Yukon who is who

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Pitka Pavlof Minook
	
Pitka Pavlof was the son of Peter Alexander Ismailovitch Pavlof who was ordered by the Russian government to make a survey of the Yukon River as far as could in the summer of 1838. Peter reached Russian Mission (Nulato) where he met and married Diadau, the daughter of Grumchak, a chief from the Kuskokwim region. They had five children: Sarah, Peter, Pitka (named for Lt. Pitka of the Russian Imperial Navy), Chiniuk, and Tatiana.((Dawson Museum, Correspondence from Donald Harper who included the manuscript "F. S. Harper October 20, 1941, Arthur Harper: Pioneer of the Yukon, History of Alaska.")) Pitka had a brother, Ivan John Minook, and a sister Erinia Pavlof, who married Sergei Cherosky.((Thomas K. Bundtzen, “Ivan John Minook.” Alaska Mining Hall of Fame Foundation, 2024 website:  Ivan John Minook (alaskamininghalloffame.org) ))

[Pitka] Pavlof took the Americanized name of Minook and was called this for the rest of his life. Minook was respected by Arthur Harper and had friends up and down the Yukon delta. He learned to speak English at Fort Yukon after extensive travels in the interior of Alaska.((Dawson Museum, Correspondence from Donald Harper who included the manuscript "F. S. Harper October 20, 1941, Arthur Harper: Pioneer of the Yukon, History of Alaska.")) 
	
Minook was employed by Jack McQuesten as an interpreter.  McQuesten travelled with his translator to Fort Reliance [in the 1870s], so McQuesten is incorrect when he says he was alone for five years.((Donald W. Clark, //Fort Reliance, Yukon: An Archaeological Assessment.// Mercury Series Archaeological Survey of Canada.  Paper 150. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1995: 16, 24.)) [McQuesten was also married at the time, so he may have been referring to the lack of other fur traders in the area.]
	
Pitka and [Cherosky?] were "authorized" and outfitted by McQuesten in 1893 to search for gold on Birch Creek. They had mined before on this creek, but McQuesten wanted them to do a more extensive survey up from their camp which was 26 miles from the mouth. They found enormous quantities of gold at the head of the creek, but it was very hard to extract. They returned in the fall to get better equipment and give McQuesten his share. They tried to keep the find a secret, but the claims had to be recorded and a stampede ensued.((Dawson City Museum, Correspondence from Donald Harper who included "F. S. Harper October 20, 1941, Arthur Harper: Pioneer of the Yukon, History of Alaska.")) Word that Pitka and Cherosky had discovered gold on Birch Creek in 1892 caused a stampede of miners from the Fortymile.((Warren Yeend, "Gold Placers of the Circle District, Alaska - Past, Present and Future." US Geological Survey Bulletin 1943. 1991: 2-5.))

Henry Lewis, John McLeod, and Gus Williams went over in July 1893 and made a discovery on Birch Creek at a place known as Pitka's Bar. McQuesten grubstaked all who wanted to prospect the new area and thirty men went over from Forty Mile.((Warren Yeend, "Gold Placers of the Circle District, Alaska - Past, Present and Future." US Geological Survey Bulletin 1943. 1991: 2-5.)) In 1894, McQuesten established a post at a point closest to the camp and the Yukon River and called it Circle City.((Dawson City Museum, Correspondence from Donald Harper who included "F. S. Harper October 20, 1941, Arthur Harper: Pioneer of the Yukon, History of Alaska."))
	
Two creeks in the Rampart area are called Little Minook and Big Minook creeks because Minook had some interests on them when he was mining on Birch Creek.((Dawson City Museum, Correspondence from Donald Harper who included "F. S. Harper October 20, 1941, Arthur Harper: Pioneer of the Yukon, History of Alaska."))
	
Harper backed Pavlof for a post near Nuklukayet/Noochuloghoyet.((Dawson Museum, Correspondence from Donald Harper who included the manuscript "F. S. Harper October 20, 1941, Arthur Harper: Pioneer of the Yukon, History of Alaska.")) This place became known as Rampart. In 1900, Judge James Wickersham visited Rampart and found a long line of empty cabins belonging to miners who had stampeded to Nome. There were buildings for the two big mercantile companies and two store, one run by Al Mayo and one run by John Minook, Pitka’ brother.((James Wickersham, //Old Yukon.// Washington: Washington Law Book Co., 1938: 48-49.))