Gold Fever! Seattle Outfits
the Klondike Gold Rush

(Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries, Curtis Photo, Neg. 26368) S eattle's Pioneer Square bustled with excitement as news of a major gold strike in Canada's Yukon River valley reached the port city during the summer of 1897. Soon eager prospectors from all over the country descended on Seattle to purchase supplies and secure transportation to the far-away gold fields. Newcomers were beset with information from every corner. Hawkers offered one sales pitch after another, explaining where to find lodging, meals, gambling, and other entertainment. Outfitters tried to entice prospectors into their stores to purchase the supplies necessary for the stampede north. Anticipating large crowds, these outfitters piled merchandise everywhere, including the sidewalks in front of their stores. One clever merchant opened a mining school where greenhorns could learn the techniques of panning, sluicing, and rocking before setting out for the gold fields. Some anxious stampeders headed directly for the piers where ships were ready to sail north, joining the great migration to the Klondike gold fields. The intense bustle and commotion of the Klondike Gold Rush dramatically changed the face of Seattle.

TABLE OF CONTENTS About This Lesson Getting Started: Inquiry Question Setting the Stage: Historical Context Locating the Site: Maps 1. Routes from Seattle to Klondike 2. Pioneer Square, Seattle Determining the Facts: Readings 1. The Rush for Gold 2. Selling Seattle 3. Front page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 13, 1897 4. The Legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush Visual Evidence: Images 1. Cooper and Levy, Pioneer Outfitters 2. McDougal and Southwick Company 3. Thedinga Hardware Company 4. The Pioneer Building, Pioneer Square 3. Ascending the "golden stairs" up to Chilkoot Pass on the Chilkoot Trail, 1897 Putting It All Together: Activities 1. Should I Stay, or Should I Go? 2. Opportunity Knocks Supplementary Resources

RELATED INFORMATION How to Use a TwHP Lesson Lessons on Related Topics TwHP Home National Register Home About the National Register How the National Register Helps Teachers Contact TwHP Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Seattle Unit This lesson is based on the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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