jan 1, 1896 - Klondike Gold Rush
Description:
In 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike or an area in present-day Yukon. In August of 1896, an American prosector and two members of his Tagish First Nation Family discovered a large amount of gold at Rabbit Creek in Klondike. News of the gold spread as quickly as wildfire and soon gold prospectors from around the world, the majority of them were from the United States, traveled to Klondike in hopes of finding gold. Most of the trips were made in the winter and the North-West Mounted Police allowed only prospectors who had one year's supply of food to cross the Canadian border. Many prospectors had to make 20-30 trips up and down the cold and steep mountain passes to transport their supplies. An estimated 20 000-30 000 prospectors traveled though the Chilkoot Pass between 1897-1898.
By 1898 the small town of Dawson CIty grew from a population fo 5 000 to 16 000 and became the largest city west of Winnipeg. The city earned the nickname Paris of the North as the streets were filled with merchants selling imported foods, expensive clothes and other items to the newly rich who paid with gold dust. But the increased population put a large amount of pressure on the food sources of the First Nations and dramatically altered the natural landscape. The threat of disease and famine increased in many tribes including the Han, Gwich'in and Tutchone First Nations. The government of Canada did little to lessen the impact of the gold rush.
As a result of the gold rush, The Yukon Territory was formed in 1898. Of the 100 000 who set out for Klondike, only 30 000 made it. And out of those who made it only 4 000 actually found gold. In the summer of 1899, about 8000 people left Dawson City when gold was found in Alaska. By 1911, the population of Klondike decreased to about 8 500 and continued to decrease after that.
Added to timeline:
Sabrina Xing
Timeline of the Nelson 8 History Textbook
Date:
