ISSN 0047-7222 Vol. XVII, No.4 October, 1985 HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY - On the Chilkoot Trail ... page 2 - All about Bricks . .. page 7 The Midden Publication of the Archaeological Society of British Columbia Editor: Kathryn Bernick Subscription is by membership in the Subscriptions and Mailing: Toni Crittenden A.S.B.C., or $10.00 a year (5 issues). Overseas $12.00 a year. Check or postal Submissions and exchange publications should be directed to money order in Canadian funds payable to the A.S.B.C. Address to: Midden the Editor. Contributions on subjects germane to B.C. Subscriptions, P.O. Box 520, Station Archaeology are welcomeq: maximum length 1,500 words, no A, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2N3. footnotes, and only a brief bibliography (if necessary at all). Guidelines available. Telephone inquiries: 873-5958. The contents of The Midden are copy· The next issue of The Midden will appear mid-December. righted by the A.S.B.C. It is unlawful to reproduce all or part by any means whatsoever, without permission of the Contributors this issue: John Adams, Jennifer Hamilton, Jeff Society, which is usually gladly given. Murray, Terry Spurgeon. Publication of The Midden is made Production assistance: Sharon Keen, Phyllis Mason, Brad possible in part by a grant from the British Columbia Heritage Trust. Smart, Terry Spurgeon. THE COVER: The Stampeders' tent camp on Lake Bennett in the spring of 1898. Photo: Public Archives Canada, C-674. The Society The Archaeological Society of British President: Don Bunyan (321-8127) Columbia is dedicated to the protection of Vice President: Colin Gurnsey (980-7429) archaeological resources and the spread of Membership Secretary: Molly Hay (738-1095) archaeological knowledge. Membership year runs September 1 - August Meetings featuring illustrated lectures are held 31. Fees: single - $17.QO; family - $20.00; senior on the second Wednesday of each month (except citizen - $12.00; student - $12.00. Membership July and August) at 8:00 p.m. in the Vancouver includes Midden subscription. Address to: Museum Auditorium. Visitors and new A.S.B.C. Membership Secretary, P.O. Box 520, members are welcome! Station A, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2N3. COMING TOPICS: Mfiliated Chapters: Fraser Valley, Kitimat, Victoria. November 13 Richard Inglis: The Yuquot whaling shrine. December 11 Dr. Erle Nelson: New dating techniques. 1 · The Midden LONG~. h I TRANSFER ' ,' POINT ,-~~ 1 I o..HAf'P'( CAMP 1 MOAROWL. / ~ ,l CRATER L. , --TEAMSTER'S CAMP I I I '-.. I ' ,,' ''-.., I ' r-STCX>If. CRIB "---;\ CHILKOOT PASS 1 THE \ 0 ':ll>J..F.s -f ~~~ , ~ \~ ) ?"> I Retracing the Trail of '98: Archaeology on the Chilkoot by JeffreyS. Murray and jennifer F. A. Hamilton STRADDLING the international border at the Northwest. The image of a long line of men, northern end of the Alaska panhandle, the inching their way up a mountain slope, has Chilkoot Trail has considerable antiquity as one become a symbol of the hope and futility that of the more important passes into the characterized the "Trail of '89." It is a symbol northwestern interior of the continent. Initially that has left an indelible mark on the history of opened by the Tlingit Indians for inland trading, the Yukon and on the development of our the Chilkoot first gained notoriety at the turn of northern frontier. the century during the Klondike gold rush. In the boom and bust scenario that is all too Despite the formidable obstacles it presented, common with gold rushes, the Chilkoot Trail's the Trail easily offered the shortest and significance was short lived. In the late winter of cheapest route to the Dawson City gold fields. 1898-99 a railroad conquered the White Pass a Known as "the poor man's route," the Chilkoot few miles further south and offered the provided the Stampeder with an alternative to Stampeder much easier passage over the coastal the excessive tolls and shipping costs charged on mountains. The following year the railroad was other trails. It was possible for the would-be completed as far as Whitehorse, almost prospector to use his own labour to move his eliminating the need for the traveller to even entire outfit along the Trail to the upper regions stop in Bennett. Until then Bennett had been of the Yukon River and to Dawson City beyond. recognized as the terminus of the Chilkoot Trail As a result, in just two years the Chilkoot and consequently, was a favoured stopover witnessed the passage of thousands of gold where a Stampeder could build a boat and seekers into the Yukon, the introduction of prepare for the continuation of his journey several ingenious transportation modes to carry down the Yukon River system. The arrival of supplies over rough terrain, and the the railroad not only effectively closed the establishment of Canadian sovereignty in the Chilkoot Trail but also relegated the town, once The Midden - 2 hailed as the world's largest tent city, to a mere The international co-operation which station stop. In the end, the Trail's demise was underlies the commemoration of the Chilkoot almost as quick as had been its initial rise to Trail makes it unique within Canada's national importance. historic park system. The agreement concerning In recent years, however, there has been a the transfer of the land from the jurisdiction of new breed of Stampeder on the Chilkoot. Some the British Columbia government to Parks 2,500 hikers annually make the 53 km trek from Canada has yet to be signed. However, once the the tidewater at Dyea, climbing the 1121 m high negotiations are completed, the Chilkoot Trail pass, to Bennett in northern British Columbia. It will become one of the largest historic parks in is not gold they seek, but the lure of history and North America. The proposed park boundaries the challenges of the Trail. are currently set to include the entire historic corridor as well as an area suitable for Presently, the Chilkoot Trail is a proposed backpacking recreation. The Canadian portion national park. It was identified as early as 1969 of the park will measure 26.5 km long and will by the United States Park Service and Parks run from the Chilkoot Pass, at the Alaskan Canada for the important role it played in the border, to Lake Bennett in northern British 1898 Klondike gold rush. The understanding Columbia. reached by these two agencies attempts to establish it as an important component along As part of the inaugeration of a with six other historic sites and parks now commemorative program for the Chilkoot Trail, commemorating the Stampede. Parks Canada (Prairie Region) conducted preliminary studies of the park's archaeological potential during the summer of 1984. The eight week project addressed two fundamental data gaps. The first focused on the need for information concerning the nature and condition of artifacts along the Trail, so that adequate measures for their protection and preservation might be formulated. The second :.£GEND concentrated on the relationship between the -- CHLKOOT TRAL e ARCHOI:QOGICAL SITE resources and the three major historic themes identified for the Park. These themes set the Chilkoot Trail within the context of the national historic park system and provide justification for acquisition, protection, and commemoration of the resource. Perhaps the most significant observation drawn from the field investigations lies in the immense diversity and density of the historic resources offered by the Chilkoot Trail. For the most part, the resource is distributed in a linear fashion along the entire corridor. As well, there are at least 12 major areas, or nodes, where the resources are hipl concentrated. Ten of these "sile..," e lucat l in the upper sections of the T ·c. il antl corresi,ond to favoured stopovers The Canadian portion of the Chilkoot Trail. where the Stampeders temporarily cached their supplies before relaying them further. The Trail end was marked by two large semi-permanent 3 - The M idden Metal containers at Bennett are catalogued in the field by Arnold Feast, a student archaeologist from McGill University. Parks Canada photo by]. Murray. encampments, Lindeman City and Bennett. future development that Parks Canada initiates Most Stampeders passed the winter of 1897-98 on the Chilkoot. It was particularly imperative, at one of these two tent cities, preparing therefore, that an inventory of the resources at themselves for spring breakup. these two sites start immediately. Archaeological research concentrated on The majority of structural remnants recorded providing current information on the cultural were tent platforms. These were generally resources at Lindeman City, Bennett, and the distinguished as a leveled ground surface transfer point at the upper end of Long Lake. enclosed by a rectangular alignment of rocks These three sites were chosen because they which at one time would have helped to secure were thought to provide a reasonable the base of a canvas tent. The platform representation of the cultural resource base and dimensions varied from 2 m to 4 m long and the problems to be encountered with regard to from 2 m to 3 m wide. Often a space, or resource inventorying. In addition, Lindeman doorway, was visible in the rock alignment at City and Bennett are likely to be included in any one of the end walls. At times it was possible to The Midden- 4 distinguish a small rock feature in one of the represented in the collection generally include interior corners. These features were probably fuel oil and tobacco. used as bases or footings for wood-burning Interestingly, a number of canned products stoves. which are known from historical documents to In most cases the tent platforms were have been available to the Stampeders are no"t composed of a sand and fine gravel matrix that represented in the Chilkoot artifact inventory.