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July 1923, Panorama of the Pelly River Valley with the Pelly Mountains visible in the background.
July 1923, Panorama of the Pelly River Valley with the Pelly Mountains visible in the background.
Yukon Archives: #7112
Return to the Wilderness Idyll: Ross River
 
The Thistle trip

"In a few days we arrived at Selkirk, at the mouth of the Pelly River, where the clumsy old ‘Thistle’, was waiting to take us the two hundred and fifty miles upstream to Ross River. She was too big for the river, as the Pelly’s channels, excepting in high water, were too shallow for a boat of her size. Her barge was loaded to the hilt as it carried the traders’ supplies for the whole Pelly country as well as our own." ("Ross River", 15)

Group shot at Ross River, 1922.
Group shot at Ross River, 1922.
Yukon Archives: #8436
The trip up river took about 11 days, rather than the usual five. Though Mary recalled they lost count owing to the long hours of daylight in June. The ship made frequent stops to load fuel wood, which was chopped by passengers as well as crew! The river continued to drop in the warm weather and the Thistle frequently became stuck on sandbars. This meant unloading all the freight, then reloading the boat once it was freed. At one point they were delayed for a full 24 hours when the propeller broke.

What a relief when Ross River appeared around a bend! "It was with intense interest that I met the little company assembled there, knowing they were the only human beings I would see for a very long time to come. The natives, particularly interested me. These childlike people, unspoiled by white man’s influence, were very shy at first with the only white woman they had ever seen." ("Ross River",16)
    Settling in, making friends