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An Exploration to Mount McKinley
by Alfred Hulse Brooks
Alfred Hulse Brooks
An Exploration to Mount McKinley
by Alfred Hulse Brooks
Alfred Hulse Brooks
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Overview
"The first white men to reach the base of Mt. McKinley." -The American Monthly Review, 1907
"A tale of real adventure." - The Irrigation Age, 1911
"Completed a journey of nearly 800 miles, the longest taken with a pack train in Alaska." - American Geographical Society 1902
"The first accurate report ever made of the Mount McKinley region." -The Conquest of Mount McKinley (1913)
In 1902, Brooks and his U.S. Geological Survey party became the first white men to reach the base of the highest mountain in North America, Mt. McKinley (later renamed Denali). Brooks would write of his party's exciting Alaskan adventures in his 35-page narrative "An Exploration to Mount McKinley," published in 1904.
In 105 days the party, consisting of 7 men, penetrated 800 miles of an unknown wilderness with almost impassable swamps, unfordable rivers, and lofty snow-covered mountains. These men depended largely on their guns for provender, but finally accomplished their purpose of striking through the Alaska Range and coming out into the interior Yukon valley, a feat which was looked upon by the natives as impossible.
Starting from Cook Inlet with a train of pack horses, they broke through the Alaskan Range by a pass on the headwaters of the Kichatna River, and following the northern slope of the Alaskan Range they mapped the country as they advanced. Their route allowed them to take horses directly under the towering ice slopes on Mount McKinley's northern side and their triangulations placed the mountain's height at 20,300 feet.
They would camp at the base of McKinley and from this point the mountain rose in a horizontal distance of but ten miles to a height of 16,000 feet above the camp. As the season was well advanced, as much of his itinerary had still to be carried out, and as it was no part of the original plan, Brooks did not attempt to pass the snow line, though this point was reached. The members of the party were undoubtedly the first white men to approach the summit.
The territory traversed by this party was of very great extent. The pack train which reached Rampart completed a journey of nearly 800 miles, the longest taken with a pack train in Alaska.
After traveling the first 100 miles, Brooks notes that "the outlook was not encouraging, for we had nearly 700 miles of practically unknown territory to traverse, and the incessant labor of toiling through the swamp, added to the continual annoyance from mosquitoes and horseflies, was having a serious effect upon the strength of our horses. Night after night we would hear the tinkle of the bell horse as he led the band of horses, maddened by the insects."
In describing a grizzly encounter, Brooks writes:
"In this foothill region we came in contact with our first bear. Fred, while forging ahead of the party in search of a trail, came upon a she bear and cub. The old one at once charged. Hemmed in by alder thickets, with an ax as his only weapon, he faced his assailant with what seemed, even to an old hunter like himself, hardly a fighting chance for life...."
The party were never without fresh meat, and they report that on the north slopes of the mountains moose, cariboo, and mountain sheep, or big horns, were unusually plentiful. Bear, also, were seen in large numbers, especially grizzly, cinnamon, and black bear. In fact, the country never having been visited by white men, nor in all probability ever hunted by Indians, all varieties of game, in addition to their abundance, were so tame that they could be approached within a few feet.
In his conclusion Brooks notes they completed "the longest cross-country exploration ever attempted in Alaska.
"A tale of real adventure." - The Irrigation Age, 1911
"Completed a journey of nearly 800 miles, the longest taken with a pack train in Alaska." - American Geographical Society 1902
"The first accurate report ever made of the Mount McKinley region." -The Conquest of Mount McKinley (1913)
In 1902, Brooks and his U.S. Geological Survey party became the first white men to reach the base of the highest mountain in North America, Mt. McKinley (later renamed Denali). Brooks would write of his party's exciting Alaskan adventures in his 35-page narrative "An Exploration to Mount McKinley," published in 1904.
In 105 days the party, consisting of 7 men, penetrated 800 miles of an unknown wilderness with almost impassable swamps, unfordable rivers, and lofty snow-covered mountains. These men depended largely on their guns for provender, but finally accomplished their purpose of striking through the Alaska Range and coming out into the interior Yukon valley, a feat which was looked upon by the natives as impossible.
Starting from Cook Inlet with a train of pack horses, they broke through the Alaskan Range by a pass on the headwaters of the Kichatna River, and following the northern slope of the Alaskan Range they mapped the country as they advanced. Their route allowed them to take horses directly under the towering ice slopes on Mount McKinley's northern side and their triangulations placed the mountain's height at 20,300 feet.
They would camp at the base of McKinley and from this point the mountain rose in a horizontal distance of but ten miles to a height of 16,000 feet above the camp. As the season was well advanced, as much of his itinerary had still to be carried out, and as it was no part of the original plan, Brooks did not attempt to pass the snow line, though this point was reached. The members of the party were undoubtedly the first white men to approach the summit.
The territory traversed by this party was of very great extent. The pack train which reached Rampart completed a journey of nearly 800 miles, the longest taken with a pack train in Alaska.
After traveling the first 100 miles, Brooks notes that "the outlook was not encouraging, for we had nearly 700 miles of practically unknown territory to traverse, and the incessant labor of toiling through the swamp, added to the continual annoyance from mosquitoes and horseflies, was having a serious effect upon the strength of our horses. Night after night we would hear the tinkle of the bell horse as he led the band of horses, maddened by the insects."
In describing a grizzly encounter, Brooks writes:
"In this foothill region we came in contact with our first bear. Fred, while forging ahead of the party in search of a trail, came upon a she bear and cub. The old one at once charged. Hemmed in by alder thickets, with an ax as his only weapon, he faced his assailant with what seemed, even to an old hunter like himself, hardly a fighting chance for life...."
The party were never without fresh meat, and they report that on the north slopes of the mountains moose, cariboo, and mountain sheep, or big horns, were unusually plentiful. Bear, also, were seen in large numbers, especially grizzly, cinnamon, and black bear. In fact, the country never having been visited by white men, nor in all probability ever hunted by Indians, all varieties of game, in addition to their abundance, were so tame that they could be approached within a few feet.
In his conclusion Brooks notes they completed "the longest cross-country exploration ever attempted in Alaska.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940185679005 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Far West Travel Adventure |
| Publication date: | 08/23/2022 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Alfred Hulse Brooks (July 18, 1871 – November 22, 1924) was an American geologist who served as chief geologist for Alaska for the United States Geological Survey from 1903 to 1924. He is credited with discovering that the biggest mountain range in Arctic Alaska, now called the Brooks Range, was separate from the Rocky Mountains. He also took many photographs of local communities. A collection of the images is held at Yale University.
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