Klondike Gold Rush Map
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Klondike Gold Rush for kids: FAQ's
for Kids
There are several FAQ's (frequently asked questions) asked about the
Klondike Gold Rush and this is a good place to start when learning about
fast, fun and interesting facts and history about this important
development in the United States of America.
Questions and Answers
about the Klondike Gold Rush for Kids
When did the
Klondike Gold Rush begin?
The date the Klondike Gold
Rush began was on August
16, 1896 on the Yukon River in Alaska - look at the
Klondike Gold Rush Map. The discovery was made in Rabbit
(Bonanza) Creek.
When did the
Klondike Gold Rush end?
The Klondike Gold Rush was officially over by the
Summer of 1899 (production ended in 1907). Gold was then discovered on the beaches
in Nome, Alaska and the next rush began.
Who discovered the
Klondike Gold Rush?
It was discovered by a
prospector called George Washington Carmack whilst he
was salmon fishing along the Klondike River in the Yukon
with his Tinglish wife Kate Carmack, her brother Skookum
Jim Mason and Dawson Charlie. The first claim to be
filed for Bonanza creek was under George Carmack's name
Where did the
Klondike Gold Rush get its name?
The name derives from the
Klondike, which is the name of a tributary of the Yukon
River which flowed through Alaska and the Yukon
Territory in in north-western Canada
When did the United
States purchase Alaska?
The
Alaska
Purchase was made by the
United States of America from Russia in 1867 for a price
of $7.2 million dollars.
Routes to the Klondike Gold Rush
To reach the gold fields of the Klondike Gold Rush
most took the Skagway/Dyea route through the ports of Dyea and
Skagway by Chikoot Pass (see center of the map). The Klondikers
followed either the Chilkoot or the White Pass trails to the Yukon
River and sail down to the Klondike. Others took the water route all
the way up to the area, starting from Seattle.
Why was the Klondike Gold Rush important?
The Klondike Gold Rush was important because the Purchase of Alaska for
$7.2 million was originally viewed as a
massive mistake and an economic liability for the nation - this
opinion was totally reversed with the discovery of this precious
resource by George Carmack. The discovery was made during a
depression and immediately made a significant, highly beneficial
impact on the economy of the nation. It was also important because
it brought about a rapid advance in the development and
infrastructure of the Alaska and the Yukon Territory.
Why was the Klondike Gold Rush important?
The following table shows the gold production in Yukon
Territory during the Klondike Gold Rush: 1896
- $300,000
1897 - $2,500,000
1898 - $10,000,000
1899 - $16,000,000
1900 - $22,275,000
1901 - $18,000,000
1902 - $14,500,000
1903 - $12,250,000
1904 - $10,350,000
1905 - $7,000,000
1906 - $6,000,000
1907 (Estimated) - $3,000,000
History Timeline and
Facts about the Klondike Gold Rush for Kids
History timeline and interesting info about the Klondike Gold Rush for
kids are
detailed below. The history timeline and information is told in a
series of facts providing a simple method of relating to the events
surrounding the Klondike Gold Rush and the 'Stampeders' with cool, fun and interesting stats and
facts for kids about the events with a timeline of important dates.
Klondike Gold Rush for Kids
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 1: August 16, 1896: George Carmack
(1850-1922) made his discovery on August 16, 1896 at
Rabbit Creek, aka Bonanza Creek, on the Klondike River
and was the first person to make a claim
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 2: George Carmack made his discovery by
accident when he was fishing for salmon with his wife
Kate Carmack, her brother Skookum Jim Mason and a friend
called Dawson Charlie. George Carmack later said that he
spotted a thumb-sized nugget of gold jutting out from
the creek bank and Skookum Jim claimed that he had a
vision of his spirit helper that he would find wealth in
the north .
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 3: The veins of gold found in the area
were forced to the surface by volcanic action and then
worn away by the movement of rivers and streams leaving
nuggets of the precious metal
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 4: August 17, 1896: George Carmack
stakes the first claim on Bonanza Creek at the police
post at the mouth of the Forty mile River and also
stakes claims for Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 5: Making a claim in the Klondike Gold
Rush: A prospector would drive stakes into the ground at
a measured distance apart to 'stake a claim'. They would
then register the claim.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 6: Staking a claim: If the prospector
left the claim for more than 3 days without good reason,
another prospector could make a claim on the land
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 7: A Klondike Gold Rush prospector could
only stake one claim along a 500 foot (150 m) long
stretch of a creek - which left the region for more
miners to stake a claim which explains why a rush or
stampede would occur. Claims could also be purchased.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 8: August 31, 1896: Another discovery of
the Klondike Gold Rush was made on Eldorado Creek (a
tributary of Bonanza)
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 9: September 1896: The discovery by
George Carmack was at first treated with caution but the
autumn of 1896, about 50 prospectors and miners visited
the area and returned with gold to the value of from
$5,000 to $100,000 per person
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 10: George Carmack's discovery sparked
the last great western gold rush and the stampede to
Alaska began.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 11: 1896: Dawson City was founded at the
meeting of the Klondike and the Yukon River, and had a
population of 5,000 by the end of the year and by the
summer of 1898 the population would grow to 30,000
people. It was officially named in January 1897.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 12: December 1896: By this time 500
claims were located and all of Bonanza Creek had been
claimed.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 13: July, 1897: A group of prospectors
arrived at Seattle from the Klondike, bringing with them
nuggets and dust weighing more than one ton and worth
$1.5 million dollars.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 14: July 19, 1897: The Seattle Post was
the first newspaper to report the Klondike Gold Rush -
the news soon spreads nationwide.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 15: July 20, 1897: The very next day the
stampede began as the steamship Al-Ki departed with a
full deck of stampeders and 350 tons of supplies,
including food, pack animals, equipment and clothing for
prospectors.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 16: August 8, 1897: Another area opens up
for new claims when Oliver Millett of Lunenburg staked
on claim on Cheechako Hill, and hills far above Bonanza
Creek
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 17: June 13, 1898: Yukon is made a
Territory.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 18: July 1899: The first White Pass and
Yukon Route train runs from Skagway, Alaska to Carcross,
Yukon.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 19: 1898: It wasn't only men who made the
trip to the Klondike Gold Rush region. 8% of those
living in the area were women, and in towns like Dawson
City this rose to 12%
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 20: Boom Towns: Boom Towns emerged such
as Dawson City and Valdez and money was made by the
entrepreneurs who opened stores, dance halls and
saloons.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 21: 1901: Gambling and prostitution are
outlawed in Yukon as a result of the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 22: As many as 50,000 prospectors flocked
to Alaska during Klondike Gold Rush. The winter
Arctic climate caused great hardship and suffering to
the prospectors and many of the miners returned to their
homes poorer than when they left them. Only a few
hundred became wealthy men.
Klondike Gold Rush
Fact 23: What happened to George Carmack after
the Klondike Gold Rush? He became and extremely wealthy
man and retired to Vancouver. He died in 1922 at the age
of 61, a respected benefactor of the city.
Klondike Gold Rush for Kids
Klondike Gold Rush for kids - President Grover Cleveland Video
The article on the Klondike Gold Rush
for kids provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Grover Cleveland video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 22nd and 24th President of the
United States whose presidencies spanned from March 4, 1885 to March 4, 1889
and from March 4, 1893 - March 4,1897.
Klondike Gold Rush
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Interesting Facts about the Klondike Gold Rush for kids and schools
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Summary of the Klondike Gold Rush in US history
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The Klondike Gold Rush for kids, a major
event in US history
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Grover Cleveland history timeline
of major events
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Fast, fun facts
about the Klondike Gold Rush
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Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Grover Cleveland
● Grover Cleveland Presidency and
Klondike Gold Rush for schools,
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