| The Chilkoot Trail |
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"The inhumanity which this trail has been witness to, the heartbreak and suffering which so many have undergone, cannot be imagined." Clifford Sifton, Canadian Minister of the Interior, 1898 |
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The decade of 1890 was one of worldwide, depressed economic times. No wonder then, that the word "gold" immediately created a gold stampede like no other in history. |
When three Canadians discovered gold on Bonanza Creek, near Dawson City, Yukon Territory in 1897 they started the famous Klondike Gold Rush. Would be gold miners and fortune hunters made their way by boat to the Alaskan Port of Skagway, but massive mountains still separated them from the gold.
An old trail, utilized for many centuries, by aboriginals - "The Chilkoot Trail" rapidly became the preferred route for the stampede to the Klondike.
The trail then was steep and arduous and still is, but today has been preserved by the joint effort of the Canadian and American Governments as an historic trail.
The 50 mile Chilkoot Trail starts near Skagway and ends in Canada at Lake bennett.
Today, Park Service Facilities along the trail ease the hikers' burden and interpret this historic site, that attracts thousands of people from around the world each year.