in the evolution of this project.