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- Topic: Klondike Gold Rush
History Day at Special Collections: Topic: Klondike Gold Rush
Special Collections is a great resource for all your Pacific Northwest primary source needs!
Background Information
The Klondike Gold Rush took off in 1898 following the 1896 discovery of Gold in the Klondike by local miners. The stampede for Alaska helped Seattle grow enormously and was a major boon for the young town's economy. Many well-known Seattle business got their start supplying and outfitting hopeful miners. This is a popular topic for themes of exploration and expedition.
Digital Collection
- Special Collections has digitized many of our materials related to the Klondike Gold Rush. Here you will find photographs and other visual materials related to the Klondike Gold Rush.
Primary Sources
- Alaskan Historical Documents Since 1867 by This book gives a taste of some of the political issues happening in Alaska during the Gold Rush and shows how politicians were handling them.Call Number: F908 .L38 1989Publication Date: 1989-07-01
- Klondike Gold Rush by Memoir by a participant in the KGR.Call Number: 979.9 An98kPublication Date: 1959
- The Klondike Gold Rush by This book is not a primary source per se. It was published for the 100th Anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush. While the text was written in 1997 by a historian, and there fore a secondary source, the book is comprised of excellent photographs, many of which are house in UW Special Collections but cannot be viewed without appointment.Call Number: F1095 K5 W54 1997Publication Date: 1997-09-01
- Klondike Gold Rush Curriculum Packet from the UW Department of History by The curriculum guide consists of a variety of original sources relating the Klondike Gold rush and Seattle along with a set of maps of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
- The Klondyker. by This was a Seattle newspaper intended for travelers going through Seattle on their way to the KlondikeCall Number: 979.9 AL1Publication Date: 1897
- Two Years in the Klondike and Alaskan Gold-Fields, 1896-1898 by Account of author's time as a young man in the Klondike with photographs and illustrations.Call Number: 979.8 H27Publication Date: 1898
- Yukon yesterdays; thirty years of adventure in the Klondike. by Memoir of the KGR with maps, illustrations and photographs.Call Number: 979.9 Ar5yPublication Date: 1936
- Albert Nelson, Jr. PapersDiaries of Bert Whyte and Albert Nelson, Jr., during the Klondike Gold Rush
- Asahel Curtis PapersRecords for photographer Asahel Curtis, brother of Edward Curtis. While working for his brother, Asahel decided to go to Alaska to photograph the Klondike Gold Rush. The photos can be found in our digital collection but in his papers his diary from 1898 can be found.
- George W. Carmack PapersGeorge Washington Carmack (1860-1922) was a miner whose discovery claim at Bonanza Creek on August 17, 1896, started the Klondike Gold Rush. Included are letters, court documents, legal documents, and photocopies of photographs of George Carmack.
- Klondike: A Manual for GoldseekersThe collection consists of the thirteen original drawings that served as plate illustrations for a book by Charles A. Bramble entitled Klondike: A Manual for Goldseekers (New York: R.F. Fenno & Co., 1897). The drawings depict the everyday activities of miners en route to and working in the gold fields during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Activities depicted include crossing the Chilkoot Pass, towing supplies up the Yukon River, and mining the gold fields.
- Klondike Gold Rush Historical DatabaseIncludes 100s of news clippings, photographs and other material related to the gold rush
- Margharete Ross Shotwell PapersPersonal correspondence of Margharete Ross Shotwell, her fiancé (later her husband), and other family members. Her husband's letters describe panning for gold in Oregon and his experiences during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Klondike Gold Rush: The Perilous Journey NorthCries of "Gold! Gold! Gold!" sent over 100,000 optimistic "stampeders" rushing to Dawson City and the Klondike gold fields in 1897 and 1898. They believed riches lay waiting for those who could reach this remote northern region.
This exhibit highlights their journey north. For most, this journey was the most challenging and time-consuming aspect of the gold rush. Stampeders were physically unprepared and poorly equipped for the severe northern climate and terrain. Some died and many abandoned the journey. About 40,000 people reached the Klondike, only four of every ten who tried.
This online exhibit was prepared by U.W. Museology student Rebecca Hackman. The original exhibit, also by Hackman, in collaboration with UW Libraries Special Collections and Preservation Division, was displayed in the Special Collections in 1997.