The Gold Rush of 1898
A Little History and A lot of Trivia
George Carmack Discovers GOLD!
- Arrived in the Dawson area 1887 as part of a survey
crew.Miner, who discovered gold along with Skookum Jim
and Tagish Charlie.
- Mined in the Forty-Mile area when he heard the
Indians talking about gold in small tributaries off the
Klondike River.
- On August 1896, George Carmack staked a claim on
Bonanza Creek and worked with Skookum Jim and Tagish
Charlie to work the claim.
- After 8 days of hard work they cleaned up the
sluice and they recovered approximately $1200 worth of
gold.
- After hearing of George Carmack's discovery - the
other miners rushed to claim stake a piece of
ground.
- Sometimes the gold that was recovered was worth
anywhere from about $5.00 - $150.00 per pan.
- Some miners sold their placer claims too early for
sums way below what it was worth not realizing how much
it was really worth.
- The Indians offered advice and help to the
stampeders.
- The stampeders that were well off hired the
Indians, both men and women, to pack their goods and
supplies up the steep mountain for $1 a pound. Other
stampeders just had to pack their own good and
supplies.
- The Indian women also sold moccasins and parkas
they had made to the stampeders who did not have warm
boots or adequate winter clothing.
- The natives were impacted by the influx of peoples
on their way to the Klondike gold fields. Their way of
life was greatly disrupted.
Ref: (1994) Leon, J.W., The Goldfield's of the
Klondike, Clairedge, Whitehorse:YT
The Great Stampede!
- The stampeders used an old trail used by the
Indians to trade goods with other native peoples.
- The trail is rugged and the snow and ice conditions
made it very difficult route to travel.
- Stampeders encountered avalanches and snow slides
along the trail that sometimes resulted in death.
- The trail is 30 miles long and climbs up to 3500
feet above sea level.
- The stampeders climbed up the Chilkoot trail and
climbed the steep incline up the "Golden Stairs"
to the summit of the Chilkoot Pass. The "Golden Stairs"
were steps cut into the side of the mountain with only
a single icy rope for a handrail.
- At the summit, the North West Mounted Police
checked each person to ensure that they had enough
supplies to last a year. If they did not they were
turned back.
- This trail was considered the better route to
travel into the interior.
- The other route, the White Pass trail was narrow,
steep trail that followed the Skagway river.
- The stampeders travelled the steep trails with
their horses burdened with heavy loads of goods
and supplies.
- The horses sometimes fell under loads suffering
from exhaustion or broken legs or fell off the steep
path.
- Approximately, 3000 or more horses died along this
route that it became known as Dead Horse Gulch.
- Stampeders suffered a lot of hardship and
heartbreak during their journey to the goldfields.
Ref: (1997), Wilson, G., The Klondike Gold Rush:
Photographs from 1986 -1899
OK ... so what was it REALLY like?
- The news of the gold discovery reached the outside
world in July 1897.
- This news of the gold discovery triggered a rush
fever and the stampede to the north began.
- People of all walks of life jumped at the
opportunity to strike it rich in the gold fields and
boarded ships for the long journey to the northern
frontier.
- The North West Mounted Police denied entry into the
Yukon to any person who did not have at least a years
supply of food.
- A years supply of goods and food weighed
approximately 2000 lbs. and included flour, dried
vegetables, and dried meat.
- Almost overnight, Skagway and Dyea sprang up.
Skagway was the entry point for the White Pass trail
route and Dyea the entry point for the Chilkoot trail
into the Yukon.
- The Chilkoot was the considered the better route of
the two trails because it was already an established
trade trail used by the Indians.
- While most stampeders persisted in their quest for
the gold fields others gave up and turned back when
they saw the conditions they would have to endure just
to get to the gold fields.
- These stampeders had to travel the Chilkoot trail
or the White Pass trail, also known as the Dead Horse
trail (many horses died there), traverse the Golden
Stairs, and paddle the Lindeman and Bennett lakes
(often windy and choppy) down onto the Yukon River.
Other difficulties they had to endure were paddling
through the Miles Canyon rapids, the Whitehorse rapids,
and the Five Finger Rapids.
- Upon reaching the lakes, these gold seekers built
boats from scratch. They chopped down trees and made
rough lumber to build their boats. Many of these people
did not have any boat building experience.
- Miles Canyon was dangerous to paddle through and
many people lost their lives. Others lost their goods
and supplies when their boats were swamped in the
rapids.
Some Interesting Tidbits
- Skookum Jim (Indian name Keish) and Dawson Charlie
( k 'aa Goo x )
- Both were Tagish Indians (Tlingits)
Ref: (1995). Backhouse, F. Women of the Klondike,
Whitecap:Vancouver,BC
