The 'Porcupine River' is a
river in
Alaska and in the
Yukon. Having its source in the Ogilvie Mountains north of
Dawson City, Yukon, it flows north, veers to the southwest, goes through the community of
Old Crow, Yukon, flowing into the
Yukon River at
Fort Yukon, Alaska.
The Porcupine
caribou herd, considered by many to be threatened by
oil-drilling in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, gets its name from the river.
The oldest (but disputed) possible evidence of human habitation in North America were found in a cave along one of its tributaries, the Bluefish River. A large number of apparently
human modified animal bones have been discovered in the Bluefish Caves. They have been dated to 25,000 to 40,000 years old by
carbon dating — several thousand years earlier than generally accepted human habitation of
North America.
See also
★
List of Alaska rivers
★
List of Yukon rivers