Historically, two Native groups occupied and/or utilized the Chilkoot Trail and Chilkoot Pass region: the coastally adapted Chilkoot Tlingit and the Tagish Athapaskans of the continent’s interior (Figure 3.2). The Chilkoot and closely related Chilkat are the northernmost Tlingit tribes historically known to inhabit the coastal areas surrounding the Lynn Canal. The Chilkoot tribe occupied areas surrounding the Chilkoot Trail, established small settlements at Dyea and Skagway, and controlled the trade routes from the coast to the interior; specifically the Chilkoot Tlingit Raven Clan claimed the controlling interest of the Chilkoot Trail (Rasic 1998).
