Stampede

This book is one of the few books that I have found accessible and engaging concerning the Gold Rush. While it shouldn't be taken as the last book on the subject, it is definitely a good place to begin. Castner's descriptions of characters and the stories he tells of them in the Klondike bring a story that may garner a few mentions in history class more of their due. This is the real Mountain Men, much more rough and trying. Many of these stories I had never heard of, aside from Jack London, and even then, I learned a great deal more about him.

What impressed me is not just what is included, but Castner's prose really pulled me in. I read a lot of nonfiction, some rather dry, but here is a book that I think could easily bridge the gap between popular nonfiction and academic insightfulness.

A brilliant telling of the great gold rush in Alaska. All the major characters are fleshed out and made all too human. This is a riveting retelling of the events of that era. Well done on all counts.

Best book I have read on the history of the Gold Rush in the Yukon! The bulk of the story is based on the human aspect of that era. Many lives were impacted by this drive for wealth and adventure in this gold “stampede”.

Written as a basic overview of the Klondike Gold Rush, Stampede highlights a rather colorful cast of characters that exemplify what life was like in those trying times - from Soapy Smith, conman extraordinaire; entrepreneur and determined survivor Belinda Mulrooney; the real discoverer of gold, Skookum Jim; the impressionable youth Jack London; to Colonel Samuel Steele who helped save the scrappiest of those determined to make their wealth in the Yukon. From the good time girls to the reporters who covered the mass exodus of folks from across the county, Castner reveals them all in rather engaging blend of history and narrative.
While I did not appreciate the author's inclusion of his politics at the end of the story, I do understand the point he was trying to make by "the madness of the crowds". All in all, engaging but basic, with other books on the market that delve deeper into a fascinating, if rather deadly, point in history.

In 1896 there were two gold finds in the Yukon Territory of North West Canada. One was sizable and almost equivalent to the find at Sutter's Creek in California. For most prospectors, a creek that would yield more than ten cents a pan would be consider a great "strike". But not too far from the first strike another was found on the "Klondike" creek. This one yielded pans of up to $5.00 and averaged over $1.50.

During the time that over 100,000 stampeders overwhelmed the area, Dawson and Skagway were the two most popular destinations in the world. During the three years it took to dig out most of the gold out, 20,000,000 ounces, about $34 billion in today's was extracted. The price of gold in 1900 was higher (when adjusted for inflation) than in 2000. Most of the gold was extracted by panning the rivers and melting areas of perma-frost to follow the gold veins.

Of the 100k of people who set out from Seattle and points in Canada, half never made it to the area of the Yukon that led to the two passes that went into the Klondike. Half of those never made it over the passes, and fewer than 10k ever made it to the Goldfields. Of the few dozen millionaires most never made enough money to pay for a ticket home, and many ended up working for those who controlled the thousand best claims.

The moral of the story is that unlike oil, once the original strike is publicized, it's too late to go.