Susitna

The Susitna River flows south between the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna Mountains toward Cook Inlet. Dena’ina communities lived along its lower and middle reaches, maintaining villages and seasonal camps near streams and salmon runs. In spring, people of the lower river brought eulachon to exchange with Dena’ina of Knik Arm. Farther inland, the Dashq’eht’ana hunted in the mountains in autumn and returned to their villages for winter, while salmon caught at fishing camps were dried and stored. Russian fur traders reached the region in the late eighteenth century.