The Yukon, a hostile territory prized for its gold
The Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899 brought fame to the area in the late 19th century. It was in the Klondike River area, specifically Bonanza Creek, that in August 1896 George Washington Carmack, Dawson Charlie and Skookum Jim Mason found gold and believed they were approaching the mother lode, the main source from which other gold deposits in western Canada originated. Another version exists: it would be his wife, an Indian, who after cooking fish in a pan, went to wash it in Bonanza Creek. Nuggets remained at the bottom of the pan. This discovery marked the beginning of the Klondike (also called Yukon or Alaska) gold rush.
A year later, in July 1897, the news spread like wildfire along the mining camps of the Yukon River valley and quickly reached British Columbia and California, areas that were just recovering from several major gold rushes, including those in Fraser Canyon and the Cariboo. Immediately, the Klondike and the future Dawson City were overrun by thousands of feverish prospectors who came to try their luck. The gold seekers were of all genders, nationalities, social conditions and ages. They left their wives, children and jobs to embark on a quest whose difficulties they did not realize.
Among them, the young writer Jack London will describe the extreme harshness of the journey and living conditions in this new Eldorado, lost in the Canadian Far North. A veritable human tide, a total of 100,000 will come to take part in this adventure, of which almost 40,000 will reach the end in Dawson City alone. Although a total of about 390 tons of gold has been extracted from the Klondike since its discovery, few of them will become rich during the gold rush, and most of those who undertook the journey arrived when all the interesting concessions had already been granted and the vein was already exhausted. The rush was short and was already almost over by 1899. Many gave up their lives in spite of their hopes and aspirations to become richer and have a better life full of promise. Between 1896 and 1899, the equivalent of 29 million dollars worth of gold was found in the region.A long and perilous journey for a few grams of yellow metal
You have to imagine the men at that time, in single file, loaded with their equipment and provisions, struggling to cross the snowy slopes. They had to face the other men, the avalanches, the cold, the violence, the loneliness, the wild animals like the bears and the wolves which prowled near the camps. Anyone could go on an adventure, most without any preparation, full of hope and carelessness, leaving everything behind. Coming from as far away as Australia, Southeast Alaska was the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush with those arriving by sea, especially from Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. It was necessary to equip oneself in a very strict way before leaving for the Klondike, but above all it was necessary to get there! A year's worth of supplies, or nearly a ton of material and food per person, was required to cross the border between the United States and Canada. Ships coming from all over the world reached Skagway or Dyea, in Alaska, the two main departure points for the mines. Then you had to buy a horse, sled dogs or find porters to carry all the equipment. Then came the departure for the Klondike. Each prospector had to choose between two options. The first was to take the White Pass Trail from Skagway, which was the easiest route but also the longest. This route could be taken with sled dogs, which made the journey more comfortable. The second most popular route was the Chilkoot Trail, or Chilkoot Pass, which was the shortest (53 km) but most difficult route from Dyea. The two trails met on the shores of Bennett Lake, British Columbia, the gateway to the gold-bearing rivers of the north, where thousands of men gathered for the last leg of the journey, so much so that the lake was considered the busiest port on the North American continent during the spring of 1898 with nearly 10,000 campers. The boat or raft replaced the horses and other porters for a journey through lakes and then rivers to reach the Yukon River. After passing the rapids of Miles Canyon, nicknamed Whitehorse (white horses) because of the permanent foam of the place, it was necessary to find THE right river full of gold for those who were lucky enough to be still alive. Once a claim was found, all one had to do was plant four stakes to form a 165 m square and become the owner. Competition was fierce and it was better to keep quiet when a concession was "given". Murders went unnoticed! The climate spared no one, and the cold and bad weather killed many men and animals. Thus, on the morning of September 17, 1897, one of the greatest catastrophes awaited the gold seekers. After a particularly hot summer, a lake formed in the center of one of the glaciers overhanging the road. The rainy fall that followed swelled the lake and broke the ice dam, bringing water, snow and ice blocks. No one could ever say with certainty how many men died in this catastrophe.
At the time of the gold rush, the Yukon River, although dangerous, was transformed into a veritable highway. In addition to the boats and other makeshift rafts built in haste by the most hurried or broke prospectors, a veritable industry of paddlewheelers and steamers took off. It was necessary to take the candidates for fortune to Dawson City, to bring back the sick, the disappointed, but also the new Balthazar Scrooge, and to transport tons of cargo: food, for dogs and horses in particular, mining equipment, dynamite, but also the most refined food and fabrics for the new fortunes.
The 2,736 km of waterway of the Yukon River was the privileged access route to the Klondike region and made it possible to reach Dawson by two routes: the Whitehorse-Dawson City route from the southern Yukon and the St. Michael-Dawson City route from the far west of Alaska.
None of these steamboats remain from the gold rush. Those that have been saved, such as the S.S. Klondike in Whitehorse, the S.S. Nenana on the Pioneer Park in Fairbanks or the S.S. Kenothe Keno, built at Whitehorse, was the first of its kind in the United States. The Keno, built in Whitehorse in 1922, was assigned to the Stewart-Mayo District route (290 km) along the Silver Trail. Silver, lead and zinc ore from the Mayo mines were loaded on board.The prospector of the time
A lot of gear was needed when prospectors crossed the border between Alaska and Canada. A cargo sled cost between $400 and $600 and weighed between 1200 and 1500 pounds, or 600 to 750 kg, sometimes even as much as 1 ton! And it was impossible to travel lighter because the Canadian Mounties checked at each border crossing that all Klondike candidates had enough to survive for about a year. In order to cross certain steep passes, such as the famous Chilkoot Pass with its 60° snow-covered slope, it was necessary to make a number of exhausting round trips.
Dawson City, the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush..
Dawson City was a simple Amerindian camp of the Tlingit community at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers. In a few months, it became a real boomtown during the gold rush. Dawson City was once the most important city in the West after Winnipeg and Seattle, so much so that it was the capital of the Yukon until 1953 before Whitehorse was declared as such.
Miners are still present in Dawson City, and it is even possible to own a gold mine for CAD$15. 164 million CAN$ in gold were found here during the last great gold rush, after the one in Colorado and California. Be aware that it is still possible to pay with gold in addition to the current currency in Dawson City. Once very established, it became a commercial hub and many equipment stores sprang up to supply the gold seekers. This was followed by the bars, restaurants and saloons that kept the town alive. The town has kept its charm of yesteryear and its western feel with its wooden sidewalks and typical facades. Although it no longer has the extravagant look of the past, it is not difficult to imagine what life was like in Dawson during that glorious period. Many events still revolve around gold and bring to life the wild adventures of the past, including the gold panning championship in July. In 1959, Dawson City was declared a National Historic Site. The city's population is now estimated at 2,250, and it's amazing to think that it has grown to a population of nearly 40,000. Those who wish to fully relive the gold rush era by traveling to Dawson City will be able to try their luck and succumb to gold fever just like the adventurers of the time. Several sites allow visitors to put on the muddy garb of the Klondike gold digger and become a character in Jack London's novels, such as the Discovery Claim National Historic Site of Canada and Claim #6, where visitors can learn about gold panning.
Dawson was nicknamed the "Paris of the North": the charms of the Belle Epoque added spice and color to the lives of miners. Champagne, good food, good wine, operas and ballets were among the cultural delights on offer. Don't miss the famous Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall, a must-see on your trip to experience the eccentricity of the city's past. And explore the Dawson City Museum to discover many artifacts from the Gold Rush era.Jack London
At the time of the gold rush, the young Jack London, then barely 21 years old, disembarked with thousands of other Americans in the Klondike region from San Francisco. Deeply moved by the discovery of these great spaces populated by men struggling against a nature both terrible and beautiful, but also by the native culture of the American Northwest, Jack London will be inspired by his observations to feed many of his novels. In A Great Northern Odyssey, Malemute Kid rides his dogsled through the snowy trails of the Dawson City area. In the superb novel Radiant Dawn, Burning Daylight returns from Alaska covered in gold but cannot become the man he was before. In The Call of the Wild or White Fang, the description of the landscape and its inhabitants, men and animals, have fed the imagination of thousands of readers. For visitors in a hurry, the short stories Les Enfants du froid, Le Fils du loup, Perdre la face, Le Dieu de ses pères, among others, are a fascinating dive into the universe of the writer and of this singular period. The replica of Jack London's cabin stands in the town of Dawson and bears witness to the presence of this man full of hope who did not leave any richer, except for his adventure stories that retrace this atmosphere with great fidelity. The Jack London Museum allows you to discover his destiny in more detail.
A major boost for Western Canada
Northwestern Canada owes a great deal to this last gold rush in terms of its development, both commercially and in terms of its infrastructure and attraction. This migratory wave and this craze allowed the opening up of this territory with the arrival of businesses, means of transportation and the influx of people making the territory dynamic.
Many people stopped along the way, turned back, exhausted by the harsh terrain and the hardships. This migratory flow doubled the population of Vancouver, for if only 40,000 migrants arrived in Dawson City, 60,000 stopped en route, notably in British Columbia.
This Klondike gold fever saw the emergence of new towns like Dawson City, which quickly modernized and installed electricity and telephones. With the growing number of gold seekers and to secure their passage, the construction of a railroad was launched in 1898 when everyone thought the project was completely crazy because of the difficulties it presented. The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway represented 26 months of hard work and a $10 million project. Four great magnates contributed to its success: Samuel Graves, John Hislop, E.C Hawkins and Michael J. Heney. In the summer of 1899, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, following the White Pass Trail, arrived at Bennett Lake. With the advent of the nearby White Pass Valley Railway in 1899, the Chilkoot Trail fell into disuse, as did the town of Dyea. The work was completed in 1900, with approximately 180 km of track, a challenge that cost the lives of many men and animals. A tourist train still runs today on the original White Pass rail line, which was designated an International Civil Engineering Heritage Site in 1994.
