Intrepid miners have prospected the Yukon territory for decades, with only moderate success, until one on a fishing trip spotted a river bed full of gold.
On this day. August 16, in 1896, while salmon fishing near the Klondike river, George Carmack and his two Native American companions Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie found a nugget of gold on a river bed.
Carmack recorded his claim at the local office, and went about bragging of his discovery to the local townspeople. He had a history of such public claims, usually overstated, and few believed “Lying George” this time. Those who did, however, found the nearby land teeming with gold. By the time news reached San Francisco, the following year, via men disembarking with sacks of gold, hundreds of people packed up their belongings, quit their jobs, and made their way to the Klondike for the Last Great Gold Rush.
Have you been to the downtown Seattle Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park?
It's worth seeing! Check out their website here.
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