Klondyke Nuggets | Page 7

of the Klondyke region. The trip
through Lake Lindeman is short, the lake being only five miles long. At
the foot of the lake he must portage to Lake Bennet, the portage
however being very short, less than a mile.
Lake Bennet is 28 miles long, while going through this lake the
traveller crosses the boundary between British Columbia and the
Northwest Territory.
After going down Lake Bennet the traveller comes to Caribou
Crossing--about four miles long, which takes him to Lake Tagish,
twenty miles in length. After leaving Tagish he finds himself in Mud or
Marsh Lake, 24 miles long, then into the Lynx River, on which he
continues for 27 miles till he comes to Miles Canyon, five-eighths of a
mile long.
Immediately on leaving Miles Canyon he has three miles of what is
called bad river work, which, while not hazardous, is dangerous from
the swift current and from being very rocky. Great care has to be taken

in going down this part of the river.
He now finds himself in White Horse Canyon the rapids of which are
three-eighths of a mile in length and one of the most dangerous places
on the trip, a man is here guarded by a sign, "Keep a good lookout."
No stranger or novice should try to run the White Horse Rapids alone
in a boat. He should let his boat drop down the river guided by a rope
with which he has provided himself in his outfit and which should be
150 feet long. It would be better if the traveller should portage here, the
miners having constructed a portage road on the west side and put
down roller-ways in some places on which they roll their boats over.
They have also made some windlasses with which they haul their boat
up the hill till they are at the foot of the canyon. The White Horse
Canyon is very rocky and dangerous and the current extremely swift.
After leaving the White Horse Canyon he goes down the river to the
head of Lake Labarge, a distance of 14 miles. He can sit down and steer
with the current, as he is going down the stream all the way. It is for
this reason that in returning from the diggings he should take another
route, of which he will get full particulars before leaving Dawson;
therefore I do not take the time to give a full description of the return
trip via the Yukon to St. Michael. He now goes through Lake
Labarge--for 31 miles--till he strikes the Lewes River, this taking him
down to Hootalinqua. He is now in the Lewes River which takes him
for 25 miles to Big Salmon River and from Big Salmon River 45 miles
to Little Salmon River--the current all this time taking him down at the
rate of five miles an hour. Of course in the canyons it is very much
swifter.
The Little Salmon River takes him to Five Finger Rapids, a distance of
one hundred and twenty miles. In the Five Finger Rapids the voyage
should be made on the right side of the river, going with the current.
These rapids are considered safe by careful management, but the novice
will already have had sufficient experience in guiding his boat before
reaching them.
From Five Finger Rapids the traveller goes six miles below, down the

Lewes, to the Rink Rapids. On going through the Rink Rapids, he
continues on the Lewes River to Fort Selkirk, the trading post of
Harper and Ladue, where the Pelly and Lewes, at their junction, form
the headwaters of the Yukon. You are now at the head of the Yukon
River, and the worst part of your trip is over.
You now commence to go down the Yukon, and after a trip of
ninety-eight miles, you are in the White River. You keep on the White
River for ten miles, to the Stewart River, and then twenty-five miles to
Fort Ogilvie. You are now only forty miles from Dawson City.
Your journey is now almost ended. After a forty-mile trip on the Yukon,
you arrive at Dawson City, where the Klondyke empties in the Yukon.
All through this trip you have been going through a mountainous
country, the trees there being pine, a small amount of spruce,
cottonwood and birch. You have not seen much game, if any, as it is
growing scarce along that line of river, and very hard to find. The
traveller had therefore better make preparation to depend on the
provisions he has brought with him. If he has stopped to fish, he may
have been successful in catching whitefish, grayling and lake trout,
along the lakes and rivers.
The total journey from Seattle to Dawson City has taken about two
months. In connection