John Bremner facts for kids

John Bremner (1833–1887) was a brave prospector and one of the first explorers of Alaska. He helped map new areas and lived among different Native Alaskan groups.

Early Life and Adventures

John Bremner was born in Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, a town in Scotland. He later moved to Iowa in the United States. After a while, he left his farm and family. He likely worked as a sailor, traveling to different places.

Living in Alaska

In 1884, John Bremner was found living by the Copper River (Alaska). He was the only non-Native person in an area where the Copper Indians, also known as Yellowknives, lived. During the warmer months, he searched for gold.

From 1884 to 1885, he wrote a diary about his winter with the Copper River Indians. He lived in a cabin with a Native woman he called "Ma Nuska." His diary entries were later published in a book called Shores and Slopes of Alaska.

Exploring with the Allen Expedition

In early 1885, John Bremner joined an important expedition led by Lieutenant Henry Tureman Allen. Lieutenant Allen was a graduate of West Point, a famous military academy.

The group traveled about 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) through parts of Alaska that no one had explored before. The team included Lt. Allen, Private Frederick W. Fickett, Sergeant Cody Robertson, and another prospector named Peder Johnson.

On March 29, 1885, they started their journey up the Copper River. They explored the Chitina River and then continued up the Copper River to the Slana River. From there, they traveled down the Tetlin and Tanana rivers to the Yukon River.

In the fall of 1886, Bremner and Johnson decided to stay in a town called Nuklukyet on the Yukon River. Today, this place is known as Old Station. The rest of the group continued their journey. Lt. Allen and Pvt. Fickett explored the Kanuti and Koyukuk rivers. They then went to the Unalakleet and traveled to St. Michael.

Their journey was later called "one of the greater explorations in the history of North America." Two places, Allen Glacier and Mount Allen, are named after the expedition's leader, Lt. Allen.

Later Years and Legacy

John Bremner and Peder Johnson bought supplies for prospecting at Nuklukyet. They spent the winter of 1886–1887 in the Central Yukon River area. In the spring of 1887, they searched for gold on the Koyukuk River.

Later, while prospecting on a river that was named John's River after him, John Bremner died during a conflict with local people.

Places Named After John Bremner

Several places in Alaska are named in honor of John Bremner:

• The Bremner River is part of the Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve. It flows into the Copper River about 88 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of Katalla.
• The Bremner Glacier, which is 13 kilometers (8 miles) long, is where the North Fork of the Bremner River begins.
• The town of Bremner, Alaska, is a small settlement on the Copper River near Chitina. It has an airstrip and is home to the Bremner Historic Mining District, a special historical site.
• The John River is formed by two creeks and flows 201 kilometers (125 miles) south to the Koyukuk River.