Klondike Gold Rush, 1897-98: an Educator's Guide to America's" Last
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 460 895 SO 028 599 AUTHOR Remick, Scott; Cook, Cathy TITLE Klondike Gold Rush, 1897-98: An Educator's Guide to America's "Last Grand Adventure." INSTITUTION Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Skagway, AK. SPONS AGENCY National Park Service (Dept. of Interior), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1997-00-00 NOTE 36p.; Photographs may not reproduce clearly. Printed through grant by the C.C. Silson Company, Seattle, WA. Funded through the National Park Service's Parks as Classrooms program. AVAILABLE FROM Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, P.O. Box 517, Skagway, AK 99840. Tel: 907-983-2821; Web site: http://www.nps.gov/klgo. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Learner (051) Guides Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Instructional Materials; Junior High Schools; *Local History; Modern History; *Primary Sources; Social Studies; *State History; Teaching Guides; *United States History IDENTIFIERS *Alaska; *Klondike Gold Rush ABSTRACT This student handbook provides an overview of the Klondike Alaska Gold Rush of 1897-98. The unit was designed for junior high school students but can be modified for different grade.levels. A vocabulary list and worksheet accompanies the unit, along with a time line and map activity. A group activity requires students to work in teams to get their goods over the Chilkoot Pass and on to Dawson City and the Klondike. A "Gold Rush Jeopardy" game provides a review for the unit. Numerous photographs and other archival materials accompany the unit. (EH) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Klondike Gold Rush, 1897-98. An Educator's Guide to America's "Last Grand Adventure" Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Skagway, AK National Park Service, Department of the Interior Scott Remick and Cathy Cook U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research end Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) liThisdocument has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction qualiiy. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position cr policy. 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Klondike Gold Rush 1897-98 An Educator's Guide to America's "last grand adventure." Chahar): Pass, Spring 1898Public Archives of Canada KLGO/SS-35-2144 The Klondike Gold Rush Student Handbook 1 IDC>411) Dear Educator: The following pages contain a student handbook designed to provide an overview of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98. The information was developed for students in junior high as part of a social studies unit. Modifications can be made for different grade levels. Accompanying the handbook is a vocabulary list and worksheet to help students get the most out of the units. Included in the packet is a time line and map activity. Along with these elements is a group activity in which students work in teams to get their "Ton of Goods" over the Chilkoot Pass and on to Dawson City and the Klondike. The last activity in our packet is a Gold Rush Jeopardy review game, an excellent way for students to wrap up their Klondike Gold Rush Unit. This handbook was funded through the National Park Service, Parks As Classroom Program and printed through a grant by the C.C. Filson Company of Seattle, Washington. The C.C. Filson Com- pany was started in 1897 to meet the rugged demands of the Klondike Gold Rush. Filson garments cloaked the rugged stampeders as they chased a dream of riches during the Gold Rush. Filson is still in business today providing quality outdoor clothing to todays outdoor adventurers. We hope both you and your students enjoy learning about America's "last grand adventure", the Klondike Gold Rush. Project Coordinator/Design Cathy Cook, Interpretive Specialist, Klondike Gold Rush NHP Primary Authors Scott Remick, Park Ranger, Klondike Gold Rush NHP Cathy Cook, Interpretive Specialist, Klondike Gold Rush NHP arrrvilliVil"k SON 'PARRSAS CLASSROOMS51 PINsBETTER OUTDOOR CL.CMES 1 Introduction In the summer of 1897, an event occurred whichWithin the next two years, over 100,000 people caught the imagination of the country. A steam- would leave for the Klondike to seek their ship, the SS Portland, arrived in Seattle filled fortune. Most of the men, women, and children with over two tons of gold! The arrival of the going to the Klondike faced a grueling 1,500 Portland signaled the beginning of the Klondike mile journey that would take them almost a year Gold Rush. to complete. Only about 40,000 of the 100,000 people who left for the Klondike made it. Of the 40,000 that I I reached the goldfields, only a handful ever found gold. Yet, they did have an adventure they would remember for the rest of their lives. Following is the story of this historic and dramatic event. 14 1. Public Archives of Canada KLCO/CA-I-221 I Historians rely heavily on primary source materials to gather their information and write histories. Primary source information means that the materialscome from original docu- ments. Examples of this are diaries and letters. This packet includes the diary entries from Leo Healy, a nineteen year old stampeder from New York who participated in the gold rush. Hopefully, by reading his accounts you will get a first hand idea of what itwas like for the stampeders during the gold rush. 2 5 The United States in 1897 Why would over 100,000 people leave their The Yukon River, North America's fourth homes and family to go and brave the harsh longest river, flows north and then west through northern wilderness? The answer is GOLD! Canada and Alaska. Flowing into the Yukon However, there were other reasons why so manyRiver is the Klondike River. Many smaller people left for the Klondike. These reasons stem streams such as Bonanza and Eldorado creeks from conditions in the United States during the feed into the Klondike River. On these smaller 1890's. streams some of the richest gold deposits in the world have been found. The first reason was the "Panic of 1893." A panic is a severe economic depression. The nation's economy was in very bad condition due to unemployment and inflation (high prices). Because of the "Panic of 1893", many businesses went bank- rupt and thousands of people were out of work. Thus the lure of gold in the Klondike was hard to resist! A second reason was that the United s, States census bureau declared the closing of the American frontier in 1890. This meant most of the land in w America had been settled. People lil'..."144.1**48"t4o looking for adventure had only the 4,4" Yukon in Canada and Alaska in the g. United States left to explore. Washington State Historical Society Photo Collection KLGO/DP-27-921 March 1, 1898 "Lots of food, a stout heart and a never ceasing "I will" is what wins in Alaska." The Discovery 4.-<2>e The Yukon River, North America's fourth Three men were actually responsible for the gold longest river, flows north and then west through discovery on Bonanza Creek that started the Canada and Alaska. Flowing into the Yukon Klondike Gold Rush. In August, 1896, Skookum River is the Klondike River. Many smaller Jim Mason and Dawson Charlie, both natives of streams such as Bonanza and Eldorado creeks the Tagish tribe, and George Washington feed into the Klondike River. On smallerstreamsCarmack, a white man married to Jim's sister, some of the richest gold deposits in the world found gold on Bonanza Creek. Theywere hunt- have been found. ing in the Klondike region when Skookum Jim saw gold shining "like cheese in a sandwich" in the stream. George dipped his goldpan in the stream and pulled out over 1/4 ounce of gold. Soon both Bonanza and Eldorado creekswere staked by the many old time prospectors (sour- doughs) in the area. It took almost a year for news of the gold strike to reach the lower forty-eight states, because of the slow traveling conditions. When thenews finally broke, gold fever spread rapidly. :r04", 044t :;.4441r^4144,447... .74* **X,' 4,0 . .:141. r 4,9 44.10. `ifr4 Boston & Alaska Transportation Co. Map of the Klondike vicinity. University of Alaska. Ser 3*.< March 4, 1898 "If you want to see real, natural eye-opening beauty and art you must go west to doso. 4.: The Palisades of the Hudson are insignifi- , >< cant when placed alongside of the gorges and canons we passed through." University of Washington - Hegg Collection KLGO/D VY-8- 1445 4 7 The Rush Begins On July 14, 1897, the SS Excelsior landed in "Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold!... Stacks of Yellow San Francisco with over 750,000 dollars worth Metal!" On the morning of July 17, 1897, these of gold on board. Three days later, the SS words, written by Beriah Brown were the head- Portland landed in Seattle with a huge amount oflines of the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper. gold on board, over two tons! The arrival of This article brought over 5,000 people down to these two ships signaled the start of the Klondikethe Seattle waterfront to see first hand the arrival Gold Rush. of the SS Portland laden with gold and with 68 miners aboard returning from the Klondike. By 9:30 that morning, people were quitting their jobs to head for the goldfields. Street car operators, police- men, and even the mayor of Seattle quit their jobs to take part in the Klondike Gold Rush. In the first ten days of the gold rush, over 1,500 people left for the Klondike to find their portion of gold! .ek The Queen leaving Seattle for the Klondike goldfields.