Klondike Gold Rush History Podcast

Just like no one can agree on exactly how the Klondike Gold Rush started, how and when the stampede ended is also the topic of fierce dispute. We wrap up the podcast with a look at this debate, clean up a few errors we made along the way, and let you know what happened to our favourite ... and not so favourite ... characters after they left the Yukon.

What do Harrison Ford, Charlie Chaplin and Bugs Bunny have in common? They've all starred in films about the Klondike Gold Rush. Join us as we turn the camera on Hollywood and its classic ... and sometimes not so classic ... portrayals of the Gold Rush.

The Mountie is one of the iconic images of the Klondike Gold Rush, whether in red serge in Dawson or behind a dogsled on a rugged Yukon patrol. We'll talk about the feats that made the reputation of the North-West Mounted Police in the Yukon, and their complicated relationship with First Nations. And we'll get to know Sam Steele, who some call the quintessential Canadian man of action in the Victorian era.

The gold rush is at its peak. Just a year ago, Dawson was a moose pasture with a few cabins. Now it has dance halls, Parisian fashions, electricity, running water and a restaurant where you could eat pâté de foie gras while listening to a string orchestra. And it has stories, tons of stories. Some true, some not so much. We'll share some of them which, factual or not, will give you a feel for Dawson's brilliant but brief spell as the Paris of the North.

Getting to the Klondike was just the start of your mining adventure. Next, you had to learn how to get the gold out of the frozen muck under your feet. The Sourdoughs had developed a huge range of ingenious techniques from rockers to sluice boxes to steam points. But they all had one thing in common: back-breaking manual labour.

Klondike Kate was the most famous of the women who graced the stages of Dawson's dance halls. Her fascinating life story is layers of popular myths, hard realities and enduring mysteries. Join us to find out why the New York Sun said "Klondike Kate is a legend, and legends, unlike old soldiers, neither die nor fade away."

We are honoured to share our interview with Bill Webber, a Kwanlin Dün elder and well-known community leader involved in organizations such as the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre. Bill was also part of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation team that published the recent and highly acclaimed book, Our Story in Our Words. We hope you enjoy the interview!

It's October 1897 and you've finally made it to Dawson City! The city is one year old, and halfway on its meteoric rise from moose pasture to Paris of the North. Find out what life was like for the newly arrived stampeders as they hurried to slap together a cabin and get ready for their first Yukon winter (and maybe spending a few nights dancing at Pete's Place!).

This episode steps back to the 1700s to look at the experience of Indigenous peoples as the first Europeans - the Russians - arrived in the region. As anyone who has read recent books looking at this period from a Tlingit perspective will know, what happened during the Russian American period is critical to understanding the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush.

You've made it over the Chilkoot and built your home-made boat. Now winter is coming and it's a race against time to get to Dawson before the Yukon River freezes up. All that stands in your way is around 500 miles of wilderness, lake storms, Miles Canyon and a few sets of rapids.