The Yukon Gold Rush Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dawson City

Dawson City was a thriving place during the gold rush. At its height, over 40,000 people lived there.

Answer: Klondike Gold Rush

The Klondike Gold Rush is named after the Klondike River that flows near the region where the gold was discovered.

Answer: Joseph Ladue

Joseph Ladue named the town after George M. Dawson who was a Canadian geologist. Dawson had explored and mapped the area shortly before the rush began.

Answer: 1896

Gold was discovered on August 17, 1896, which led to a huge influx of people into the area. Many miners left the area in 1899 when most of them went bust because the gold ran out.

Answer: Yukon River

All are rivers in the Yukon Territory, but the river that brought supplies and people to Dawson City was the mighty Yukon River. This river flows from the south in British Columbia, through the Yukon Territory and Alaska, and empties into the Bering Sea.

Answer: Skagway

Most people who were headed to the gold rush in Dawson City gathered in Skagway, Alaska. Miners were required to travel over land from Skagway through to Canada where they were then able to use rafts on the Yukon River to get to Dawson City. Although not as common, alternate routes included the "all Canadian" route (through Alberta/British Columbia) and the "all water" route where prospectors sailed around Alaska and up the Yukon River.

Answer: Three pounds of food per day.

The Canadian Government decided that three pounds of food per day for one year would be required for each miner headed to Dawson City. This meant that each had to carry 1,095 pounds in food alone! When other supplies like clothing and household goods were added, loads were often doubled to around a ton!

Answer: Jack London

Jack London wrote "The Call of the Wild" while living in Dawson City. Pierre Berton is a famous Canadian author who was born in the Yukon, and grew up in Dawson City. Martha Black is one of the women who moved to Dawson City during the gold rush. She made her fortune staking claims and running a sawmill, and went on to become Canada's second female Member of Parliament. Victor Jory was an actor (stage and TV) who was born in Dawson City in 1902.

Answer: Robert W. Service

Robert Service seemed enamoured with the Yukon. Many of his poems have Yukon themes, including "The Cremation of Sam McGee", "The Shooting of Dan McGrew", "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill", and "The Spell of the Yukon". (Each is worth looking up for some fun stories about interesting characters from the far north.)

Answer: Nome

Many miners who arrived in Dawson City during the gold rush were unable to make a living. As a result, there was a drastic drop in the population in town as many of them left to go home or they moved on to seek their fortunes at other sites where gold had been found.

Some interest was generated in Atlin, British Columbia when gold was found there, but many of the miners moved to Nome when a large gold strike was reported there.