THE COMMUNITY OF OLD CROW

i) North River; Gathering spot for Gwitchin

The first written references to the presence of a camp or village at or near the present site of Old Crow date from the time of the first missionaries. The Old Crow area was a good fishing area near major caribou crossing places and had been a gathering spot for Gwitchin families going down the Porcupine River to trade.

The Reverend Robert McDonald travelled extensively between Fort Yukon and Lapierre House in the years between 1862 to 1900. In his journals are many references to the North River, which seems to be his name for the Old Crow River. Old Crow or the Old Crow River are not mentioned in his journals. The journals record Vuntut Gwitchin living at this site in spring (April, May, June) and fall (August, September, and October).

The first mention of North River in McDonald's journal is recorded in September 1862 when he was travelling west on the Porcupine River from Lapierre House to Fort Yukon. On 18 September, he "...came to North River this evening. There we found Titziyil, Chief of Vuntekutchin with a few of his band. They gave me a hearty welcome. Had evening prayers with them" (McDonald 1862:23).

In 1863 McDonald visited the "Indian Camp at North River" in June and again in late August when he found "Titziyil, Rat Indian Chief and a few of his band" at North River. On 23 September 1863 he "Arrived at North River...Ice about 2 inches thick a little further down the river; hopes of reaching Youcon with the boat given up. A few Indians here with Titziyil, chief of the vuntukutchin"(McDonald 1863:66) Deciding to stay at North River until conditions were right for travel, they secured their boat and cargo for the winter and a lodge was erected for their accommodation, "which may be for about a month." McDonald took a census of the "Vuntet-Kutchin: in all upwards of 120 men, women and children." By the 6th of October the snow was 15 cm deep on the ground and "Blue Fish [arctic grayling] speared in large number by Indians." They left on 27 October 1863 for "Youcon."

Several of McDonald's journal entries refer to terrible sickness among the Gwitchin: April 1866, "fearful mortality among the mountain Indians through scarlet fever" (McDonald 1866:19) and June 1868, "boat arrived from North River where it had been stopped by ice the previous fall... Intelligence of two more deaths among the vvunttetkutchin, making 10 in all since last autumn."(McDonald 1868:20)

McDonald mentions visiting the camp at North River in August 1871: "Reached the camping grounds of the Vuntetkutchin above the mouth of North River. Indians encamped at some distance from it" (McDonald 1871:36) and in May 1874 "three families and a few others numbering seventeen in all were in it.....was pleased to find that they felt much their not having received a missionary visit" (McDonald 1874:20).

McDonald journal also records the names of some of the people living at North River: May 1874, "Kookathuk and Loola left for North River on Monday"; June 1874, "A band of vuntet kutchin arrived this morning; among them David Tinjitil and Vekyinjit arrived, the latter very ill of consumption"; June 1876, "Reached North River at 8 p.m.... we halted for more than an hour. A few families of Indians at the place: scarcity among them. Only a few of this tribe, the vuntetkutchin have gone through to Rampart House, the other cannot go through want of food.... Alexr, a child of John and Caroline Chitle was baptized by the Bishop" (McDonald 1876:26); August 1877, "We went on to North River...where a few Indians were said to be camped. We found only Yitandilti with his wife and two youngest children. They have a few whitefish dried and are taking a few fish in their nets. Received a few from them, also berries" (McDonald 1877:50).

In 1875 Bishop Bompas appointed McDonald Archdeacon and in 1876 he married Julia Kultug. With nine children, increased duties, and the translation of the Bible into Tukudh, his trips on the Porcupine River were less frequent. However, his journal does include the following entries relating to North River written at Fort Yukon in 1900 and 1901.

5 May 1900 Fort Yukon

"Three lads from near North River, a feeder of Porcupine River this morning. They brought word of the death of Malcolm Ttzum and Wm. Vekyinjit's wife. La grippe has been among them and they have suffered much. A letter from Llola was brought to me. He was full of grief for the death of many of his relatives, his wife and her three brothers. Glad to hear from him that he is endeavouring to perform his duties as Christian leader carefully and faithfully" (McDonald 1900:32).

30 October 1900 Fort Yukon?

"Enoch and John Stewart set out for Herschel Island with letters etc. A few Indians arrived with fish and fur. Wm. Njootli brought me 94 white fish. Ed Sittechinli brought fish and rabbits for himself. Ed Rsittechikknyoo arrived from Nrth River, and brought word of the death of his brother in law Kikuvihchik lately. He was evidently a sincere Christian" (McDonald 1900:88).

5 May 1901 Fort Yukon?

"Tzizyoo with one of his sons arrived last night from the region of North River, and brought me a letter from Rev. I.O. Stringer who visited the Indians of that quarter, and spent some time with two parties of them, during which time he administered the Lord's Supper to them and baptized a few children" (McDonald 1901:32-33).

This is the last of the entries about North River from McDonald's journal (he died at Fort Macpherson in 1910). There was no reference found indicating the use of "Old Crow" to describe the river or village in McDonald's journals.

ii) Origin of Old Crow

The Old Crow River was named for the great chief, Zzhe Gitlit, around the turn of the century (Leechman 1954, C.P. Charlie, personal communication to Morlan in 1970).

The present site of Old Crow has yielded only a few artifacts which suggest that any precontact occupation may formerly have existed there (Morlan 1973). Nor have archaeologists found any evidence of the reported large village "around Crow Point," the area around the mouth of the Old Crow River. This large village is supposed to have been associated with a fish trap which spanned the Old Crow River and which was operated under the direction of Chief Zzhe Gitlit. The village was apparently abandoned around the beginning of the 20th century, but all remains of it must have been washed away (Morlan 1973).

On one of first RNWMP patrols to link Dawson and Fort MacPherson, G. M. Skirving travelled in the fall of 1899 by steamer and canoe to the Old Crow River in search of three gold-seekers lost on their way to the Klondike (Steele 1936). At the Old Crow River he hired a dog team and travelled on to the Bell River, where he found the bodies of two of the men. He went on to Fort MacPherson before returning to Dawson.

John Tizya, a Vuntut Gwitchin preacher, built a cabin at the present site of Old Crow in 1906 (Morlan 1973) on the suggestion of Reverend McDonald.

Following the references to North River by Rev. McDonald in 1901, the next published glimpse of Old Crow and some of its people is given by Elihu Stewart, Superintendent of Forestry for the Canadian Government, who travelled from Fort McPherson to Fort Yukon in 1906 (Stewart 1913). He travelled with five (Vuntut?) Gwitchin from Old Crow; Charlie Fox and his wife, John Tizzard and his son Jacob, and John Quatlot, the leader. The camp of about 40 people at Old Crow was "on a point some forty feet above the river." The village consisted of a dozen tents and Stewart commented on the obvious struggle of the people for survival. Stewart continued down the Porcupine to Rampart House with Jacob Tizzard and John Quatlot, "John Tizzard remaining with his people at the Old Crow encampment." John and Jacob returned home over the mountains, "where they would be sure to meet the caribou and lay in a winter's supply of meat." Stewart describes "Old John Quatlot" as a man of "noble disposition", possessing "qualities that would adorn the life of the best in any society" (Stewart 1913:149) In saying goodbye, John Quatlot told Stewart that "he would return to his [home] at 'Old Crow'; that by-and-bye he would die and I would die, and that then we would make a long journey through the air; that finally we would meet, and the Great Spirit would join our hands again" (Stewart 1913:150).

In September 1911, during the smallpox epidemic at Rampart House, RNWMP Constable Fyfe, acting under instructions from Dr. Smith, reported that he was "leaving tomorrow for the mouth of the Old Crow River for the purpose of destroying infected camp sites and fumigating cabins, more especially the cabin of the preacher John as it was in his family that the disease made its

appearance and it is thought that smallpox probably was brought into the country by means of infected cast off clothing brought from Dawson" (RNWMP [Fyfe] 1911: Sept. 15).

In late November 1911 Fyfe "made a patrol to the Old Crow with dog team and an Indian as interpreter to visit the native camp there to warn them against going towards Peel River and to note their condition" (RNWMP [Fyfe] 1911: Nov. 6).

In late May 1912, Inspector Arthur E. Acland, RNWMP, travelled to Rampart House to investigate complaints made against Constable Fyfe by a member of the International Boundary Survey and against Dr. Smith for his conduct during the smallpox epidemic for the Department of Indian Affairs (RNWMP [Acland] 1912; June 27). As the people had left Rampart House before he arrived, he set off in early June to find them, travelling almost 500 km up the meandering Old Crow River in the Aurora. He was accompanied to the mouth of the Old Crow River by Reverend Whittaker of Fort McPherson, and to the head of the River by one of the complainants, D'Arcy Arden (heliographer with the survey party). Acland interviewed the Indians as he found them along the rivers, and "got all the information I could" as most of them spoke some English. "Their general opinion seemed to be that they had been well used and taken care of. An Indian preacher, Amos [Njootli], complained that he was not allowed to hold service on the Island while in quarantine. This was prohibited before the hospital was built as an effort was being made to keep the sick and well apart. I am of the opinion that the Indians were well treated but consider that the general business management of the epidemic was very poor" (Acland 1912:2). Inspector Acland left the head of the Old Crow on 12 June 1912 on the Midnight Sun, arrived at the mouth on 14 June, and travelled back to Rampart House by canoe.

iii) Development of Old Crow

Although the store at Rampart House was an attraction for the Vuntut Gwitchin and many families lived there for part of the year, there was still at least a seasonal occupation at the site of present day Old Crow, near the mouth of the Old Crow River.

When a pair of white trappers provided the Old Crow location with a store, a new village began to take shape. Although it is not clear, it seems that Oscar Schultz had a store at the site of Old Crow at least as early as 1912, e.g., "Schultz and Johnson had a store in 1912" (Balikci 1963).

The shift from seasonal camps to the more stable pattern of settlement such as at Old Crow must have been spread out over a period of at least half a century (Morlan 1973). However, the entire change may have occurred within the lifetime of many individuals and for them it must have been a very disruptive process.

The growth of the village of Old Crow through the 1920s through to the 1950s when people still wintered in small camps along the Porcupine River has been described by several authors (Leechman 1948, Balikci 1963). Among the significant changes were the building of the new church (with a roof recycled from the church at Rampart House) in 1926 and the relocation of the RCMP post from Rampart House in 1928.

In an upublished record of his memoires, Paul Nieman wrote about his travels between Lapierre House and Old Crow and provides a glimpse of life there in 1930 (Nieman 1934?, Njootli 1994). At the time of the Great Depression in Canada, Nieman described how the Vuntut Gwitchin went about their summer activities. "Some of the Indians (Vuntut Gwitchin) made packsacks for dogs to haul the meat down from the mountain. We certainly didn't have any depression here - everything was plentiful and everyone was happy" (Nieman 1934?:108). When Nieman was in Old Crow in early June 1930, there were about 50 at the village and about 100 trapping in Old Crow Flats. Nieman travelled with the Jackson brothers, Frank and Jim who operated a trading post at Old Crow and Lapierre House. Their boat, Moose, and a scow could transport 30 tons of gear from Fort Yukon to Old Crow (Njootli 1994). The Vuntut Gwitchin who lived at Johnson Creek and Whitestone villages in the early 1930s went to Old Crow or Fort Yukon to replentish supplies and no longer met at the traditional gathering camp at Klo-kut (Njootli 1994).

Only when the federal day school was built in 1950 did Old Crow become a year-round headquarters. Morlan (1973) agrees with Welsh (1970) that the existence and stability of Old Crow as a community was brought about and maintained by the presence and influence of Euro-Canadian institutions such as the store, the school, the church, and the nursing station.

For many years Old Crow was not the only community of its kind on the Porcupine River. As Morlan (1973) points out, Johnson Village, Whitestone Village, and even, possibly, a re-occupation of Lapierre House in the late 1930's might have offered competition for the distinction of being the only lasting community in northern Yukon. However, with a population of only about 200 Vuntut Gwitchin in the area, it is unlikely that the government would have provided services to more than one locality along the Porcupine River (Morlan 1973).