For centuries, people in most climates found that mercury thermometers worked well enough to keep track of the temperature outside… But what about the times when the weather is so cold that even Mercury freezes? Such was the challenge in Yukon during the early days of European settlement. It wasn’t just a matter of idle curiosity, either– the weather often got cold enough that a person outside could quickly die of hypothermia. So it was important to know what you were up against before you left your cabin.
Enter “ Yukon Jack” McQuesten. Born Leroy Napoleon McQuesten in Maine, he had gone west for the California Gold Rush, and when that didn’t pan out, headed north. Eventually, he ended up about 10 km(six miles) South of present-day Dawson City where, in 1874, he established a trading post called Fort Reliance. It was there he invented a thermometer that saved the lives of many people. He called it the “Sourdough Thermometer,” after the local nickname for Prospectors who ate a lot of sourdough bread. it was surprisingly simple, yet brilliant.
Damming Evidence
North American beavers are smaller than only the South American capybara, which
