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Yukon Channel Charts: Sternwheeler-style strip maps of the historic Yukon River

by Bruce Trelawny Batchelor; co-published with Rock & Roll Moose Meat Publishing

68 pages; black coil; includes 64 maps & 42 photos; catalogue #96-0003; ISBN 1-55212-000-7; US$15.50, C$19.45, EUR12.70, £8.80

Charts of Yukon River drawn in the strip-map style used by pilots of the paddlewheelers. Thousands of gold rush stampeders followed this route to Dawson City and the Klondike gold fields. Covers the 400-mile journey from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

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about the book     about the author     sample chapter (the introduction)

Yukon Channel Charts

Maps of the Yukon River (Yukon Territory, Canada) drawn in historical style as used by pilots of the paddlewheelers on the famous "Trail of '98" gold rush to the Klondike. Short stories and 42 photos in this 68 page, spiral-bound book provide personal insights into contemporary river lifestyles and the rich history of the Yukon River.

This is the third edition of this regional bestseller-- it was first published in 1975 and revised in 1980-- over 4,000 copies have been sold to canoeists, rafters and other adventurers who have taken this spectacular wilderness voyage. It includes 64 "strip maps" which illustrate the route from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

Stories on Northern life by author Bruce Batchelor have been published in Alaska Magazine, Up Here, Victoria Times Colonist, "The Lost Whole Moose Catalogue" and "Another Lost Whole Moose Catalogue". Two other books by Bruce Batchelor will be published by Trafford Publishing soon: "Dogteam to Dawson" and "Nine Dog Winter".

Introduction

For the first half of this century, the Yukon River and its tributaries were the main highways in this territory. Except for the horse-drawn sleighs on the winter snow roads, and the narrow-gauge railroad from Skagway, the sternwheelers provided all freight and passenger transportation within the Yukon. The river industry was a major employer, providing jobs for woodcutters, longshoremen, crew and shipwrights to mention only a few. In all, two hundred and fifty commercial boats worked this river, with about one hundred on the Whitehorse to Dawson stretch.

To help navigate these waters, the captains and pilots used strip maps. These were hand-drawn sketches of the river made right in the wheelhouse, traditionally as the boat descended. A foot-wide roll of paper, often 60 feet long, was mounted on one spool and attached to another. The pilot sketched out the banks, islands and bars as he saw them, rolling ahead new paper as needed. He would mark on the channel and position of buoys and markers, reefs and whirlpools. Drawn along the banks would be symbols for cabins or settlements, with comments about where to land for if there was a flag hung out it meant 'passengers to be picked up'.

All the woodcutters' sites were recorded, with notes about quantities of wood available. The route was numbered, mile zero being Whitehorse yards and Dawson known as mile 460. Since freight was paid for by the mile, no one was too surprised when the first aerial photographs revealed that 430 miles might be more accurate. Actually no one was too upset either, because the major transportation company, British Yukon Navigation, was looked upon as a friend and benefactor of the river community. For example, the B.Y.N.Co. delayed the switch from wood fuel to oil as long as possible because of all the employment in those woodcutters' camps.

Some of the strip maps were quite elaborate, with vegetation indicated, even a little topography. None were ever drawn to scale and many, if you are not already intimately familiar with this stretch of river, are very confusing to follow. They were drawn principally as memory aids for the river pilot. Sometimes large segments of river, deemed simple to navigate perhaps, were condensed to a few inches, while another trickier section was enlarged greatly.

The strip map in this book is not, technically speaking, a strip map at all. As it would not be practical for most travellers to have long rolls of paper on their laps, I have cut up an actual map of the Yukon River into 64 pieces. Each is drawn exactly to scale (1.2 inches per mile) from the large-format aerial photos used for topographic mapping and 300 additional aerial photographs I took in May 1980. The cartographic style is similar to the river pilots' strip maps including most place names and the symbols for cliffs and hillsides, cabins, sandbars and islands, and the main channel(s). When using a compass, you will need to correct for about 32 degrees declination east. That is: true north (the N arrows on the maps) is almost compass northwest.

When the huge steamers plied the river, the turbulence of their paddlewheels kept at least one distinct channel open. Now the bars drift and islands erode undisturbed by man. At a few spots, such as the lower end of Ingersoll Islands and across Minto Flats, there may not be a good channel at lowest water. Motorboats will have to 'feel' their way slowly at such places, while canoes will not be much affected. The most dangerous stretch of this river for small boats is Lake Laberge. Too many people have died on this cold lake. Kansas Mike and I had the unsettling experience of dragging ashore one body after a sudden squall flipped two canoeist who had jerryrigged a small sail--even wearing a lifevest he died of hypothermia before reaching shore. The other canoeist's body was never recovered. Sudden winds can create disastrous conditions in a few minutes, so for safety's sake: stay close to the shoreline. A word about the people who live along the river: summer is the busiest season for them as they tend their gardens, fish for salmon, and haul freight for exploration companies and themselves. For the most part, they have chosen this area because they enjoy privacy. Please show respect for their property, and their time.

Reluctant for aesthetic reasons to write a mile-by-mile guide, I also felt unwilling to print yet another Gold Rush history. Friends encouraged me to tell some stories about the river life: about the boats, but also about what travellers can expect, funny incidents, bad times, people stories. I enjoy reminiscing on paper, and hope you like it too. This edition includes all stories from the 1975 and 1980 versions, plus one I wrote for The Lost Whole Moose Catalogue.

Enjoy your journey,
Bruce Trelawny Batchelor
May 1996