Charlie Biederman's Interview

Charlie Biederman
Tape #H95-14

Charlie Biederman met with Laurel Tyrrell in November of 1994 in a small rented apartment located in Fairbanks, Alaska. There, terminally ill and under-going treatment for stomach cancer, he lived out the last few months of his life. His vitality and sense of humor demonstrate a zest for life and the old times as he reminisced about family history.

Charlie lived and worked along the Yukon River much of his life. He was raised in Eagle and spent many years at Biederman's Camp on the Yukon River. The cabin now serves as a check-point for the Yukon Quest sled dog race. He remembered his times hunting, fishing, and trapping along this great river. As a young man he mushed dogs to deliver the mail along this route and recalled knowing many old-timers and their activities in the country. He commented on the changes that have taken place and some of the reasons they have come about.

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Charlie Biederman Talks with Laurel Tyrrell about...

1) Introduction.
Yukon Charlie - resource utilization\ Biederman's cabin|

2) Family ties.
Biederman, Charlie - born\ Amundsen Cabin\ Eagle\ Eagle Village\ Biederman, Charlie - family\ summer camp- Biederman's cabin\ Charley Creek\ Kandik\ Biederman's Bluff - naming\ moving - reasons\ Charley River\ travel - river\ mail carrier|

3) Mining and trapping.
gold mining - earning living\ seasonal - activities\ Charley Creek\ Woodchopper\ Coal Creek\ Sam Creek\ Nation River\ 4th July Creek\ gold mining - hydraulic\ Bower, Richard\ Ellingen, Casper\ Central\ Patty, Ian\ Gold Placers\ Coal Creek Alluvial Gold\ dredges - arrival|

4) Old timers
trapping - earning living\ Charley Creek\ Taylor, Jim\ Nation River\ Nelson, Chris\ Phonograph Nelson\ Erickson, Oscar\ Van Bibber\ Charley Creek\ Fish, Frank and Al\ Summerville, Pete\ Olson, Ed\ Eagle\ trapline - passing|

5) Old timers and trapping.
Woodchopper\ Coal Creek\ Welch, Jack\ McGregor, George\ McGregor, Harry\ Charley River\ Hannah Creek\ Andrew Creek\ Eureka Creek\ Webber Creek\ Moon, Charlie\ Connick, Hank\ wood camp - Sheep Creek\ Miller, Frank - Hiney Miller\ wood - steamboat\ gold mining - 4th July Creek\ Bower, Dick\ Woodchopper\ Sam Creek|

6) Charlie's trapping.
Charlie Creek\ mail carrying\ Eagle\ Fort Yukon\ trapping - learning\ Biederman, Charlie - brother\ Summerville, Pete\ trapline - ownership\ trapping - muskrat|

7) Unwritten laws of trapping.
trapline - passing\ trapline - cabins\ Fish, Frank and Al\ Taylor, Jim\ Biederman, Charlie - father\ trapline - use permission|

8) Animals and trapping.
trapping - earning a living\ marten\ coyotes\ lynx\ coyotes - population fluctuation\ Biederman, Charlie - brother\ lynx - population fluctuation|

9) Seasonal activities.
rabbit - cycle\ trapline - transportation\ fish - dog feed\ fish camp\ fish - king salmon amounts\ fish - dog salmon amounts\ fish - fish wheel\ fish - resale\ summer - fish\ summer - gold mine\ winter - trap|

10) Salmon fishing on the Yukon.
fall - transporting dried fish\ roadhouse\ fish wheel - ownership\ Biederman, Charlie - father\ neighbors\ fish wheel - Welch, Jack\ Woodchopper\ fish wheel - Aimes, Al\ Webber Creek\ Circle|

11) Fishing season.
fish - king salmon\ fish - dog salmon\ fish - cycles\ family work\ Biederman, Charlie - brother\ Biederman, Charlie - sisters|

12) Hunting.
hunting - territory\ Charley Creek\ hunting - moose\ hunting - caribou\ Eagle\ Biederman, Charlie - niece\ hunting - increased pressure\ hunting - no waste|

13) Local knowledge about game habits.
Charley River\ caribou - population shifts\ regulation - agency\ hunting season - moose\ hunting season - caribou\ Charley Creek\ Crazy Man Island\ moose - movements\ regulation - hunting \ hunting - non-residents\ hunting - meat utilization\ regulation - local knowledge|

14) Caribou.
regulation - local knowledge\ hunting - meat utilization\ regulation - hunting\ hunting - abuse\ wolves - increased game\ wolves - trappers keep down|

15) Grizzly bears as predators.
grizzly bear - game animals\ grizzly bear - killing moose\ Biederman, Charlie - niece|

16) Gold mining in the country.
gold mining - environmental regulation\ regulation - gold mining\ gold mining - small operation\ regulation - local knowledge\ gold mining - resource|

17) Gold mining.
gold mining - fish impact\ regulation - outsiders|

18) Mail delivery by dog sled.
Biederman, Charley - father\ Biederman, Charley - brother\ travel - freezeup\ Eagle\ Charley Creek\ Circle|

19) Circle to Eagle mail trip.
steamboat\ mail run - time\ Dawson\ De Wolfe, Percy\ Forty Mile\ Eagle\ Circle\ Fort Yukon\ trail\ weather\ dog - teams|

20) Trail on the Yukon.
trail - through ice\ trail - through trees|

21) Affect of river conditions on travel and breakup.
river ice\ Charley Creek\ Eagle\ flood\ Circle

22) Winter of '36 - '37.
Chatanika\ Circle\ Roman, Walter\ Thorenson, Bert\ horses\ Twelve Mile Summit\ Eagle Summit\ O'Leary, Maurice\ Jewell, Walter\ Central \ dog - teams\ horses\ 40 Mile\ Dawson|

23) Stopping places from Eagle to Circle.
Sheep Creek - wood camp\ Miller, Frank\ Nation River\ Stout, Earl\ 4th July Creek\ Charley Creek\ Kandik\ Dolphus, Cap\ Roadhouse - Woodchopper\ Welch, Jack\ Coal Creek|

24) Stopping places continued.
Twenty-six Mile\ travel - cooking for self\ travel - roadhouse\ Kregor, Fred\ Nation River\ Stout, Earl\ Roadhouse - Circle|

25) Charley Creek being named.
Charley Creek\ Kandik\ Charley River\ Indian Village\ Dolphus, Cap\ Chief Charley\ Charlieville\ moving - reasons\ Circle\ Eagle.

26) Charlie's ancestors and Medicine Lake.
cabins - moved by ice\ Charlieville\ Chief William Joseph\ Medicine Lake\ Carlisle\ Berdahl, Johnny\ Biederman, Charlie - grandfather|

27) Charlie's ancestors and Medicine Lake continued.
Biederman, Charlie - grandfather\ Biederman, Charlie - great grandfather\ Chief Chanatee\ Medicine Man\ winter - Medicine Lake\ summer - Yukon River\ Sixteen Mile\ fall - Medicine Lake\ travel - reasons\ Circle - founding|

28) Charlie's ancestors and area growth with the discovery of gold.
Biederman, Charlie - mother\ Circle - founding\ Preacher Creek\ Medicine Lake\ Preacher Creek - found gold\ Jewell, Wilber\ Mastodon\ Mammoth\ Deadwood\ Dawson\ Preacher Creek - lost gold|

29) Wives walking behind the chief
Chief Chanatee\ Biederman, Charlie - grandfather\ Biederman, Charlie - mother\ tradition - walking with wives|

30) How some native people get their names.
Biederman, Charlie - mother's relatives\ Solomon, Paul\ Circle\ name - Indian\ name - white\ Biederman, Charlie - mother\ Roderick, Bella.|

31) Charlie's family establishes Biedermanís.
Biederman, Charlie - parents\ Charley Creek\ roadhouse\ King, Tom\ Biedermanís - founding\ Yukon Quest\ bunkhouse\ O'Leary, Eddie\ cabin - tin roof\ cabin - reasons some survive\ Miller's camp\ Nation |

32) A memorable mail trip on the Yukon.
weather - cold\ Charley Creek\ Woodchopper\ trail - cold weather\ Eureka Creek\ Circle\ Webber Creek\ Woodchopper Bluff\ weather - wind|

33) A memorable trip continued.
weather - wind\ dog team - driving\ Welch, Jack\ Woodchopper\ weather - cold\ Charley Creek\ frost bite - cheeks\ frost bite - fingers|

34) A memorable trip continued.
dog team - care\ dog team - dog size\ dog team - size team|

35) Mail contracts.
clothing - warm\ trail - conditions\ mail - amount\ mail run- time\ airplane - arrival|

36) Changes with the advent of airplane.
mail - delivery\ Woodchopper\ Coal Creek\ passengers\ trail - conditions\ emergency rations|

37) Use of dog team and sleds for mail carriers.
dog team - acquisition\ dog team - size\ dog - sled\ trail - conditions\ weather - sled use|

38) Tales of the sleds.
sled builders\ Mayo, Charlie\ Olson, Sam\ sled - patching\ Biederman, Charlie - father\ Dolphus, Cap\ Eagle Museum|

39) Fishing
Charley Creek\ Biederman, Charlie - father\ fish wheel\ net\ King Salmon - amount\ fish - preservation\ fish - limit self\ Biederman, Charlie - niece|

40) Charlie's children and grandchildren.
Biederman , Charlie - children\ Biederman, Charlie - daughter\ hunting - learning\ fishing - learning|

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