The Teslin River is a river in southern

Yukon Territory Yukon () is a territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s westernmost territory and the smallest ...

and northwestern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, that flows from its source south of Teslin Lake to its confluence with the

Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...

. During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–99, the river became a popular route to the Klondike gold fields near

Dawson City Dawson City is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest municipality in Yukon. History Prior t ...

with the stampeders who had crossed the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...

by routes such as the Chilkoot Trail or the White Pass trail. The English name of the Teslin River is derived from native names. In the local

Tutchone language Tutchone is an Athabaskan language spoken by the Northern and Southern Tutchone First Nations in central and southern regions of Yukon Territory, Canada. Tutchone belongs to the Northern Athabaskan linguistic subfamily and has two primary var ...

. spoken north of the lake it was called ''Délin Chú '' and the Chilkat

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

called it ''Deisleen Héeni''. In the

Tlingit language The Tlingit language ( ; ' ) is an Indigenous language of the northwestern coast of North America, which is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada and is a branch of the Na-Dene language family. Extensive effor ...

the local ''kwaan'' or tribe of Inland Tlingit call themselves ''Deisleen Kwáan"'', meaning "Big Sinew Tribe". Prospectors and explorers passing through the region recorded that the local natives called the river ''Teslin-tuh'' or ''Teslin-too'', from which we get the English name. The portion of the river upstream of the lake (south of the lake) was officially designated the Whiteswan River from 1904 to 1951. The other major feeder streams of the system, via Teslin Lake, are the Jennings River, from the southeast, and the Swift River, from the east-northeast.

Black Spruce ''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of Newfoundland and Labrador and is tha ...

is a significant tree within the Teslin River watershed.Parks Canada. 1976

References

* C. Michael Hogan
''Black Spruce: Picea mariana'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg, November, 2008
* Andrew Hope III, Alaska Native Knowledge Network. 2000
''Map of Tlingit Kwaans and Territories''
* Parks Canada. 1976. ''Wild Rivers: Yukon Territory'', Published by Wild Rivers Survey, Planning Division, Parks Canada, 84 pages

Line notes

{{authority control Rivers of British Columbia Rivers of Yukon Atlin District Cassiar Country Tributaries of the Yukon River

See also

References

Line notes