In 1869, Charles Raymond, a 27-year-old Civil War veteran from New York City, embarked on a remarkable journey to the newly acquired U.S. territory of Alaska, a land so foreign that he could scarcely imagine it.
This expedition was born out of a pressing need as U.S. leaders were uncertain about the exact boundaries of American territory in the region, particularly concerning the British trading post at Fort Yukon.
The backdrop to this uncertainty lay in an 1825 treaty between Russia and Great Britain, which outlined the eastern boundary of Interior Alaska along the 141st meridian. However, concrete survey work to demarcate this territory would not commence until the early 1900s.
Military leaders believed that a precise measurement of Fort Yukon’s longitude could be accomplished, but it would require an intrepid individual to traverse deep into Alaska’s interior with the right astronomical tools.
Raymond’s impressive credentials as an engineer, coupled with his top-ranking education from West Point, led military officials to entrust him with this challenging assignment.
He was tasked with ascending the Yukon River from its mouth at the Bering Sea, a daunting journey of over 1,000 miles.
On April 6, 1869, Raymond, accompanied by an assistant, set sail for Alaska aboard a steamship leaving from San Francisco.
After experiencing choppy seas that delayed their arrival in St. Michael, Alaska, Raymond’s journey up the Yukon River did not commence until three months later.
On July 4, 1869, the wooden steamship Yukon made its way into the Yukon River’s mouth amidst the celebratory sounds of flags and gunfire, marking the moment in Raymond’s account as significant.
As the first paddlewheeler to navigate as far as Fort Yukon, the Yukon, owned by the Alaska Commercial Co., faced multiple challenges during its journey.
The crew had to frequently stop to clear logjams in the river by hand, ensuring that the wooden stems fed into the boiler, which in turn generated steam to keep the paddlewheel moving.
After countless laborious stops, the steamship arrived at Fort Yukon on July 31, 1869.
Raymond arrived anticipating potential tension due to the nature of his mission, yet he was instead warmly welcomed by Mr. John Wilson, the Hudson Bay Company agent at the station.
Raymond was quickly accommodated in one of the fort’s comfortable log buildings, a stark contrast to the daunting task ahead.
However, his surveying duties proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated due to the relentless light of the Alaskan nights, which complicated astronomical observations.
As the river’s water levels began to drop and feeder creeks started to freeze, the captain of the Yukon made the decision to return to St. Michael, whether or not Raymond was ready.
Faced with the urgency for further measurements, Raymond watched the steamship depart Fort Yukon, leaving him and his assistant behind.
Determined to complete his mission, Raymond utilized a solar eclipse to ultimately confirm that Fort Yukon lay west of the 141st meridian and was indeed part of the United States.
With some regret, Raymond informed John Wilson of his findings, asserting his need to take possession of the trading post.
He hoisted the American flag on a spruce pole, taking a moment to reflect on his experience as he watched it flutter in the wind.
On August 28, 1869, Raymond set off from Fort Yukon for his return trip home, accompanied by four others in a wooden skiff sealed with spruce pitch.
Their provisions for the long journey downstream consisted of 25 pounds of “moose pemmican,” generously provided by Wilson, the ousted Hudson Bay manager.
The journey was characterized by monotony, with Raymond deeming it “too monotonous to require much description,” yet they successfully paddled hundreds of river miles to the village of Anvik over two weeks.
However, upon arrival, circumstances shifted as Raymond’s boat was found to be beyond repair.
Locals in Anvik advised him that the season was too late for them to aid him in descending the Yukon to its mouth, still over 300 miles away.
Desperate to avoid an Alaskan winter, Raymond learned from a village leader about a route upstream on the Anvik River to a portage leading to Norton Sound, which offered a shorter path to the ocean but promised further hardships.
Raymond, realizing it was his only option, did not hesitate to embark on this arduous overland trek.
The initial phase of their journey presented significant difficulties, including the realization that they had forgotten a canvas bag containing most of their food.
The group pressed on, battling hunger until they spotted campfire smoke from a hunting camp nearby, where a coastal Native and his wife shared precious caribou meat with them.
Yet, more challenges awaited as they faced 20 miles of tussocks and deep moss that lay between them and tidewater.
With exhaustion overtaking them, they stumbled into present-day Golsovia on the Norton Sound coast.
There, they were offered a meal by a local, consisting of a single hare cooked in seawater, which was deemed delicious after going over a week without salt.
Shortly after, an American Commercial Co. captain arrived to rescue Raymond and his party by steamer.
Raymond’s arduous journey concluded with his return to San Francisco on November 6, 1869, exactly six months after he had set off.
While he never returned to Alaska, Raymond’s mission resulted in the establishment of America’s newest trading post in Fort Yukon and produced the first detailed mapping of the Yukon River drawn from his observations.
image source from：https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2025/04/18/an-early-ascent-of-the-yukon-river-by-steamboat/
