Historic Sites Survey of Kluane National Park, Southwest Yukon
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LOOKING FOR GOLD HISTORIC SITES SURVEY OF KLUANE NATIONAL PARK, SOUTHWEST YUKON by Marc G. Stevenson B.A. (Hons .) , Simon Fraser university, 1976 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Archaeology @ Marc G. Stevenson 1979 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY I September 1979 All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APP W)VAL Name: Marc George Stevenson Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: Looking for Gold. Historic Sites Survey of Kluane National l$Wt&id Park, Southwest Yukon. Supervisory Committee : -- Senior Supervisor: H. L. Alexander Associate Professor J. D. Nance Assistant Professor H. S. Sharp External Examiner Associate Professor Department of Sociology & Anthropology Simon Fraser University Date Approved: ii PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis or dissertation (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for mu1 tiple copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or pub1 ication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Dissertation: Looking for Gold. Historic Sites Survey of Kluane National Park, Southwest Yukon Author: (signature) Marc G. Stevenson September 21, 1979 (date) ABSTRACT In the summer of 1978 a team of archaeologists from Parks Canada, Prairie Region, employing a combination of ground and aerial survey, conducted an inventory and assess- ment of sixty-six historic archaeological sites in Kluane National Park, Southwest Yukon. Most historic sites were found to be associated with placer gold mining activities ranging from the late 1890s up to the near present. This thesis presents the empirical findings, substantive results and theoretical contributions resulting from that survey. The major objectives of this thesis sought to document a tentative culture history of historic period settlement within the Kluane area and to formulate and test hypotheses relevant to understanding formation processes of the cultural past and culture process in general. It was realized that historic sites archaeology with its expanded data base potentially offered control of a number of variables not usually managed in prehistoric archaeology. A summary of historic land use and settlement within the Kluane area and descriptions of all archaeological sites I and their important artifacts and features is followed by discussions concerning patterns of historic period settle- ment through time and space. The contradictory nature of archaeological and historical evidence pertaining to the iii the Kluane gold rush - an important and significant event shaping land use during Kluane's recent past - is also discussed. From a theoretical and anthropological perspec- tive, respectively, this thesis documents how differing abandonment processes affect the formation of the archaeo- logical record and investigates the differences between the .sourdoughs (oldtimers) and cheechakos (starnpeders) - the two main socioeconomic groups known to have participated in the Klondike and Kluane gold rushes. Numerous individuals and institutions in a variety of ways have contributed to this thesis. While I cannot adequately express my gratitude here it is my pleasure to acknowledge their assistance and support. Thanks first of all are due John Combes and Parks Canada for giving me a job which afforded the opportunity to conduct archaeological investigations ,in one of the most beautiful areas in the world. I would also like to thank Superintendent Jim Masyk and chief Warden Larry Tremblay for their interest, assis- tance and cooperation during the survey. Without it the success of this report would surely have been diminished. I am also indebted to Chuck Hume; his wilderness experience and knowledge of grizzly bear behavior was in part responsible for the completion of this thesis. Ron Chambers, Brent Liddle and other Kluane National Park wardens and naturalists provided invaluable information and assistance as well, ensuring the success of the project. I am also grateful to Marina McCready for proving to be a most able and knowledgeable field assistant. Lynn Hill and Brenda Baker deserve credit for suffering 1 through typing the original manuscript, a thankless job at best. I owe a very special debt of gratitude to Linda Sears for typing and editing the final draft. Her many constructive suggestions have greatly enhanced this report. I am especially indebted to my supervisory committee: v Dr. H. L. Alexander, Dr. J. D. Nance and Dr. H. S. Sharp. Herb Alexander, as my supervisor, encouraged me throughout the writing of this thesis. His recommendations concerning a number of structural changes and methodological and theoretical issues have aided immeasurably in this work. Likewise, Jack Nance provided some very useful and constructive criticisms regarding several of the more substantive and theoretical areas in this thesis. Several conversations with Steve Sharp also indirectly aided this work. Fellow graduate students Jeff Hunston, Milt Wright and ,David Burley also offered a number of useful comments concerning several issues raised in Chapters 5 and 6. To the faculty, students and staff of the Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, especially Ingrid Bell, I owe a debt of gratitude for providing a most interesting and stimulating intellectual and social environment during my graduate years there. I would also like to thank my estranged wife Pat for admirably attempting to support two people on one salary while at the same time coping with the trials and tribu- lations of graduate student life. Lastly, I am deeply obligated to ath hie Walton for her assistance and support in the writing of this thesis. She not only drafted the original maps and illustrations but she encour- I aged me and suffered through long nights of proofreading the original manuscript. Without her practical assistance and moral aid, this work would not have been possible. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS APPROVAL PAGE ii ABSTRACT iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES X P RE FACE xv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION lb CHAPTER 2. KLUANE NATIONAL PARK - THE NATURAL SETTING 5 CHAPTER 3. HISTORIC SETTLEMENT OF THE SOUTHWEST YUKON AND KLUANE REGION WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO KLUANE NATIONAL PARK 12 Significant Historic Developments in the Southwest Yukon 13 Historic Land Use and Settlement of the Klcane Region and Kluane ~ationalPark 18 Conclusion 37 CHAPTER 4. ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA COLLECTION AND SITE PRESENTATION 40 Sampling Design and Survey Methods 40 Cataloguing Sys tern 4 3 Site Description 4 3 Maps 4 4 Artifacts 46 ~rchaeolo~icalSite Presentation 46 Bullion Creek 47 Sheep Creek 83 Coin Creek 9 7 Shorty Creek 101 Goat Creek 112 Mush Creek 122 vii Kaskawulsh and Alsek River Sites Mush Lake Iron Creek Bates River Alder Creek Congdon Creek Bighorn Creek Donjek River Hoge Creek Grizzly Creek Silver Creek Victoria Creek Other Historic Artifacts and Features CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION Patterns of Settlement Historic Documentation vs . the Archaeological Record - a basic contradiction in the Kluane gold rush Sourdoughs and Cheechakos - an Avenue of Research Recommended to Guide Further ~istoricSites Investigation in '~luaneNational Park Concluding Remarks CHAPTER 6. ABANDONMENT BEHAVIOR IN THE ALSEK GOLD FIELDS Abandonment Behavior on Mush Creek Abandonment Behavior on Bullion Creek Two Variables of Abandonment Process Affecting Bullion and Mush Creek's Archaeological Records Other Variables of Abandonment Process Affecting the Archaeological Record concluding Remarks CHAPTER 7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS APPENDIX A. CHRONOLOGICAL INDICATORS IN TIN CAN MORPHOLOGY REFERENCES CITED viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Summary of site location, function and age. Table 2. The effects of rapid and gradual abandonment on the archaeological records of Bullion and Mush Creeks respectively. Table 3. Two major variables of abandonment process and their proposed ef f.ects on the archaeological record. LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page ~rontispiece Bullion Creek Hydraulic Co. flume, 1905. la The Kluane Region and the southwest Yukon area. 6 Kluane National Park: location of historic site areas, 41 Location of Bullion Creek sites. 4 8 Map of 10yl. 49 Log cabin on 10yl. 50 Rough-dressed plank bearing 1904 date from 10yl. 50 Map of 10~2. 53 Three-hole privy on 10y2. 54 Tent cabin on 10y2. 54 Peeled log pile on 10y2. 56 Grinding wheel bench on 10y2. 56 Collapsed lean-to with associated wash basins, 10~2.~7 Makers' marks of tableware from 10y2. 59 Food and liquor bottles from 10y2. 60 Gold pan, liquor bottles and ornate set of dishes collected by Parks staff, from 10~2. 61 Map of 10y3. 63 I TWO-storeyslog cabin on 10y3. 61 ~nteriorof two-storey cabin on 10~3. 64 Map of 10y4. 66 Map of 10y5. 68 Remains of large log structure (Bullion City Hotel?) on 10y5. X Map of 10y6. Map of 10y7. Map of 10y8. Map of 10y9. Remains of wooden hillside flume on 10~9. Map of 10~10. Map of 10yll. Map of 10~12. Map of 10~13. Metal sluice box and associated mining equipment on 10~13- Location of Sheep Creek and Coin Creek sites. Map of llyl. Log cabin and log shed on llyl. Large log cabin on llyl. Map of lly2. Flume and sluice boxes on lly2. Log cabin on lly2. Map of lly3. Map of lly4. Map of lly5. Map of lly6. Unstable box of dynamite from 11~2. Map of 12yl. Log cabin on 12yl. Pack saddle, washboard, broom and two unidentified wooden artifacts from 12~1.