Today, we ventured off the Alaska Highway to follow the Trail of '98 from Yukon River headwaters to the Klondike Gold Rush sites.
In the summer of 1897, Americans caught gold fever (again). Nothing captured the American male’s search for manly adventure, rugged individualism, and money as the Klondike Gold Rush. Our detour to Dawson City is to allow us to peel back the layers on one of the most captivating historic events of our time.
Our first history lesson occurred in the Village of Carmacks. The name comes from George Washington Carmack who, in 1891, found coal nearby. He created a trading post and began by engaging in commerce with local people, before opening a coal mine in the south bank of the Yukon River. The focus of his entrepreneurial energy switched a few years later when he discovered gold near Dawson City. Yep, he's that guy.
Armed with a Walking Tour map, we visited several sites that are a part of the Gold Rush history here.
This was one of 52 Roadhouses (staging posts) located on the Overland Trail. Roadhouses were spaced every 15 to 20 miles along the route. Each roadhouse varied in services, hospitality and quality but most still provided stables, storage, meals and accommodations.
What greeted us, before entering Dawson City, were HUGE tailing piles. Wow.
Gold here was extracted from the river with dredges, placer mining machines that extracted gold from sand, gravel, and dirt using water and mechanical methods. The process leaves behind miles of these piles (this photo is an aerial view). More about this process tomorrow.
We are beyond excited for this new history lesson.
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1 comments:
Love the stand alone buildings and seeing they are still being appreciated by all that pass by them. The eagle is my favorite, we see them here and I am always amazed by them.
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