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People searching for gold in the Yukon used sleds called basket sleds because they looked like baskets. They would use sled dogs to carry hundreds of pounds of materials around during their search.

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Because of the large amount of stampeders, the Canadian government had to create a separate territory to control the situation.

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Balto the sled dog was a hero and helped save a whole town from a fatal outbreak.

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The benign neglect that the Canadian government exhibited towards its holdings in the North ended with the discovery of gold. Prospectors had been working the area for years, striking gold at such places as Fortymile in 1886, but the major discovery was made in the summer of 1896, by George Carmack, Skookum Jim, and Tagish Charley at the Klondike River. When news of the discovery reached the outside world in 1897, it seemed as though half of North America dropped what it was doing to head for northern Canada. Although a few miners took all-Canadian routes, such as the trail through Edmonton, most of those going to the Klondike took passage to the Alaskan town of Skagway, climbed over the Chilkoot or White pass into Canadian territory, and then travelled from Lake Lindeman or Lake Bennett down the Yukon River to Dawson City.

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The Klondike Gold Rush was a migration by an estimated 100,000 prospectors to the Klondike region of the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1896 and 1899.

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gold was worth 760 dollars per pound at the time

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Dog sleds remained important transportation vehicles in Alaska until the advent of airplane travel. The practice languished until the late 1960s, when dog sled racing enthusiast Joe Redington Sr. joined forces with an Alaskan historical committee chairman Dorothy Page to establish the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race. The first Iditarod race took place in 1973.

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Gold seekers had to walk 35 miles along trails to get to the lakes where they could row to Dawson City. However, it turned into hundreds of miles because they had to move their gear from cache to cache a little at a time.

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By the time people from the U.S. and other far-away areas got there, many of the good claims had already been staked. Few people actually made it rich.

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It was really cold the temperatures could get below -40 degrees farenheit

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A sled dog named Balto helped save the town of Nome, Alaska from a deadly diphtheria outbreak in 1925.

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In the gold rush there were many claim jumpers who would try to steal your claim and claim it before you. This could erupt into deadly fights over the land.

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http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_inuit3.html
Some settlers survived using techniques similar to those of the Inuit peoples.

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The Gold miners had to live in the wilderness and were in danger from the native wildlife such as wolves and bears.

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Many starved and suffered from malnutrition all while carrying heavy supplies while hiking, or working, etc.

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Men who used dog sleds looked for the heaviest dogs, who could run for a long time and could resist the cold.

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The Northwest Mounted Police in Canada required that all Klondikers bring a year's worth of supplies with them. This meant that they had to travel in harsh conditions with a lot of weight.

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Not all people found gold, but many did. Almost a 100 million dollars worth of gold was found. Many had to go through struggles like harsh temperatures, rugged terrain, and avalanches to find it though.

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The price of gold in 1898 was about $20.67 where the price of gold now is about $1,060.

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Dog sledding was the main form of transportation in the gold rush.

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Gold was first discovered at bonanza creek.

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The temperature at night can get to 40 degrees below zero in this white desert. Ambushes are set all over this place due to the travelers carelessly adventuring into the Yukon. Travelers also had to stay alert for stray wildlife as well as the occasional thief.

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On August 16, 1896 Yukon-area Indians Skookum Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie, along with Seattleite George Carmack found gold in Rabbit Creek, near Dawson, in the Yukon region of Canada. The creek was promptly renamed Bonanza Creek, and many of the locals started staking claims. Gold was literally found all over the place, and most of these early stakeholders (who became known as the "Klondike Kings") became wealthy.

Since the Yukon was so remote, word of this find spread relatively slowly for almost a year. On July 17, 1897, eleven months after the initial discovery of gold, the steamship Portland arrived in Seattle from Dawson with "more than a ton of gold", according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. With that pronouncement, the Klondike Gold Rush was on!

Within six months, approximately 100,000 gold-seekers set off for the Yukon. Only 30,000 completed the trip. Many Klondikers died, or lost enthusiasm and either stopped where they were, or turned back along the way. The trip was long, arduous, and cold. Klondikers had to walk most of the way, using either pack animals or sleds to carry hundreds of pounds of supplies. The Northwest Mounted Police in Canada required that all Klondikers bring a year's worth of supplies with them. Even so, starvation and malnutrition were serious problems along the trail. The story of the Klondiker who boiled his boots to drink the broth was widely reported, and may well have been true. Cold was another serious problem along the trail. Winter temperatures in the mountains of northern British Columbia and the Yukon were normally -20 degrees F., and temperatures of -50 degrees F. were not unheard of. Tents were usually the warmest shelter a Klondiker could hope for.

An even larger problem was the trails themselves. Klondikers had two choices: the Chilkoot Trail or the White Pass Trail. The White Pass Trail originated in Skagway, Alaska, where Jefferson "Soapy" Smith, a con-man from Denver, had taken over the town. Smith had set up operations in a saloon/casino called Jeff's Place and led a gang of 300 men, whom he referred to as his "lambs" to fleece Klondikers arriving to take part in the gold rush. He also perpetrated the first telegraph scam in Alaska. Smith put up poles and wires, but they weren't actually connected to anything. Nevertheless, he took cash from Klondikers eager to wire home. The Chilkoot Trail, on the other hand, wasn't a better option, although it had fewer outlaws. It was steeper than the White Pass Trail, and few were fully prepared for how difficult it was. Many suffered malnutrition and/or died along the trails. Some Klondikers became sick or died from eating the meat of the dead horses found on the White Pass Trail, and it soon became known as the "Dead Horse Trail". Men reportedly went insane on the trail. It is possible that this diet (or lack thereof) contributed to the reports of insanity.

With the influx of the 30,000 who did make it over the trails, Dawson temporarily became the largest city north of San Francisco. It was no longer a tent city, but a bona-fide city, with more amenities than one might imagine. Dawson had fire hydrants on the streets, and was the first city in western Canada to have electric lights. People also felt safe in Dawson. The Northwest Mounted Police kept order in Canada, and nefarious characters such as Soapy Smith were not allowed entry. The growth of Dawson was largely responsible for the creation of the Yukon Territory as a new Canadian Territory on June 13, 1898.

Nor was Dawson the only Canadian city to have dramatic growth due to the Klondike Gold Rush. Vancouver, British Columbia saw its population double, and in Alberta, Edmonton's population tripled.

The Klondike Kings quickly became very rich. It is estimated that over one billion dollars worth of gold was found, adjusted to late 20th century standards. Others found their fame and fortune in different manners. Jack London became well-known by writing of his experiences in the Klondike. Nor were the successful Klondikers limited to men. Belinda Mulroney became wealthy by running a hotel and selling supplies. Many women found their riches running dance halls. Martha Black bought a sawmill and went on to become Canada's second female Member of Parliament. Even some those who didn't travel to the Klondike managed to get rich from the Gold Rush. Over 1,000 miles away, Seattle businesses made over $1 million (not adjusted) selling the needed food and supplies for the trip to the gold fields. Seattle mayor W.D. Wood should have stayed in Seattle and taken advantage of the wealth the Klondikers brought to the city. Instead, he resigned his post as mayor and set off for the Yukon. He was one of the many who turned back.

Unfortunately for those who did make it as far as the Klondike, few found the hoped-for riches. By the time the masses arrived, all the creeks had been claimed, and the new arrivals found they had to work for the Klondike Kings, rather than for themselves. The pay was not bad, ranging from $1-10 per day, but this was not what the Klondikers had made the trip for. Many Klondikers never recouped the cost of the trip, which averaged $1200 (not adjusted). Nevertheless, when gold was discovered at Nome, Alaska in 1899, few of these Klondikers stopped to think about what they had just experienced. At the first sign of gold, much of Dawson up and left for Nome, where most of the gold-seekers once again lost out on finding fame and fortune.

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On August 16, 1896 Yukon-area Indians Skookum Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie, along with Seattleite George Carmack found gold in Rabbit Creek, near Dawson, in the Yukon region of Canada. The creek was promptly renamed Bonanza Creek, and many of the locals started staking claims. Gold was literally found all over the place, and most of these early stakeholders (who became known as the "Klondike Kings") became wealthy.

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People had to use whatever resources they could find to survive the harsh climate.

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People that lived in the Yukon lived in harsh conditions such as below freezing temperatures and steep mountains.

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The people in the Yukon faced extreme conditions. In this picture, you can see that people lived in the mountains. You can also see they had to climb over the mountains as well.

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Many people gave up searching for gold to due to the difficulties of their journeys and returned home; some were not able to survive the extreme temperatures and died. Once the rivers froze and the heavy snows fell, communication with the outside was close to impossible. Not so lucky for many travelers, they arrived just around winter time.

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It started in August 1896.

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Gold during the Klondike Gold Rush was $15 and $16 an ounce | Yukon News

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The above weights were probably used during the Klondike Gold Rush. The weight on the far right was made by J.L.

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In order to survive the harsh cold of Alaska, prospectors bought duck-skin sleeping bags, seal-skin and leather boots lined with fur, and many other goods.