DAWSON CITY THE KLONDIKE CITY
D
awson City’s exciting gold rush history makes it one of the most interesting towns to visit in the Yukon or Alaska. The Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s only lasted a few short years, but it’s legacy lives on. More than a Century later, gold mining remains an economic mainstay in the region. The Dawson area has produced close to 14 million ounces of gold in the past 120 years. It all began with Robert Henderson, a fur trapper and part -time prospector who, in 1894, found gold in Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza) not far from where the Klondike River empties into the Yukon. When he had finished prospecting this clear, shallow stream, he was certain he was close to a major find. Two years passed, however, before he could persuade his friend, George Carmack, to go into the area. Carmack and his native companions, Tagish (Dawson) Charlie and Skookum Jim, explored the area around the river the First Nations people called “Tr’ondek”—or Klondike to English tongues. The three lucky prospectors discovered gold on Bonanza Creek on August 16, 1896 and the Klondike Gold Rush was on! 92
The Yukon
A short time later, at the nearby mining camp of Fortymile, Carmack registered the claim. Within days, Bonanza and Eldorado Creeks had been staked from end to end. Carmack did not tell Henderson, who ended up missing out on the richest claims. Thirty thousand pick-and-shovel miners, prospectors, storekeepers, saloon keepers, bankers, gamblers, prostitutes and con men from every corner of the continent poured through snow-choked mountain passes and down the Yukon River to stake their claim to fortune on creeks with names like Eldorado, Bonanza, Last Chance and Too Much Gold. Most seekers found no gold at all. But the prospect of sudden riches was not all that mattered. For many of those who made the incredible journey, the Klondike represented escape from a humdrum life and the adventure of a new frontier. The town grew up in the shadow of a scar-faced mountain called Midnight Dome. Here on the flats of two riverbanks was a city of trampled mud streets, saloons, churches, gambling houses and theatrical shows. White Pass & Yukon steamers could usually be found berthed at riverside docks. These beautiful boats were part of a fleet of 250 paddlewheelers, which plied the Yukon River. Bell’s Travel Guides
