Arctic Alaska settlement in Arctic Alaska was driven first by discoveries of gold and later on by the extraction of petroleum. The ecosystem consists largely of tundra covering mountain ranges and coastal plains which are home to bears, wolves, sheep, oxen, reindeer, and numerous species of birds, the north coast has been defined as the Arctic coastal tundra ecoregion. Arctic Alaska is also the location of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The Arctic experiences midnight sun in the summer and polar night in the winter. Arctic Alaska Arctic Alaska
Ptarmigan (sternwheeler) allowed the vessel to be more capable of pushing barges, which increased the vessel's utility and effective cargo capacity. "Ptarmigan" was placed on the Columbia River route that began at Golden and ran south, at least during high water, to Columbia Lake, the ultimate source of the Columbia River. In 1903, soon after completion, "Ptarmigan" was sold to the Columbia River Lumber Company, which hired Armstrong to manage its steamboat operations. In 1907 "Ptarmigan" hit a snag and sank (A snag is a sunken log jammed in the river bottom but sticking up through the water to just below the