Document-Based Questions - Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed. 2008

The Klondike Gold Rush
Great Adventures

Gold. For thousands of years, people have bought, fought, stolen, and killed for it. To many, gold means wealth and a happy life. Whenever and wherever gold is found, people rush there. Each one hopes to get rich.

In August 1896, George Washington Carmack found gold in the Klondike, an area in the far west of Canada. He and his two brothers-in- law staked claims along the creek banks. They told others about their find, and they staked claims, too. The men mined all winter.

When the ice melted, ships brought in supplies. They carried out the gold the men had found. These ships sailed to Seattle, Washington, and San Francisco, California. This was the first that people outside the Klondike had heard about the gold. A gold rush had taken place in California almost 50 years before. This time “gold fever” hit the whole West Coast.

Thousands rushed to the Klondike. Even Seattle’s mayor quit and went north. Ninety percent of the people took ships to Skagway. Then they hiked into the wilderness on White Pass Trail or Chilkoot Trail. Both trails ended at Lake Bennett. From there, people built rafts and sailed 500 miles down the Yukon River to reach the gold fields.

White Pass Trail was 45 miles long. It had narrow ledges along cliffs, and in some places boulders and logs blocked the path. About 3,000 horses died on this path. Miners called it Dead Horse Trail. Chilkoot Pass was 12 miles shorter. But it was so steep that horses couldn’t do it. So miners carried all their own supplies. They weighed one ton! Miners broke this down into 20 packs of 100 pounds each. This means that they had to walk the same path 20 times to move all their gear. The Golden Stairs were the worst. These 1,500 steps climbed 3,550 feet. Going up them once was the same as climbing the Statue of Liberty’s stairs four times! Some took one look and then dumped most of their supplies at its base. Others turned around. Those who wanted to keep going climbed the stairs. At the top they stored their goods. Then they then slid to the bottom and started up again. It took each miner one month to get his supplies over the peak.

When the miners reached their destination, they found that those living in the area had already taken the best claims! In the end, the area yielded 339 tons of gold. The best year was 1900 when $22 million was hauled out. Of the 100,000 people who headed to the Klondike, just 40,000 made it all the way there. Only 5,000 of those found any gold. About 300 became rich.

The Klondike Gold Rush

Courtesy of the Library of Congress, “Portable pantry,” LC-USZ62-104305

The Klondike Gold Rush

1. The year when the most gold was found in the Klondike was

a. 1896.

b. 1898.

c. 1900.

d. not given in the article.

2. What problem did boulders and logs cause on White Pass Trail?

a. They made it impossible for anyone to use the trail.

b. They caused men and horses to fall to their deaths.

c. They made it hard for people to find their way, and many got lost in the wilderness.

d. They blocked the trail, forcing the horses to go around the boulders or jump over the logs.

3. Chilkoot Pass was

a. 12 miles long.

b. 33 miles long.

c. 45 miles long.

d. 500 miles long.

4. Few of the people who set out for the Klondike became rich by finding gold. True or False? Use facts from the passage to explain.

5. Food was heavy. Why was it included in the portable pantry you see in the advertisement? Why did Dr. Albert Forrest urge miners to visit him before heading north?

6. If you had been a gold miner, which route would you have chosen: White Pass Trail or Chilkoot Trail? Use facts from the passage to tell why.