Exploration

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In the first years after the purchase of Alaska, the United States knew little more than the Russians had about the territory. One example of the general lack of awareness was the discovery made by an Army captain journeying on the Yukon River two years after the purchase. He found that the Hudson's Bay Company outpost at Fort Yukon was in Alaska. He saw to it that the English flag was removed. The Stars and Stripes were raised instead, and the Hudson's Bay Company had to move to Canadian soil." The new site chosen, at Rampart House on the Porcupine River, proved 20 years later also to be in Alaska, and a second move was required," wrote Alfred Brooks, an important Alaska explorer and scientist.

The increasing interest in Alaska's resources led to exploration expeditions. Many people wanted information about Alaska's resources, geology, and environment. Traders and prospectors who wanted access to fur and mineral resources needed accurate maps and information about transportation routes. In the late 1800s, researchers were also interested in learning more about the Native people of the territory.

When people first started to search for gold in the upper Yukon River valley, very little was known about the area. In 1883, the Army sent Lt. Frederick Schwatka with a party of soldiers to investigate. Lt. Schwatka and his party crossed Chilkoot Pass into Canada, where they built a raft and traveled on connecting lakes and rivers to the Yukon. From there, they traveled downstream to the Yukon's mouth on the Bering Sea, a journey of over 1,300 miles. Schwatka collected information on the people and resources of the region and wrote official and popular versions of his trip.

Lt. Frederick Schwatka

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