Celebrating a century of mining at Yukon – by Anne Turner (nee Lewis) and Lindsay Wilson (Northern Miner – January 8, 2019)

Northern Miner

http://www.yukonminingalliance.ca/

http://www.yukonwim.ca/index.html

Anne Turner (nee Lewis) is the executive director of the Yukon Mining Alliance (YMA). Lindsay Wilson is communications manager at YMA.

It was finding gold at Rabbit Creek and along the riverbeds of the Klondike that forever changed one of the world’s final frontiers — the Yukon Territory — and cemented the region’s roots as an inspiring Canadian mining district.

Yukon’s rich mining history continues to provide exciting discoveries, varied commodities and significant opportunities for northerners and investors alike. As we kick off 2019, we reflect on our history and the last year that has proved — through achievements, advancements and accolades — that Yukon is a mining district to follow and to celebrate.

In 1896, a hundred-thousand stampeders journeyed north, following the news of “Gold, gold, gold!” and “The Klondike gold rush begins” in papers from Seattle to San Francisco. Kate and George Carmack, Skookum Jim Mason, Dawson Charlie and Robert Henderson discovered placer gold at Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza Creek) on Aug. 26.

Shaw Tláa, a Tagish First Nation woman commonly referred to as Kate Carmack, is said to have made the discovery while fishing with her family. The Klondike discoverers staked hundreds of feet of riverbed and recovered US$100,000 in gold — a remarkable sum for 1896.

Thousands of prospectors were greeted by the Tr’ondek Hwech’in people, the original travellers, and together they found gold, traded it for supplies, and built homes, communities and infrastructure that still services the mining industry today.

For the rest of this article: https://www.northernminer.com/news/celebrating-a-century-of-mining-at-yukon/1003803018/