Stampeder of 98 with 1 ton of supplies required by Canada.
There was a specific list of supplies that was required.Friday, July 03
Gold was discovered in Bonanza Creek near Dawson City in August, 1896. BUT, it wasn’t until July, 1897 that news of this find reached Seattle and San Francisco and started the Klondike Stampede of 1898.
The settlement of Dyea, near Skagway, provided the most direct route to Dawson City via the Chilkoot Pass. Long before the gold rush, the trail was established by Tlingit people as a trade route into the interior of Canada. Fish, seal oil and seaweed were traded with the First Nations peoples for moose and caribou hides, plant materials and other goods unavailable on the coast.
The Pass ended with a hellish quarter-mile climb of over 1000 vertical feet that became known as the Golden Staircase.
Most gold seeks climbed to the summit some 20 to 40 times to move their ton of goods as required of the North West Mounted Police for entry into Canada. Mounties feared winter starvation and required these supplies accompany each prospective miner. A typical outfit contained 350 pounds of flour, 150 pounds of bacon, 100 pounds of beans and sugar purchased at a cost of $250 to $500 USD. Hikers coming from Sheep Camp will gain 800 meters (2,625 feet) in elevation within the 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) leading to the summit.
AFTER that climb the Stampeders built boats and still had about 1000 miles to travel through the lakes and eventually down the Yukon River to reach Dawson City.
BY THE TIME THEY REACHED DAWSON, prospectors already in the region had long ago staked claim to the known gold fields. Most stampeders just went home though some stayed and became rich providing services for the miners.
Even those that just went home latter proclaimed the experience as the greatest adventure of their life.
Dyea is now part of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. We enjoyed a great ranger led tour this afternoon. Dyea became a ghost town after the White Pass Railroad was finished from Skagway to Whitehorse in July, 1900. The ranger was able to point out remnants of the town which has been almost taken over by the forest. Most buildings were dismantled and the materials used elsewhere.
Gold was discovered in Bonanza Creek near Dawson City in August, 1896. BUT, it wasn’t until July, 1897 that news of this find reached Seattle and San Francisco and started the Klondike Stampede of 1898.
The settlement of Dyea, near Skagway, provided the most direct route to Dawson City via the Chilkoot Pass. Long before the gold rush, the trail was established by Tlingit people as a trade route into the interior of Canada. Fish, seal oil and seaweed were traded with the First Nations peoples for moose and caribou hides, plant materials and other goods unavailable on the coast.
The Pass ended with a hellish quarter-mile climb of over 1000 vertical feet that became known as the Golden Staircase.
Most gold seeks climbed to the summit some 20 to 40 times to move their ton of goods as required of the North West Mounted Police for entry into Canada. Mounties feared winter starvation and required these supplies accompany each prospective miner. A typical outfit contained 350 pounds of flour, 150 pounds of bacon, 100 pounds of beans and sugar purchased at a cost of $250 to $500 USD. Hikers coming from Sheep Camp will gain 800 meters (2,625 feet) in elevation within the 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) leading to the summit.
AFTER that climb the Stampeders built boats and still had about 1000 miles to travel through the lakes and eventually down the Yukon River to reach Dawson City.
BY THE TIME THEY REACHED DAWSON, prospectors already in the region had long ago staked claim to the known gold fields. Most stampeders just went home though some stayed and became rich providing services for the miners.
Even those that just went home latter proclaimed the experience as the greatest adventure of their life.
Dyea is now part of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. We enjoyed a great ranger led tour this afternoon. Dyea became a ghost town after the White Pass Railroad was finished from Skagway to Whitehorse in July, 1900. The ranger was able to point out remnants of the town which has been almost taken over by the forest. Most buildings were dismantled and the materials used elsewhere.
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