The Klondike Gold Rush began in 1896 with the discovery of gold along Rabbit Creek in the Klondike Valley. George Washington Carmack, nicknamed Lying George by his acquaintances, announced the strike in August at a saloon in Forty Mile, a town on the border of the Alaska and Yukon territories. Word spread quickly among the miners and settlers in the area, and soon many people deserted the major Yukon River communities of Circle City and Forty Mile to stake claims upstream. Rabbit Creek was soon renamed Bonanza Creek. A new town, Dawson, sprang up at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers in the Yukon Territory.
News of the Klondike strike
was slow to reach the outside world. In July 1897, ships loaded with Klondike
gold and rich miners arrived in Seattle and San Francisco. This triggered the
northward stampede. More than 1000 people beat the hoards of stampeders and
reached Dawson before winter. Many were disappointed to learn that most of the promising
sites had already been claimed by residents of the area.
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| Panning for Gold (Vancouver Public Library) |
The last steamship of the
season unloaded its cargo at Dawson on September 30, 1897. The Northwest
Mounted Police soon determined there would not be enough food for everyone
during the upcoming winter. Inspector Charles Constantine posted a notice that
read: "I, having carefully looked
over the present distressing situation regarding the supply of food for the
winter, find that the stock on hand is not sufficient to meet the wants of the
people and can see but one way out of the difficulty, and that is an immediate
move down-river, of all those who are now unsupplied, to Fort Yukon, where
there is a large stock of provisions."
Several hundred people
heeded the warning and left for Fort Yukon, Alaska by the end of October. But more kept coming. The Canadian government
was reluctant to accept responsibility for the tens of thousands of stampeders
in the Skagway and Dyea area, poised to cross the border via the White Pass and
Chilkoot Trails. This led the Mounties to require that each person carry nearly
a ton of designated supplies.
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| Chilkoot Pass (National Park Service) |
Those who were progressing
along the routes as winter set in began to hear tales of harsh conditions in
Dawson, including rumors of starvation. Many of them camped at smaller
communities along the trails. But for people who stayed in Dawson the winter months
were difficult. Even the Northwest Mounted Police at
Fort Cudahy, who had some stockpiles available and could pay the escalating
prices for provisions, were forced to reduce their basic flour ration. In Dawson
itself, there were no eggs. Miners and
trappers who had been living in the North knew what to expect and had accumulated
adequate supplies to survive the winter. But most of the large population of
stampeders, who had rushed to Dawson in the late summer and fall of 1897, were
not prepared for the ferocious cold and living in a gold-based economy with no
gold – and little money.
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| Dawson City during the Gold Rush |
As the days grew short, the temperatures
plummeted and food supplies dwindled. Dawson slowed nearly to a standstill. Hotels
were full. Many residents spent the majority of each day in bed, conserving
their energy and heat. Men without homes or sleeping rooms took shelter
wherever they could find it. One such refuge was Bill McPhee’s Pioneer Saloon,
packed with unfortunate souls who slept on benches and tables.
Both of the trading companies that serviced Dawson tried to control steeply rising prices, but a black market sprang up. Flour, the most basic staple, was in such limited supply that a rancid 50-pound sack could command a payment of anywhere from $35 to $100. Tinned vegetables had gone off the market early in the season, and shriveled potatoes sold for a dollar a pound.
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| Bowery Street in Dawson, 1898 (Canadian Archive) |
By the time spring break-up of the Yukon
came and the steamer Mae West delivered a load of provisions on June 8, saloons
had been serving what amounted to whiskey-flavored water for quite some time.
Everyone celebrated the arrival of food and spirits – and the end of the
winter.
In my novel, The Claim, I have included the “Starvation Winter” as the backdrop
for several scenes. Here is a brief excerpt:
Erik stared at the lifeless town. After the arduous journey over frozen
snow, along treacherous rivers of ice, jagged with bergs of all sizes jutting
from the surfaces, he had been looking forward to the hustle and bustle of
Dawson.
No people could be seen on the eerily quiet streets. Many windows were
shuttered. Except for the acrid smoke wafting above the chimneys, the place
resembled a frigid ghost town.
“Vad happened?” Filip’s breath froze as he spoke.
“Don’t know.” Erik’s scarf muffled his words.
He and Filip pulled the sled up the icy deserted street. The restaurants
were closed. The hotels were full. The opera house was a burned-out shell.
“Let’s go over to Fort Herchmer,” Erik said.
They proceeded at a snail’s pace to avoid searing their lungs with the
bitterly cold air. The ravens squawked at them as they passed.
When they stepped inside the NWMP offices, they took a few minutes to
soak in the warmth.
“If you’re wanting food, we can’t help you,” the officer greeted them.
Erik unwrapped his scarf. “We brought our own. But what’s going on
here?”
The bearded man’s expression softened. “Too many people, too few
provisions.”
Now that the warmth had begun penetrating Erik’s mittens, he removed them.
Filip was already blowing on his hands.
Sergeant Ibsen came through the side door. “Stryker?”
“Good to see you again.” Erik shook his outstretched hand.
“That’s Bentnor,” Ibsen gestured toward his cohort. Erik nodded to him.
“Guess there won’t be much of a market for my spirits, then.” He sighed.
“We would have been better off staying home.”
Ibsen grinned. “On the contrary. There’s plenty of gold. You’ll be able
to command a premium price.”
Bentnor fed a shovelful of coal into the burner.
“We need to find two people.” Erik said. “Sam McGee was working at Jimmy
Kerry’s saloon last I knew.”
Ibsen rubbed his chin. “Don’t think I know him.” He looked to the other
officer, who was shaking his head. “If he’s not there, try Bill McPhee’s. There
are a lot of men staying there.”
“The other is a…” Erik was almost thankful for the warmth rising in his neck. “A showgirl.” He couldn’t bring himself to call Miss Garrick’s friend a “whore,” even though she was. “Last fall she was at the Little Paris.”
People came from all walks of life to seek their fortunes in the Klondike. Those who did not strike gold had to find other ways to support themselves, return home, or move on. In 1899, word reached Dawson that gold had been discovered in Nome, Alaska. More than 8000 people left Dawson that summer to chase new dreams of easy riches.
Ann Markim
