Gold Discoverers

From the discoverers of the gold to the thieves who tried to steal it, the Klondike Gold Rush enticed thousands of people to Skagway, Dawson, and the gold fields beyond. It all started with the discovery of gold on Rabbit Creek in August of 1896. There are multiple version of the gold discovery story and who deserves credit as the "discoverer." We know the party consisted of Keish (Skookum Jim Mason), George Carmack, Shaaw Tláa (Kate Carmack), and Káa Goox (Dawson Charlie). George Carmack, the only American in the group, filed the first legal gold claim on Rabbit Creek.

Learn more about three of the people who discovered the gold that started the Klondike Gold Rush:

 

 

References:

Wilkie, Rab and The Skookum Jim Friendship Centre. Skookum Jim: Native and Non-Native Stories and Views About His Life and Times And the Klondike Gold Rush. March 1992 Yukon Tourism Heritage Branch.

Johnson, James Albert. George Carmack: Man of Mystery Who Set Off the Klondike Gold Rush. Epicenter Press. Canada 2001.

Murphy, Claire Rudolf and Haigh, Jane G. Gold Rush Women. Seattle, WA Alaska Northwest Books. 1997