“Map of Upper Yukon, Tananah and Kuskokwim rivers”

Attribution:

Paul Kandik and Francois Mercier

Date:

1880

Description:

This Indigenous map outlines the Yukon and Alaska to the north of the area covered by the Kohklux maps. Drawn by Athabascan Indian Paul Kandik and annotated by French explorer Francois Mercier in 1880, it is the earliest known map of this region. The map follows the Yukon, Tanana, and Kuskokwim Rivers from their headwaters to the Pacific Ocean, showing trading posts, trails, and other landmarks along the way. Place names are written in Athabascan, French, and English. It not only documents the Indigenous contributions to naming, but also records the changes brought by the arrival of non-native peoples to the region prior to the Klondike Gold Rush of the mid-1890s.

Bancroft call number:

G4370 1880 .K3

Digital image courtesy of:

The Bancroft Library