Mendenhall River
Dǘ Chù – Driftwood River – Mendenhall River
Southern Tutchone
Dǘ Chù ädų Chänk’ǜa ts’än ninlį k’e Nakhų̈̄ Chu täninlį ch’e.
Kàtthe k’e Jo-Jo kùye kwäch’e nà äyū. Gùdan ghāl tän kų̀lį k’e dän äyū nä̀ną̀ njè nà.
Gúch’än tän kwä̀tsį k’e gas station yè mbä̀t kų̀ äyū nä̀nitth’ät. Kàk’e k’etl’ą̀ kàshà dän Shadhäla ts’ä̀n ń-dä̀nijel.
English
Dǘ Chù (Mendenhall River) flows from Chänk’ǜa (Taye Lake) to Nakhų̄ Chù (Takhini River). The name describes the large amount of drift and brush in the creek. At the place where Dǘ Chù crosses the Alaska Highway, there was once a highway which became a focal point for people in the surrounding area. This was also once the first gas station west of Whitehorse, and some elders recall seeing cars for the first time at Dǘ Chù.
Did you know?
The English name honors Prof. T.C. Mendenhall (1841-1924), Superintendent of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey. The name was given by E.H. Wells, the leader of the Frank Leslie Illustrated Newspaper Expedition which explored the southwest Yukon in the summer of 1890.