James E. Arsenault & CompanyMain NavigationThe Klondike Gold Fields Map of Alaska and a Portion of the Northwest Territory, Showing Routes to the Gold Fields
Klondike wagon loaded with provisions. The Klondike Gold Rush was a migration by an estimated 100,000 prospectors to the Klondike region of the Yukon between 1896-99. Gold was discovered by local miners on August 16, 1896 and, when news reached Seattle and San Francisco, it triggered a stampede of would-be prospectors. To reach the gold fields most took the route through the ports of Dyea and Skagway in Alaska. Here, the Klondikers could follow either the Chilkoot or the White Pass trails to the Yukon River and sail down to the Klondike. Each of them was required to bring a year's supply of fo