The Tatshenshini River (; Tlingit ''Tʼachanshahéeni'', Southern Tutchone ''Shäwshe Chù'') is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in the

Canadian boreal forest Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, in the southwestern

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

and the northwestern corner of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

. It originates in British Columbia, near

Haines Highway The Haines Highway or Haines Cut-Off (and still often called the Haines Road) is a highway that connects Haines, Alaska, in the United States, with Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada, passing through the province of British Columbia. It follows ...

. It flows north into Yukon, then it turns west and south before it returns into British Columbia, where it flows through the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park. There it joins the

Alsek River The Alsek River (; Tlingit ''Aalseix̱' '') is a wilderness river flowing from Yukon into Northern British Columbia and into Alaska. It enters the Gulf of Alaska at Dry Bay. Most of the Alsek River's basin is within protected wilderness areas ...

, which then flows into the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

, United States. It is popular for wilderness rafting trips.

History

This river was used as a vital trade route by First Nations, in particular the coastal Tlingit people. The first Europeans to travel the present-day Tatshenshini River were Jack Dalton and Edward Glave in 1890, accompanied by two native guides. Prior to 1891, the present-day Tatshenshini River was considered to be the upper Alsek River., at pp. 15, 18-19 (“All-segh'”; “Katch-kwae-wugh”; “Ta-tchan-seena”). (At that time, the present-day upper Alsek River was considered to be the lower Kaskawulsh River.) In or about 1891, the present-day Tatshenshini River (pre-1891 upper Alsek River) was assigned the name ''Tatshenshini'' by the Canadian government, and the pre-1891 lower Kaskawulsh River became the present-day upper Alsek River.The Canadian government assigned the name ''Alsek'' to the present-day Alsek River in 1891. , at page 19 (Alsek River). It is presumed that the Canadian government assigned the name ''Tatshenshini'' to the present-day Tatshenshini River at the same time. At the very latest, the change had occurred by 1898. About 1897, Jack Dalton established a trading post near the location where the present-day Tatshenini begins to flow westward. This trading post flourished during the Klondike Gold Rush. Today, the site of Dalton's trading post is a popular location for salmon fishermen, and it is the launch point for rafting trips on the Tatshenshini River. The Tatshenshini River was designated a

Canadian Heritage River The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS; french: Le réseau de rivières du patrimoine canadien) is a joint program administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river he ...

in 2004.

Etymology

Prior to 1891, the name ''Tatshenshini'' did not refer to the present-day Tatshenshini River. Instead, the name referred to the present-day Blanchard River, which is a tributary of the present-day Tatshenshini River, located about upstream from Dalton's trading post. In 1891, or shortly thereafter, the Canadian government reassigned the name ''Tatshenshini'' from the present-day Blanchard River to the present-day Tatshenshini River. Apparently, the government did this without knowledge of the English translation of ''tatshenshini''. The name ''Tatshenshini'' is derived from a Tlingit phrase, the meaning of which was not recorded., at page 253 (''Tatschants-hīni'').
The original 1885 German edition at page 383, ''Tatschants-hīni''
However, the original phrase appears to have been ''t’áchán shahéeni'', a compound

Tlingit noun Like nouns in many Native American languages, the Tlingit noun is easily conceptualized but difficult to formally define. It can be simple or compound, and can be derived from verb forms as well as other nouns. It is marked for case, but not no ...

meaning ''river with stinking chinook (king) salmon at its headwaters'' (''t’á'' 'chinook or king salmon''+ ''chán'' 'stink''+ ''sha'' 'head of''+ ''héen'' 'river''+ ''i'' ossessed noun suffix)., at pp. i (''i''=possessed noun suffix), 1-6 (''chán''), 1-24 (''héen''), 1-40 (''shá''), 1-44 (''t’á''), 2-27 (''head of''), 2-46 (''river''), 2-47 (''chinook ingsalmon''), 2-56 (''stink''). (Since a stink 'chán''is always created by something, no possessed noun suffix is needed following ''chán''.) The Tlingit phrase ''t’áchán shahéeni'' describes the present-day Blanchard River (pre-1891 Tatshenshini River). Chinook (king) salmon run up the present-day Tatshenshini River to the Blanchard River and, thence, up the Blanchard River.After the present-day Blanchard River lost the name ''Tatshenshini'' (presumably, in 1891) until 1915 (when it was assigned its present-day name), the Blanchard River was known as ''Bear Creek''. (The Blanchard River was not known as ''Kleheela''; ''Kleheela'' was a variant name for the Klehini River, which flows into the Chilkat River.)
''Annual Report of Inspector A. M. Javis'' at page 100, App. H., Part 3, Annual Report of North-west Mounted Police 1898
''reproduced at'', Sessional Papers Vol. 15, 8th Parliament, 4th Sess. (1899) (Kleheela River is south of summit and south of Rainy Hollow; salmon go up Bear Creek to spawn; present-day Tatshenshini River is referred to as “Alsac,” a variation of its original name). At the headwaters (''shahéen'') of the Blanchard River, the salmon (''t’á'') die, and their carcasses stink (''chán''). These headwaters were on the old Tlingit trail and trade route between Haines, Alaska and Lake Kusawa, Yukon., at page 214 (map: “Tatschanzhīni”).

References

{{authority control Rivers of Yukon Rivers of British Columbia Canadian Heritage Rivers Atlin District International rivers of North America

History

Etymology

See also

References