Legendary Lake

In the early 1950s, geologic work by Oscar Ferrians in Alaska's Copper River basin showed the existence of the shorelines of a large ancient lake which had filled the whole basin. Old shorelines were found as high as 2,650 feet, the height of Mentasta Pass between the basin and the upper Tanana Valley. Carbon dating of material from the area revealed that the highest shoreline existed 9,600 years ago.

This lake was apparently formed during the last glacial period by glaciers cutting off the normal flow of the Copper River through its valley below Chitina. At one time, the lake may have actually drained over Mentasta Pass into the Tanana River, but glaciers probably blocked that outlet also and so the lake may have become an inland sea.

Even more interesting is the fact that Mr. Ferrians later read reports of local Indian legends that tell of a large ancient lake in this area. The legends were written down before Mr. Ferrians discovered the lake. This incident demonstrates that historical information can survive for perhaps thousands of years in the form of legends passed verbally from generation to generation.