Aishihik [Cars ##264, 380] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit áa shá yík, which means
in the head of the lake. Aishihik Lake located 28 kilometers north of
Alaska Highway Kilometer 1546, via Aishihik Lake Road. Aishihik River located at Alaska Highway Kilometer 1547.5.
Alaska [Mile Post 0 to 20.4] is the English adaptation of the
Aleut idiom , which
figuratively refers to mainland Alaska.
Literally, it means object to which the action of the sea is directed ( [sea] + [object of action]).
Alsek [Car #314] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit verb theme
aa łsêxh, which means
a person habitually rests. It was the name of a Nóogaa (
Tlingit) village located on the
pre-1891 Upper Alsek River (
post-1891 Tatshenshini River), near the mouth of the O'Connor River. Alsek River flows into the
Gulf of Alaska. American Shed [MP 19.2 Station] was named for a snow shed on the American side of White Pass, which existed until the 1980s. This name distinguished this shed from a snow shed on the Canadian side of White Pass. Annie Lake [Car #360] was named for Annie Austin (1870–1950), widow of
Charles "Dawson Charlie" Henderson (co-discoverer of gold in the
Klondike). Lake located 19 kilometers southwest of Robinson, via Annie Lake Road.
Atlin [Car #218 and a Barge] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit phrase
áa tlein, which means
big lake.
Atlin Lake located 96 kilometers south of
Alaska Highway Kilometer 1342, via
Atlin Road. Bare Loon Lake [Car 2nd 202] was named for
skinny dipping and wailing
loons. 1970s
Chilkoot Trail hikers sometimes skinny dipped and sometimes heard loons wail at this lake. This lake provided those hikers their last opportunity to bathe before boarding the train at Bennett.
Un-officially named "Beaver Lake." The lake was originally one of at least four lakes which had borne the
Tlingit name
kusawa [narrow lake]. Bennett also located at
Chilkoot Trail Kilometer 53.1. Bernard Lake [Car 2nd 209] was named for James Bernard "Ben" Moore (1865-1919), who helped establish the White Pass Trail.
Un-officially named "Fraser Lake." Lake located at Mile Post 27.7 and at
Klondike Highway Kilometer 36.5, adjacent to the Fraser station. Big Kalzas Lake [Car 2nd 230] was named for Kalzas (
fl. 1859), a
Northern Tutchone employee of the
Hudson's Bay Co. Big Salmon Lake is 9 kilometers downstream from the river’s headwaters at
Quiet Lake. Quiet Lake is at
South Canol Road Kilometer 98.5. Black Cross Rock [Mile Post 10.4 Station] is a large fallen rock with grave marker, which commemorates two construction workers who were accidentally crushed and buried by this rock on August 10, 1898. This accident occurred during blasting operations. One of the workers was Maurice Dunn (1861-1898), who had lived in Michigan and California. The other worker is "supposed to be", "A. Jeneaux," but there is little or no corroboration for that latter name. Black Lake [Car #216] was named for the lake's dark appearance, which is caused by the presence of
tannic acid and by the lake's
not being fed by
glacial runoff. Lake located on the
Klondike Highway between Mile 4 and Mile 5. Boulder [current Mile Post 4.4 Station] was named for boulders located in the
Skagway River at this location. Canyon [former Mile Post 106.0 Station] is named for
Miles Canyon, to which it is adjacent. The name
Caribou Crossing was moved from Ten Mile Point to present-day Carcross in 1900, when the railroad arrived and appropriated the name. Prior to 1900, present-day Carcross had been
Upper Caribou Crossing. The Tagish name for Upper Caribou Crossing (present-day Carcross) had been
Todezáané [Sand Always Blowing]. The Tlingit name for Upper Caribou Crossing had been
Naadaashaa Héeni [Stream Flowing from the Mountain]. Carcross also located at
Klondike Highway Kilometer 105.6. Carr-Glynn [former Copper Branch station, 5.2 rail miles from MacRae] was named for
Sir Sidney Carr Glynn (1835-1916), first chairman of the WP&YR. or
Chíl [storehouse]
Gaat [sockeye salmon]
Héen [river]. Standing alone,
Chíl Gaat Héen is not even a complete
phrase, because it contains only three
alienable nouns that are not
grammatically linked. In addition,
Chíl Gaat Héen does not appear to be an
Eyak loanword, because the Eyak language was too far away, because
héen is not an Eyak word, and because
chíl was probably inherited from the ancestor language, common to both Tlingit and Eyak, instead of having been loaned from one offspring to the other. In fact,
chíl gaat héen looks like a
clause that is missing the
verb. The three nouns,
chíl gaat héen, are in the correct sequence, so that if the
adverb yaa and the verb
na-ø-tee-n [brings] were added at the end, then the resulting clause would accurately describe the Chilkat River.
Chíl-de gaat héen yaa na-tee-n means
river that brings the storehouse(s) sockeye salmon – which in fact describes the Chilkat River. (The
constituent word order of a Tlingit clause is: indirect object
equivalent, then
direct object, then
subject, followed by the verb.) In addition, the meaning of this clause would also explain why “Chilkat” had not been the Tlingit name for Chilkat Lake. Chilkat Lake’s Tlingit name had been
Áa Ká [On the Lake]. The name
Chilkat was officially assigned to the lake in 1880 by the
U.S. Navy. Chilkat River extends sinuously between
Haines Highway Miles 4.3 and 23.8. Chilkat Lake located six miles south of Haines Highway Mile 26.2, four miles via the Chilkat Lake Road, and two miles via shallow rivers (on
jetboat or
snowmobile).
Chilkoot [Car 2nd 204] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit phrase
chíl-góot, which means
without a storehouse. This name was a reference to the Chilkoot Indians' having stored fish packed in snow between alder or willow branches, instead of in storehouses. Chilkoot Lake located 10 miles north of Haines: 9 miles via Lutak Road and 1 mile via Chilkoot Lake Road.
Chilkoot Trail is a partial translation of the trail’s
Tlingit name, namely
Chilkoot Dei-yi \dā•yee\, which means
Chilkoot-owned Trail. The trail’s English name omits the reference to ownership. The trail extends 33.0 miles/53.1 kilometers, from Dyea Road Mile 7.2 to Bennett Station. The second word of
Chilkoot Dei-yi sounds like the Tlingit pronunciation of the name of Dyea village. The English adaptation of the village name is \dī•yee\ – however, Tlingit did not have the English long
ī sound. Prior publications state that the name
Dyea is the English adaptation of the words for “to pack” [
yaa] or “carrying place” [
yaa yé]. But, the presence of the initial \d\ sound in
Dyea casts doubt on those latter possibilities, and suggests that the first syllable was in fact
dei (as in
dei-yi). Use of the name
Dyea for its present location first occurred in 1886, when
John J. Healy (1840-1908) and Edgar Wilson (1842-1895) opened a trading post there. This structure burned down in 1920. Its site, about 0.6 mile south of the Taiya River bridge, is now near a campground parking lot. (Note the distinction between the Tlingit
possessed noun Dei-yi [Owned Trail], and the Tlingit phrase
Dei Yé [Way to the Trail]. This distinction is reflected in the difference between the English names
Dyea and
Taiya (
inlet name,
river name).
See,
Taiya, below.)
Choutla [Car #366] was the English adaptation of the
Southern Tutchone idiom chu dläw, which
figuratively refers to the waterfalls that feed Choutla Lake.
Literally, it means
laughing water. This name was coined in 1911 by
Bishop Isaac O Stringer as the name for a nearby school. Choutla Lake located six kilometers east of
Klondike Highway Kilometer 65.7, via Tagish Road. Clifton [Mile Post 8.5 Station] was named for the rock ledge overhanging the tracks at this location.
Copper River [Car #304] was named for abundant copper deposits along the upper river. Lake located at former Mile Post 94.7. Cowley [former Mile Post 95.1 Station] and Cowley Lake [Car #234] were named for
Isaac Cowley Lambert (1850–1909), chairman of the construction company which built the WP&YR railroad. The Denver Glacier had been named in 1899 or 1900 for
Denver, Colorado, by two former Denver residents, WP&YR civil engineer Alfred Williams and company photographer Harry C. Barley. Dewey Lake [Car #220] most likely named for
Adm. George Dewey (1837–1917), U.S. Navy. Lake located mile east of Skagway, via steep hiking trail.
Dezadeash [Car #254] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit phrase
dáas’aa kayáash, which means
snare platforms (for fishing). Dezadeash Lake extends between
Haines Highway kilometers 193 and 210. Divide [Mile Post 21.1 Station] is the loop track switch, just north of White Pass. May have been named for the
drainage divide between the
Skagway River and
Yukon River drainage basins, the actual divide being about a mile south of this point.
Dugdale not to be confused with
Dundalk, below. Dundalk [Mile Post 56.3 Station] most likely named by
Michael J. Heney for
the port city 57 miles east of
Killeshandra, Ireland. Heney's parents had emigrated from Killeshandra to Canada in 1854, probably via Dundalk. The parents were Thomas Heney (1832-1892) and Mary Ann (McCourt) Heney (1834-1911).
Dundalk not to be confused with
Dugdale, above. Ear Lake [former Mile Post 107.2 Station] was named for the shape of the adjacent lake. The glacier and lake subsequently took their names from the cape. (There is a less likely Fairweather Lake at a remote location in eastern Yukon.) Fantail Lake [Car 2nd 203] was named for the fantail hitch, which is a
dogsled hitch in which there is a separate tug line connecting each dog to the sled. The dogs are thereby fanned out in front of the sled. Also known as a
fan hitch. The fantail hitch is less common than the gangline (or tandem) hitch, in which a common tug line runs between two tandems of dogs, and each dog is connected to that common tug line. The ice on Fantail Lake constituted part of the Fantail Trail, the winter dogsled trail that extended between Log Cabin and
Atlin, British Columbia. The lake extends from 20 to 29 miles east of Log Cabin, via the trail. Finlayson Lake [Car #340] was named for
Duncan Finlayson (1796–1862),
chief factor of the
Hudson's Bay Co. The lake's previous
Southern Tutchone name had been ''Kwätan'aya Mân'' [Going-Into-the-Bush Lake]. The lake now extends between
Klondike Highway kilometers 238 and 248. Foy [Mile Post 11.4 Station] was named for Hugh Foy (1842-1899), White Pass Superintendent of Construction. Goat Lake [Car #386] is named for the high concentration of mountain goats in the area. Gravel Pit [Mile Post 55.6 Station] was named for an adjacent gravel pit. Shed removed in 1992. Site renamed to
Hawkins in 2019. Hawkins [Mile Post 17.6 Station] was named for Erastus C. Hawkins (1860-1912), chief engineer for construction of the White Pass railway. The two flatcars near the bottom of the hillside at this location are former WP&YR ##483 and 1015, carried down in a 1977 snowslide. Site named
Hannan until 2019. Heney [former Mile Post 12.3 Station] and
Michael J. Heney [Car #401] were named for
Michael J. Heney (1864-1910), the labor contractor who built the WP&YR railroad. Heney station was eliminated in 2019. Homan Lake [Car 2nd 208] was named for Charles A. Homan (1847–1918), U.S. Army
topographer who accompanied
1Lt. Frederick G. Schwatka along the Yukon River in 1883.
Hutshi [Car #358] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit phrase
hóoch’ áayi, which means
last lake. Hutshi Lake was so named because it was the northern-most lake on three Chilkat trade routes, the
Neskatahin Trail [
Neskatahin Dei-yi], the Silver Lake Trail [
Dáanáak’w Dei-yi], and the Big Glacier Trail [
Sít’ Li-gei Dei-yi]. Hutshi Lake located 48 kilometers north of
Champagne (
Alaska Highway Kilometer 1513), via the Neskatahin Trail. Inspiration Point [Mile Post 16.9 Station] was named for the vista seen from this location. Kathleen Lake [Car #270] was named for a girl in
Berwickshire County, Scotland, left behind by William "Scotty" Hume (1868–1952), a
North-West Mounted Police constable (Reg. #2259) stationed on the
Dalton Trail from 1898 to 1903. Lake located kilometer west of
Haines Highway Kilometer 219.7, via Kathleen Lake Turnoff. Keno [Steam-Stern Wheel Boat] was ultimately derived from a French term which means
five winning numbers; a game of chance. The boat was immediately named for the Keno (
silver)
claim, staked in 1919 by Alfred Kirk Schellinger. Gravel is abundant in the Klehini River and Valley. Furthermore, the water in the Klehini is clear enough, so as to eliminate
l’éiw from meaning
sand or
silt. River extends sinuously between
Haines Highway Mile 23.8 and Kilometer 87 (corresponding to Mile 50).
Klondike [Car #308 and Steam-Stern Wheel Boat] is the English adaptation of the
Hän idiom ''Tr'o Ndek
, which figuratively means Hammer River
. Literally, it means Chinook (King) Salmon River''. The reason for the figurative meaning is that hammers had been used to erect
fishing weirs in the Klondike River, in order to catch the
Chinook salmon. Kluane Lake extends between
Alaska Highway kilometers 1642 and 1701.
Klukshu [Cars ##282, 348] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit phrase
l’ook shù, which means
end of coho salmon. Klukshu Lake located kilometer east of
Haines Highway Kilometer 183.2, via Klukshu Turnoff.
Kusawa [Car #286] is a
contraction of the
Tlingit phrase
ká-woo-sáa-oo áa, which means
narrow lake. Because retreating
glaciers often leave long and narrow lakes, there are at least four lakes which had borne this Tlingit name, including Kusawa Lake, Yukon, for which the coach is named. "LeBarge Lake" [Car #256] is a misspelling of
Laberge Lake. The name "Log Cabin,"
and an actual log cabin, predated any Canadian government structure at this location. Lorne [former Mile Post 79.4 Station] was named for
John D. S. Campbell, Marquess of Lorne (1845-1914), Governor-General of Canada, 1878-1883. Mackenzie River [Car #310] was named for
Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1764–1820), Arctic explorer. Lake extends between
Alaska Highway kilometers 1367 and 1379. Mayo Lake [Car #236] was named for Alfred H. Mayo (1846–1923), a Yukon trader. McNeil Lake [Car #342] is named for the McNeil River, which flows through the lake. McNeil River was named in 1951. It looks like the river was named for James H. McNeil (1871-1951), Yukon Superintendent of Public Roads and Buildings, 1917-1945. He had been the most prominent Yukon official associated with construction of the
Alaska Highway. In 1940, he was appointed to the
U.S.-Canada Permanent Joint Board on Defense, relating to the then-proposed Alaska Highway. The river's previous
Tlingit name had been
Kéidladi Héeni [Seagull River]. McQuesten Lake [Car #338] was named for
LeRoy N. "Jack" McQuesten (1836–1909), Yukon trader.
Presumably, the 1899 stable at the south (uphill) end of the Thompson River meadows was so located so that horses could feed on the grass of these meadows. Minto [former Mile Post 81.6 Station] was named for
Gilbert J. Elliott-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto (1845-1914), Governor-General of Canada, 1898-1904. Morrow Lake [Car 2nd 207] was named for William Richard Morrow (1915–1968), Yukon
corrections director, who proposed that
convicts maintain the
Chilkoot Trail. Lake located at Chilkoot Trail kilometer 30.7.
Muncho [Car #252] is the English adaptation of the
Kaska phrase
men cho, which means
big lake. Muncho Lake extends between
Alaska Highway kilometers 698.5 and 710. Munroe Lake [Car #344] was named for Alexander Munro (1857-1909), boundary survey axe man who broke his leg near this lake in 1901. which means
People Sitting Upstream. Nares Lake [Car 2nd 206] was named for
Adm. Sir George S. Nares (1831–1915), an Arctic explorer. This name looks like a Tlingit language description of the Yukon River just downstream of
Whitehorse Rapids, which would have been correct, but does not pre-date 1900. Prior to October 1899, Whitehorse itself had not existed, and there had been no reason for the Indians to give its future location a name.
Neecheah [
Neech Yeil’] appears to be a short Tlingit language description of Whitehorse that was created in 1922 to name the boat.
Neskatahin [likely candidate for a car name] is a contraction of the
Tlingit phrase
Nás’k Áa Tayee Héen, which means
River Below Three Lakes. This name refers to a village once located at a bend in the present-day
Tatshenshini River, which is about 500 feet below, and about miles from, three nearby lakes – now known as Pringle Lake, Stella Lake, and Neskatahin Lake. These three lakes lie on plateaus which overlook the river bend. Neskatahin was also 114 miles from Haines, via the
Neskatahin Trail [
Neskatahin Dei-yi].
Nisutlin [Car #272] was a
loanword used by the
Tagish Indians. Its origin had been neither
Tagish nor
Tlingit. (The original Tlingit name for the Nisutlin River had been
Héen Tlein [Big River].) The name
Nisutlin was borrowed from a
Southern Tutchone phrase which means
strong flow. Nisutlin Bay located at
Alaska Highway kilometer 1243. Norcom [Steam-Stern Wheel Boat] was named for the Northern Commercial Co., an affiliate of the Northern Navigation Co. "Norse River" [Car #306] was a misspelling of
Nourse River, which had been named for Prof. Joseph E. Nourse (1819-1889), U.S. Navy. Circumstantial evidence suggests that it is a translation of the corresponding
Tlingit metaphoric name. Octopus Lake is just east of Summit Lake at White Pass. Its surface elevation is 15 feet above Summit Lake's. Octopus Lake extends between Mile Post 21.2 (Divide) and Mile Post 22.5.
Partridge Lake [Car #505] was named for Otto H. “Swampy” Partridge (1855-1930), who constructed three small steamboats near this lake in 1898 (
Flora,
Ora, and
Nora). Pavey [Mile Post 46.4 Station] was named for Francis Pavy (1837-1902), an early investor in the WP&YR. Peace River [Car #330] was named for the peace treaty made in 1781 along the shores of this river, near its mouth (near
Peace Point, Alberta). This treaty settled a territorial war between the
Cree and
Dane-zaa (Beaver) Indians. River located at
Klondike Highway Mile 6, and across the
Skagway River from WP&YR Mile Post 7.3. "Portage Lake" [Car #267] is the
un-official name for the lake at WP&YR Mile Post 30.5, just north (downstream) of Shallow Lake and just south (uphill) of Maud Lake. Then,
un-officially "Shallow Lake," until 1899, when
Shallow became the official name for the lake just to the south (upstream). Lake also located at
Klondike Highway kilometer 41.1. Primrose Lake [Car #274] was named for
Supt. Philip C. H. Primrose (1864–1937),
North-West Mounted Police (Reg. #O.56). Rapid Spur [former Mile Post 109.0 Station] was named for the adjacent
White Horse Rapids. On March 27, 1900, ten weeks before the railroad reached this point, Mr. Cornelius Curtin (1855-1900) had died of
pneumonia at White Horse Rapids. His attending physician had been Dr. Leonard S. E. Sugden. Dr. Sugden then transported Mr. Curtin's body to
Tagish, where he cremated it in the firebox of the steamer
Olive May. Dr. Sugden's subsequent recount of this peculiar event to
Robert W. Service,
inspired Mr. Service to write the fanciful poem
The Cremation of Sam McGee. Red Line [Car #5] was named for the stage and boat line which operated between
White Pass, British Columbia, and
Carcross, Yukon, from 1898 to 1901. Schwatka Lake was created by a dam in 1958 and is located at former Mile Post 107.7. Scotia Bay [former Taku Tram Mile 2.2 Station] was probably named in 1898 for
Nova Scotia, by prospector Kenneth C. McLaren (1867-1931), who had come from Nova Scotia.
Sibilla [Gasoline-Screw Propeller Boat] had been the name of the yacht on which the financier of the White Pass, namely
William B. Close, spent much of his youth.
Skagway [Mile Post 0.0 Station] and Skagway River [Car #300] is the English adaptation of
sha-ka-ԍéi, a
Tlingit idiom which
figuratively refers to
rough seas in the Taiya Inlet, that are caused by strong north winds.
Literally,
skagway is a
verbal noun which means
pretty woman. The story behind the name is that
Skagway [“Pretty Woman”] was the
nickname of Kanagoo, a
mythical woman who
transformed herself into stone at
Skagway Bay and who (according to the story) now causes the strong, channeled winds which blow toward
Haines, Alaska. The rough seas caused by these winds have therefore been referred to figuratively by using Kanagoo's nickname,
Skagway. The Kanagoo stone formation is now known as
Face Mountain, which is seen from Skagway Bay. The Tlingit name for Face Mountain is
Kanagoo Yahaayí [Kanagoo's Image/Soul]. (North winds
prevail at Skagway from November to March. South winds prevail from April to October.) Skagway also located at
Klondike Highway Mile 0. Skagway River bridges at Yakutania Point Trail Mile 0, Klondike Highway Mile 1.8, and WP&YR Mile Post 14.2.
Skagway River Branches: •
East Fork: The East Fork branches off the Skagway River, opposite current WP&YR Mile Post 4.4. Slippery Rock [MP 15.6 Station] was named for the 50° to 60° rock slope adjacent to the track, from which snow and ice slide onto the tracks during the winter and spring. Ironically, Squanga Lake also contains whitefish now known as "
Squanga whitefish," which are a different species from the
lake [humpback] whitefish which gave this lake its name. Squanga Lake located at
Alaska Highway kilometer 1315.9. Stewart River [Car #328] was named for James G. Stewart (1825–1881), who discovered this river in 1849. River located 286 kilometers south of
Alaska Highway Kilometer 1002, via
Cassiar Highway. Summit Lake [Cars 2nd 200, #262] was named for the
White Pass summit. Lake located at Mile Post 21, just north of the White Pass summit. Previously, it had been one of at least four lakes which had borne the
Tlingit name
kusawa [narrow lake]. This name refers to the
sound that the Tagish River ice makes during spring breakup. The
Tagish Indians adopted this name to identify themselves because, prior to 1898, they spent their winters along the Tagish River. The Tagish name for present-day Tagish Lake was
Taku because the lake provided access to the
Taku Tlingit people. Conversely, the
Tlingit (and consequently English) name for present-day Tagish Lake is
Tagish because the lake provided access to the Tagish people. Tagish Lake extends between
Klondike Highway kilometers 78 and 95.
Taiya \tī•ye\ [Car #302] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit name
Dei Yé \dā ye\. Tlingit did not have the English long
ī sound. As used,
Dei Yé meant
Way to the Trail. Specifically,
Dei Yé – standing alone – was the Tlingit name for the
combination of the present-day
Taiya Inlet –
plus the eight-mile, canoe-navigable portion of the present-day
Taiya River, which begins at the mouth of the Nourse River. Other than
Yé [Way], there was no word in the original name which would correspond to an inlet or to a river. Thus, the name
Dei Yé referred to the
Waterway to the Chilkoot Trail, from the south end of the Taiya Inlet, to the north end of canoe navigation on the Taiya River. A 1973 publication states that
Taiya “purportedly” is the English adaptation of the words for “carrying place” [
yaa yé]. However, the presence of the initial \t\ or \d\ sound in
Taiya or \Deyah\ or \Dayay\ casts doubt on the
yaa yé [carrying place] possibility, and suggests that the first syllable was in fact
dei (as in
dei yé). North of the Nourse River, the present-day Taiya River was named
Sít’ Yayík [“Noisy Glacier,” a reference to nearby Sheep Camp Glacier]. (Note the distinction between the Tlingit
possessed noun Dei-yi [Owned Trail], and the Tlingit phrase
Dei Yé [Way to the Trail]. This distinction is reflected in the difference between the English names
Dyea (
village name) and
Taiya.
See, Chilkoot Trail, above.) Taiya River located at Dyea Road Mile 7.3.
Takhini [Cars ##284, 354] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit metaphor téix héeni, which
literally means
broth, and
figuratively refers to
Takhini Hot Springs.
Tarahini had been derived by eliminating
yaa and by substituting the English \ra\ sound for the Tlingit aspirated \.aa\ sound. Thus, all
vocal sounds in
Tarahini occur in English. The reason for the subsequent alteration from
Tarahini to "Tarahne" is not known.
Tatshenshini [Car #312] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit phrase
t’á chaan sha-héeni, which means
river with stinking chinook (king) salmon at its headwaters. This name refers to the dead salmon at the headwaters of the
pre-1891 Tatshenshini River (
subsequently the Blanchard River). These headwaters are along the Silver Lake Trail [
Dáanáak’w Dei-yi], one of the three Chilkat trails between
Haines and Hutshi Lake, Yukon). The headwaters were 100 miles from Haines via this trail. In 1891, the name
Tatshenshini was re-assigned to a different river.
Pre-1891 Tatshenshini River (
subsequently the Blanchard River) located at Haines Highway Kilometer 144.8.
Post-1891 Tatshenshini River located 5 kilometers west of
Haines Highway Kilometer 164, via Dalton Post Road.
Taye [likely candidate for a car name] is the English adaptation of the
Southern Tutchone word
tàłe, which means
northern pike. Northern pike are abundant in Taye Lake. Nevertheless,
Tàłe [“Taye”] was not actually the Southern Tutchone name for the lake itself. The Southern Tutchone name for the lake itself is
Chįį’a K’üa, which means
Side Stream, Where One Sets Fish Traps for Spawning Salmon. The
Tlingit name for the lake is \Yut-tae-ghat’\ or, more likely,
Óot’-dei Xáat, which refers to
Salmon Running Toward Stone Fishing Weirs – possibly, the same fish traps referred to in the Southern Tutchone name. (Salmon once were present in Taye Lake, but no longer are.) Taye Lake located 18 kilometers north of Champagne (Alaska Highway Kilometer 1513), along the
Neskatahin Trail [
Neskatahin Dei-yi].
Teslin [Car #242] is the English adaptation of the
Northern Tutchone phrase
dé-lin, which means
flowing out. The
official name of this stream is
Tutshi River. Tincup Lake is named for a lake at a
remote location north of
Kluane Lake.
Tutshi [Car #260 and Steam-Stern Wheel Boat] is the English adaptation of the
Tlingit metaphor t’ooch’ áayi, and
figuratively means
dark lake. The contraction is
Ųųg Han, if the \ųų\ remains
nasalized, or
Yuk Han, if there is no vowel nasalization. In the 1840s, different
tribes had different opinions as to the literal meaning of
Yukon. In 1843, the
Holikachuks had told the
Russian-American Company that their name for the river was
Yukkhana and that this name meant "big river." However,
Yukkhana does not literally correspond to a
Holikachuk phrase that means
big river. Then, two years later, the
Gwich'ins told the
Hudson's Bay Company that their name for the river was
Yukon and that the name meant
white water river. the Holikachuks were in a position
to borrow the Gwich'in contraction and
to conflate its
meaning with the meaning of
Kuig-pak [River-big], which is the
Yup'ik name for the same river. For that reason, the
documentary evidence suggests that the Holikachuks had borrowed the contraction
Ųųg Han [White Water River] from Gwich'in, and erroneously assumed that this contraction had the same literal meaning as the corresponding Yup'ik name
Kuig-pak [River-big]. Yukon River begins at the foot of
Marsh Lake, kilometers south of
Alaska Highway Kilometer 1383. ==See also==