Abstract: Gold was first reported in the Yukon region by fur traders and missionaries in the mid 1800s. Fur trader Robert Campbell noted the presence of gold near the site of Fort Selkirk in the early 1850s but neither missionaries nor fur traders were interested in gold. Nevertheless, miners drifted into the region. Economic depression pushed some prospectors northward. In 1880, the first miners were allowed to travel through one of the less important Tlingit trade routes, the Chilkoot Trail.

Gold was discovered In 1896 which led to a staking rush and an influx of prospectors the following summer. Construction and staking resulted in the occupation of the land of the Han First Nation people. The Han were removed to the Moosehide reserve, five kilometres down river from Dawson where they became legal charges of the Federal Department of Indian Affairs.

The growth of mining in the Klondike was supported by an expansion of commercial supply services. The Canadian government's maintenance of administrative powers and the dispatch of Mounties into the Klondike fulfilled the conditions for secure commercial capital investment. Increased flow of capital into the Klondike led to improvements in the transportation system supporting the region.

However, by 1902 gold production had started to slide. Old labour intensive mining methods were replaced by attempts to mechanize. By 1905 there were several steam shovels operating on different claims. However, the approach to mining still was still a fragmented one. Without comprehensive knowledge about the character of the resource, the major development strategy was one founded on luck. Effective mining demanded an integrated scientific approach using the most appropriate tools of modern technology. A radical change in resource development of the Klondike was in the making.

Authors: Neufeld, D.

Map Scale: 1 : 0

Citation: Neufeld, D. , 1998. A short history of the finding of gold in the Klondike. In: Yukon Placer Mining Industry 1995, '96, '97, Doyle, A.L. and Millar, A.L. (ed.), maps by LeBarge, W.P., Indian & Northern Affairs Canada/Department of Indian & Northern Development: Exploration & Geological Services Division, 25-32.