Introduction

Information Sources

Stop #1
Stop #2
Stop #3
Stop #4
Stop #5 
Stop #6
Stop #7
Stop #8
Stop #9
Stop #10

Appendix 1

Bibliography

Stop # 9. The Old Crow River to the Mouth

The Canyon

Travelling down the Old Crow River is relatively uneventful for most of its length because of the slow-moving current and the meandering nature of the river. However, in the lower reaches, depending on water levels and the skill of the boatmen, the Old Crow River can present some challenges. There are a few rapids to negotiate and, at times, where the Old Crow flows into the Porcupine, the river can be considered dangerous for canoists.

Traditionally, the families returning to Old Crow from trapping in the Old Crow Flats, travelled by canoe, riverboats, and rafts. Often several groups would travel together with canoes and rafts fastened together for the last part of the journey (Balikci 1963, Josie 1966).

Otto Geist describes what it was like descending through the canyon of the Old Crow River in a riverboat in 1952. "Late in the afternoon we were looking into the canyon proper. Here a well-defined dike of much harder rock reaches across the valley; and since it is so much harder, it is higher as it crosses the river, causing the water to well up and create a sort of waterfall. We navigated the canyon without trouble, though the boys had to be alert continually; so while Peter [Lord] ran the motor, Charlie [Linklater] was ready with the oars to take care of any drift sidewise by the boat, which of course was heavily laden not only with our outfit but also with the bull moose we had killed. It takes constant vigilance and some skill to keep the boat from turning sideways in the rushing water" (Geist 1956?).


Figure 1.9 Click photo to enlarge and see a series of photos.

Chah Ddha (Crow Mountain)

As we descend the Old Crow River nearing the end of our ecological journey, Crow Mountain becomes an important landmark, indicating the journey's destination. The name Crow Mountain, though still an approved alternate name, is actually no longer the official name. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation now uses the name Chah Ddha (which replaces Shahtlah Mountain). The name translates into "full head of hair mountain" and refers to a former practice of burning ones hair as a sign of mourning (Yukon Geographical Place Names Board 1998). In the same way, the official alternate name for the Old Crow River is Chahnjik which derives from the name Chah Ddha.

Chah Ddha is an important location for harvesting berries. In July, as well as hunting and fishing, the Vuntut Gwitchin go out on the land to pick blue berries and salmon berries. The traditional way of travelling in summer is by walking along with their families and with dog packs. Some people travel by riverboat (VGFN 1999). Berry picking continues in August [Vananh Neendijaa Zrii] as the heat of August allows berries to be dried for use in the winter months (VGFN 1999). In the fall, especially after the first snowfall, which in the past allowed the dogs teams to move about, and now snowmobiles, caribou hunting on Chah Ddha becomes an important activity in the preparation for winter.

Old Crow Range

Chah Ddha is part of the Old Crow Range of mountains. Composed of granite, this range is the legacy of a time some 370 million years ago when molten rock (intrusive rock) was forced up from below the earth's crust into the sedimentary rocks (see Geology). As a large granitic intrusion, this structure is known as the Old Crow Batholith (from the Greek for "deep rock"). Chah Ddha is connected to Schaeffer Mountain, which is also made of granite, and the canyon between them was eroded over time by the Old Crow River.

The mountains of the Old Crow Range are the basis of the Old Crow Range Ecodistrict (Wiken et al. 1981). This ecodistrict includes the bedrock, rock outcrops, and weathered rock of the pediments and uplands on the east side of the Old Crow Basin and the slopes north of the Old Crow Range. Although these mountain are not as high as the mountains to the north of the Old Crow Flats, they are still part of the barrier of uplands which protect the Old Crow Basin and Flats from the influence of weather systems moving in from the south.