Lazarus Charlie tells of travel to Kâachik as a boy
Since I remember, we stayed about 180 miles upriver every year. In September, we started here; we came after breakup, springtime. We were all up there, every one of us, until 1942, ’44.
Before gasoline engines we would track the boats up river. When I was small, I rode in the boats while the adults and dogs walked. Sometimes there was a big fight between all the loose teams. I was 10 years old in 1928, ‘29. At this time John Nukon and his family moved to Chuutl’it after freezeup. The nearest trading post was Zheh Gwatsal . There was not too much imported food, just a little bit of flour, sugar, like that, in the boat. Jim Jackson and his brother had set up a little trading post at Zheh Gwatsal so we could go there when we were short of something. In the springtime [April], we went to Fort McPherson for shells and tea.
In 1933 my father bought a 12 horsepower inboard motor in Fort Yukon. It was sure slow but pretty good for those days. Around this time, there were six or seven families at Kâachik including my uncle John Charlie and Moses Tizya. At Chuutl’it were John Nukon, Uncle Joe Netro, Paul Josie, and John Moses and all his family. In 1944 there was a post at Chuutl’it [Joe Netro’s store], which was a one day trip from Kâachik . Travel to Old Crow from Kâachik with dog teams, breaking trail, took 4 days.