in the spring aboard the little steamer ‘Lizzie Horner’. Unfortunately when she was being assembled at Fort St. Michaels in the fall, it was discovered that an important part was left behind in Sitka. She was not able to get-up steam properly without the boiler foaming. At one point there were several natives aboard totally natives to jump overboard. They would not come back onboard calling the ‘Lizzie Horner’ the “devil kiyak”. Without the steamer, how would telegraph supplies, food etc. be moved up-river where needed during the summer. This break down was “a bust” for Major Kennicott’s plans.
The Major wanted to make a trip to Fort Yukon, about 500 miles up-river, but kept it began to rain making travel impossible. Two men, CAPT. Ketchum and LT. Mike Lebarge did make a late start for an overland trek to Fort Yukon and arrived just before break-up of the ice. They returned by canoe.
Left: CAPT. Frank Ketchum Right: LT. Mike Lebarge.
Lake
Lebarge, a widening of the Yukon River, is named after this French Canadian. The name became widely known due to the Robert Service poem, “The Cremation of Sam gold miner during the Yukon Gold Rush of the 1890’s.
Robert Kennicott was chosen by Western Union on recommendation of the Fort Yukon during a three year trip collecting natural history specimens. He had the Hudson Bay Company send his specimens to the Smithsonian or the Chicago Academy of Science which he co-founded. Kennicott talked Western Union into
up in Russian America with him. The stress of running the Russian America division along with the responsibilities of taking care of his men, transportation problems, not enough food and wanting to collect specimens but not having the time weighed heavily on the Major. On May 13, 1866 Kennicott was found dead on the beach at Nulato. His compass was at his side in a circle etched in the sand with several radiating lines as though he was taking bearings on points across the river. At age 31, Robert Kennicott was dead of an apparent heart attack.
September 2018
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