The beginning...
The Fortymile area lay within the traditional territory of the Hän. One group of Hän, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, hunted, fished, trapped and gathered throughout the region; they also had a seasonal fish camp at the mouth of the Klondike. They were experienced traders, bartering and selling goods to other First Nations and to the white newcomers.
In the summer of 1896 the Yukon was still a district of the Northwest Territories, with its capital in Regina.
A small number of miners had been at work in the Yukon since the late 1870s trying to recover enough gold to sustain themselves for another season and hoping to make the big find that would make them rich.
Their numbers increased after September 1886, when coarse gold was discovered on the Fortymile River, the first such find in the Yukon. By the 1890s an estimated 1000 people were mining in the Yukon, mostly in the Fortymile area.
In the summer of 1896 the Yukon was still a district of the Northwest Territories, with its capital in Regina.
A small number of miners had been at work in the Yukon since the late 1870s trying to recover enough gold to sustain themselves for another season and hoping to make the big find that would make them rich.
Their numbers increased after September 1886, when coarse gold was discovered on the Fortymile River, the first such find in the Yukon. By the 1890s an estimated 1000 people were mining in the Yukon, mostly in the Fortymile area.
First People (Dän) and the discovery
In mid-August, 1896, an American prospector named George Carmack, his wife Kate Carmack (Shaaw Tláa), her brother Skookum Jim (Keish) and their nephew Dawson Charlie (Káa Goox) were travelling through the area south of the Klondike River. Resting by the side of a small stream that the miners called Rabbit Creek, one of them noticed a metallic glitter in the creek. They had found gold. They were credited with making the first discovery that kicked-off the Klondike gold rush.
A picture from Discovery Claim near Dawson City.
Today, Yukon First Nations are becoming more involved with the mineral resource industry in many capacities. From becoming partners in mining operations to creating new companies that service the industry, Yukon native people are working with industry to foster greater benefits and advances for First Nations and their communities.
The Klondike Gold Rush
News of George Carmack, Kate Carmack, Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie discovery raced down the Yukon River. Miners abandoned their claims on Fortymile and Sixtymile creeks and Circle City, rushing to the Klondike. A small townsite, Dawson City, started to develop.
The gold that was mined that first winter couldn’t be shipped out until June, 1897, when the navigation season opened. The miners and their rich cargo travelled downriver from Dawson. When the ships docked in San Francisco and Seattle the story of gold spread.
By the end of July 1897, prospectors started to flood in to Dyea and Skagway in a steady stream.
Anyone heading into the Yukon had to have the required “ton of goods” — a year’s supply of food (about 1000 pounds, at three lbs. per day) plus another 1000 lbs. of equipment.
They had to carry their goods over the passes (Chilkoot and White Pass) and than faced 1000km trip downriver to Dawson. They had to construct the boats that will withstand rigours rapids at Miles Canyon and Five Fingers Rapids on Yukon River.
The gold that was mined that first winter couldn’t be shipped out until June, 1897, when the navigation season opened. The miners and their rich cargo travelled downriver from Dawson. When the ships docked in San Francisco and Seattle the story of gold spread.
By the end of July 1897, prospectors started to flood in to Dyea and Skagway in a steady stream.
Anyone heading into the Yukon had to have the required “ton of goods” — a year’s supply of food (about 1000 pounds, at three lbs. per day) plus another 1000 lbs. of equipment.
They had to carry their goods over the passes (Chilkoot and White Pass) and than faced 1000km trip downriver to Dawson. They had to construct the boats that will withstand rigours rapids at Miles Canyon and Five Fingers Rapids on Yukon River.
A cache on the Yukon (Yukon Archives).
View of a group of miners standing in front of their log cabin, possibly located along the Klondike River. In the background are several other cabins built tier fashion on the hillside, and in the foreground are a flagpole, mining tools, a sled, a bearskin, and a rifle. |
Dawson City
In July 1896 Dawson City didn’t yet exist; one year later it had a population of 5,000, the year after that, 30,000. Money itself was rare. Gold dust was the common currency (worth about 16 dollars an ounce ). It was almost impossible to find a cabin to live in, even if someone was willing to pay the high rent.
Some people took jobs in the town or at a mine. Even before the stampeders arrived in Dawson, almost all of the productive ground had already been staked. Thousands of hopefuls gave up their dream of wealth and left the territory. By late 1898 the rush was starting to subside.
Some people took jobs in the town or at a mine. Even before the stampeders arrived in Dawson, almost all of the productive ground had already been staked. Thousands of hopefuls gave up their dream of wealth and left the territory. By late 1898 the rush was starting to subside.
Dawson City in 1898. (University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, Goetzman 620)
For more detailed information and lots of pictures related to Gold Rush please check pages below:
(to open a link simply click on a mining picture)
(to open a link simply click on a mining picture)