1. Klondike Gold Rush After the Rush

2. Effects on First Nations Peoples
Yukon Territory First Nations People Population:
1800 = 8000
1921 = 1500 (Some would say gold rush had a terrible affect on First Nations peoples)
Some suffered because of the gold rush:
Those who became associated with the miners’ communities at Forty Mile and later Dawson City.
Bishop Bompas complained that the miners were “debauching” the local Indians with alcohol, and were abusing their women.
Newcomers greed for gold resulted in the whites imposing new laws and languages, religion and social customs.

3. Effects on First Nations Peoples
Other Opinions:
Other people say that the gold rush had little affects on the First Nations people.
They say that most of the newcomers were concentrated in a very restricted area (small communities on the Yukon river and mining camps on the creek).
Vast majority of First Nations people remained undisturbed as they could continue to hunt and trap as they had done before.
Very few worked on claims, where they were not welcomed.

4. Effects on First Nations Peoples
Some First Nations peoples took advantage of the gold rush:
Chilkat packers made a good living carrying miners’ goods over the Chilkoot Pass.
Others cut wood that fuelled the riverboats, and stacking it on the bank of the Yukon River.
These activities did not interfere with their cultural traditions.
The money they made could be used to purchase ammunition for hunting, foodstuffs such as tea or flour, and other goods.
*Some say the most serious effect was that they were outnumbers by the newcomers, and became marginalized in their own lands.

5. Effects on Environment
New gold mining process:
Introduction of dredges > giant machines chewed their way up the creeks, reworking the claims, leaving the serpentine trails of tailings.
They are a striking feature of the landscape in the vicinity of Dawson City.

6. Effects on Environment
Gold rush brought about a rapid advance in the development of the Yukon Territory (officially formed by Parliament on June 13, 1898).
Gold rush left an infrastructure of supply, support and governance that led to the continued development of the territory.

7. Effects on Society
Remote Yukon area transformed into a rowdy, boisterous community of 40,000 people (Dawson City).
Gambling halls, brothels, dance halls, and many small businesses popped up everywhere in the city.
These new places created an unprecedented amount of excitement and energy.

8. Effects on Economy
Greatest year of gold production= 1900 > over $22 million worth of gold taken out of the creeks.
After 1900 = Gold production began to decrease, but very slowly.
By the end of 1911 $140 million in gold had been taken out of the ground.
However, many people failed to get their hands on much of this gold.

9. Effects on Economy
After the major boom many people decided to sell their claims as they were no longer yielding significant amounts of gold.
Large corporations came to dominate the economy of the Yukon, and day labour began to replace work along the creeks.
Corporate capitalism eventually replaced the individualism of the mining frontier.