Dawson City - A History of Growing Pains 1896 - 1906
As prepared by Dawson Historian, John Gould.
BOOM TOWN
Since the word of the fabulous rich Klondike gold discovery hit San Francisco
and Seattle in July of 1897, people had been heading north to this new gold
field in the Canadian North West. All that winter they had been arriving in
Dawson, but it wasn't until the spring of 1898, when several hundred boats
and scows of all description and size left Lake Bennett, as soon as the ice
went out of the lake all heading for the Klondike gold
fields some 600 mile away down north on the Yukon river. Many of them had a
disastrous trip wrecking their boats in the White Horse Rapids, or the Five
finger rapids, losing every
thing, many lost their lives.
By mid summer the new town of Dawson had a population of some 30,000 people.
Every one looking for an opportunity to stake a claim and go back home with
their pockets full of gold. (need photo of water front with all the boats)
DAWSON STREETS
In 1897 there was nothing but a bog on most of the Dawson streets. The first wheeled vehicle to appear on First Avenue Was a two wheeled cart, which made a serpentine trail along the street. During the summer other vehicles appeared and the street which was worn down to a bog. In the spring of 1898 some work was done to fix up First Avenue, sawdust and slabs were laid in the bad spots. Later in the summer it was common for horses and wagons to be mired on First Avenue.
Considerable work was done in 1900 and 1901. Many places the side walks were two to four feet above the street. In a July issue was the following poem probably prompted by the condition of the streets;
BROTHERHOOD
The crossing was muddy, the street was wide,
The water was running on either side
The wind whistled past with a bitter moan
As I wended my weary way home.
In crossing the street I chanced to pass
A boy in the arms of a wee toddling Lass,
"Isn't he heavy, sweet little Mother?"
"Oh no," she replied, "he's my baby brother."
Thy load may be heavy, thy road may be long,
The winds of adversity bitter and strong;
But the way will seem bright if you love one another
The burden be light if you carry a brother.
-Anon
©John Gould
(This is copyrighted material and under no circumstances is allowed to be copied or used without the express permission of the author)