The Klondike Gold Rush
The Call of the Wild is set in the Klondike during the 1897 gold rush. Learn more about
the gold rush below.
On August 17, 1897 gold was discovered in Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike
River. By 1898 about 30,000 prospectors had rushed to the area to try their luck at
panning for gold.
The gold mining towns of Skagway and Dyea quickly began to grow. These were tent cities
where miners loaded up their supplies for the over 600 miles of trails to the goldfields.
Skagway was at the head of the White Pass Trail. It was founded by William Moore who had
been a steamboat captain. The White Pass Trail lead out of Skagwag. It was steep for the
miners with their equipment. More than 3000 pack animals died on this trail.
Dyea was three miles away for the head of the Taiya Inlet. The Chilkoot Trail lead miners
out of Dyea to the gold field.
Most miners spent three months packing their equipment up the trail. Once prospectors
hauled their equipment to the lakes, they built or bought boats to float it downriver to
Dawson City. This was approximately 560 miles away. By 1898 Dawson City had 18,000 people.
By 1900 $22 million dollars worth of gold had been found. In 1900 the gold was getting
harder to find in the Yukon, so many of the prospectors moved to Alaska to look for gold
there.
Gold production completely stopped in 1966. By this time over $250 million in gold had
been found.
Try the problems below with gold measurements. You will need the following information to
answer some of the questions.
Troy weight is the standard measurement for gold. These are the equivalents:
1 pound equals 12 ounces
1 pound equals to .3732 kilograms
1 ounce equals to 20 pennyweight
1 pennyweight equals 24 grains
1. How much is 2 pounds of gold dust worth if one ounce is worth $50.00
2. Goldminers put their gold dust in hide bags. The bags could hold 25 pounds of gold
dust. If gold sold for $100.00 per ounce how much would the entire bag of gold dust be
worth?
3. One successful miner was able to fill 42 bags of gold dust. Using the information in
question 2. How much money in gold dust does he have?
4. What is they had 58 bags of gold dust?
5. If these 58 bags of gold had to be split between 3 men, how much would each one
receive?
6. If the price went up to $125 for each ounce of gold, how much would each of the three
men receive?
7. At the price of $125.00 per ounce how much would one bag of gold be worth?
8. At the price of $125.00 per ounce how much would 36 bags of gold be worth?
9. How much would this 25 pound bag weigh in kiolgrams?
10. How much would the 25 pound bag measure in pennyweight?
----------Key----------
1. How much is 2 pounds of gold dust worth if one ounce is worth $50.00
-$1200.00
-$1200.
-$1200
2. Goldminers put their gold dust in hide bags. The bags could hold 25 pounds of gold
dust. If gold sold for $100.00 per ounce how much would the entire bag of gold dust be
worth?
-$30,000.00
-$30,000.
-$30,000
3. One successful miner was able to fill 42 bags of gold dust. Using the information in
question 2. How much money in gold dust does he have?
-$1,260,000.00
-$1,260,000.
-$1260000
-$1,260,000
4. What if they had 58 bags of gold dust?
-$1,740,000.00
-$1,740,000.
-$1,740,000
-$1740000
5. If these 58 bags of gold had to be split between 3 men, how much would each one
receive?
-$58,000.00
-$58,000.
-$58,000
-$58000
6. If the price went up to $125 for each ounce of gold, how much would each of the three
men receive?
-$725,000.00
-$725,000.
-$725,000
-$725000
7. At the price of $125.00 per ounce how much would one bag of gold be worth?
-$37,500.00
-$37,500.
-$37,500
-$37500
8. At the price of $125.00 per ounce how much would 36 bags of gold be worth?
-$1,350,000.00
-$1,350,000.
-$1,350,000
-$1350000
9. How much would this 25 pound bag weigh in kiolgrams?
-9.33 kilograms
-9.33
10. How much would the 25 pound bag measure in pennyweight?
-6,000 pennyweight
-6000 pennyweight
-6,000
-6000