Yukon

a North American river. Its head waters gather in northwestern Canada. The Yukon flows northwesterly through Alaska to a point north of the Arctic Circle. It then turns southwesterly and pursues its course into Bering Sea. From the source of the Lewes in British Columbia to the mouth of the Yukon is a distance of 2,044 miles. The upper portion of the river threads bold mountain scenery; the middle portion is described as flowing through meadows--willow forelands; the lower part of its course winds across a vast and for the most part marshy plain. The mouth is a delta some eighty miles wide. There are many channels. Only the most northerly is deep enough to permit the entrance of ships. The Yukon is navigable for steamboats for a distance of 1,866 miles. It is closed to navigation by ice during eight or nine months in the year. In the summer season regular service is maintained to Dawson in the Klondike district. In length the Yukon is the fourth river of North America. It is the fifth river in the world, branches counted, in the length of navigable waters.