providing an avenue of transportation since the earliest
days of exploration, has played a very important réle in the
development of Yukon Territory and Alaska. As this
paper is concerned primarily with transportation within
Canadian Territory, descriptions will be confined mainly
to that part of the Yukon Waterway within Canada.
Yukon River is fed in Canada by five principal tribu-
taries, the Lewes, Teslin, Pelly, White, and Stewart Rivers,
and by innumerable smaller rivers and streams. Beyond
the Yukon-Alaska boundary, the Yukon is joined by
Porcupine River, which has its source in Yukon Territory,
and by Tanana and Koyukuk Rivers. The name “Yukon”
is applied to that part of the river situated below the
junction of the Lewes and Pelly Rivers in central Yukon.
The Yukon Plateau contains the best known and most
developed part of the Territory. It is deeply furrowed by
a network of main valleys which are entrenched from 1,000
to 2,000 feet below the main upland surface. The bottoms
of these valleys, which spread out in a great branching
system, are occupied by rivers which in turn are fed by
smaller streams issuing from lesser valleys. The volume of
the Yukon is less than that of many rivers of similar length,
owing to the semi-arid climate of southern Yukon Territory
which it drains. Its heads, rising in the mountains, gather
volume quickly, but lose their gradient as they come into
the plateau. This loss of gradient, with resultant freedom
from rapids, has resulted in the formation of a remarkable
system of waterways, which permits the operation of

river steamers over a total distance of more than 1,400
miles in Yukon Territory (4).

Physical Characteristics of Lewes-Yukon Rivers (5)

Lewes River, main tributary of the upper Yukon, rises
in Lake Lindeman, a small lake on the northern slope of
the Coast Mountains in British Columbia. Lake Lindeman
was the head of navigation for many gold-seekers traversing
the Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike gold rush of 1897-98.
A rough, rapid stream connects this lake with Lake Bennett,
26 miles in length, which extends northeastward across
the British Columbia-Yukon boundary. Lake Bennett is
connected by a narrow strait with Lake Nares, an extension
of Tagish Lake, which lies to the east. On the north side
of this strait lies the town of Carcross, an abbreviation of
Caribou Crossing, after the great herds of caribou that once
used this ford. Tagish Lake, including its extensions,
Taku Arm and West Taku Arm, together with Teslin Lake
to the east, also should be regarded as principal sources
of Lewes River.

From the northern end of Tagish Lake, Lewes River
flows through a comparatively shallow channel into Marsh
Lake, 19 miles in length. From Marsh Lake, the river
follows a channel about 200 yards wide to Miles Canyon
and the Whitehorse Rapids, below which is situated the
Town of Whitehorse—terminus of the White Pass and
Yukon Railway from Skagway, and now the head of lower-
stream navigation on the Yukon Waterway. From the

inception of the Klondike gold rush of 1897-98 to the com-
pletion of the railway in 1900, thousands of gold-seekers
navigated the river from its source, running the treacherous
water of Miles Canyon and Whitehorse Rapids in crude
boats and rafts. Before completion of the railway, tramways
with wooden rails had been constructed overland from the
head of the canyon to the foot of the rapids, and were used
extensively for the transportation of boats and baggage.
From Whitehorse, the Lewes follows a smooth channel
for about 20 miles before entering Lake Laberge, 31 miles
in length. Lake Laberge contains dangerous shallows, and
buoys placed at the upper and lower ends aid navigation.
In the 28-mile stretch below Lake Laberge, the Lewes is
narrow, crooked, and swift, and its navigation calls for the
exercise of skill and judgment by pilot and engineer. At
Hootalinqua, the Lewes is joined by Teslin River, which
rises in Teslin Lake, about 100 miles to the southeast.
About 30 miles northward the Big Salmon flows into the
Lewes, and 35 miles below this junction, the Little Salmon
adds its waters. From Little Salmon River to Carmacks,
a distance of about 36 miles, the current of the Lewes is
probably the gentlest of its entire course. Carmacks,
a small settlement on the left bank of the river, is also
situated on the Overland Trail, a winter road from White-
horse to Dawson. About 25 miles below Carmacks are
Five Finger Rapids, one of the difficult and exciting sections
of the river route. Here four great boulders or rocky
islands split the river into five channels or fingers, of which
only that on the extreme right is navigable for steamers.
In high water, these islands back the water slightly and
cause a swell below them. Six miles ahead, Rink Rapids
create a navigation hazard. About 5 miles below Rink
Rapids is the settlement of Yukon Crossing, where the
Overland Trail crosses from the left to the right bank of
the river. Between Rink Rapids and Yukon Crossing is
found the first large group of islands which dot the river
for miles. At the former settlement of Minto, 25 miles
below Yukon Crossing, the Overland Trail leaves the Lewes.
A little farther on at a section of the river known as Hell’s
Gate, improvements to the channel are continually necessary.
Opposite the settlement of Fort Selkirk, which is
about 264 miles below Whitehorse, the Lewes is joined by
Pelly River, and downstream from this point the river is
known as the Yukon. The added flow from the Pelly
results in a marked increase in the volume and size of the
river. From Fort Selkirk to within a short distance of
Dawson, the Yukon contains an almost continuous chain
of islands which lie mainly in its central part, flanked by
channels on either side. From Fort Selkirk to White River,
a distance of 90 miles, the water is clear and the current
gentle. White River, as the name implies, is a silt-laden
stream which enters from the west. Ten miles below
White River the Stewart flows into the Yukon from the
east, and farther north, Sixtymile River comes in from the
west. About 60 miles below Stewart River, the Klondike,

famous for its gold-bearing tributaries, joins the Yukon from

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