Jack London Arrived in the Klondike at Age 21 and It Made Him a Writer

The great irony of the Klondike Gold Rush is that the merchants, outfitters, and service providers made far more reliable fortunes than most gold miners. Entrepreneurs like Samuel Benfield Steele and businesses that supplied food, tools, and lodging prospered enormously. One of the most famous examples: Levi Strauss & Co. sold durable denim pants to miners — and built a lasting American clothing brand.

The Klondike Gold Rush essentially ended in 1899 when gold was discovered on the beaches of Nome, Alaska. Thousands of disappointed Klondike miners abandoned Dawson City and streamed toward Nome, an easier location accessible by sea. By 1900, Dawson City's population had plummeted. Only about $1 of every $20 invested in the Klondike rush was ever recovered in gold.

Jefferson Randolph 'Soapy' Smith was the most notorious figure of the Klondike era. Operating out of Skagway, Alaska, he ran a sophisticated criminal operation that robbed prospectors through rigged card games, fake telegraph offices, and outright theft. His reign ended on July 8, 1898 when he was shot and killed in a confrontation with town surveyor Frank Reid, who also died in the gunfight.

Unlike American gold rushes, the Klondike Gold Rush was remarkably lawful due to the presence of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP), forerunners of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). They enforced strict regulations at border posts, prevented violence, confiscated weapons, and managed the enormous flow of humanity. The contrast with the lawless American frontier was stark and widely noted.