The Seattle unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park preserves the story of the 1897 stampede to the Yukon gold fields and Seattle’s crucial role in this event. On Friday, July 17, 2015, you can join in with activities to commemorate the Gold Rush.
Prospectors had begun flowing northward in 1895 but it was not until a ship docked in Seattle with successful returning gold miners, that a major stampede was set off.
The headlines of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper on July 17,1897, brought word of a rich gold strike in northwestern Canada.
Thousands of Seattleites were captivated by dreams of riches and they began making plans to head for the gold fields. The frenzy, which became known as Klondike Fever, caused many to leave their jobs, even the mayor of Seattle, William D. Wood, who resigned from his position.
In 1897 the Seattle Chamber of Commerce hired former newspaper writer Erastus Brainerd to conduct a publicity campaign, sending out notices to other newspapers around the country, promoting Seattle as the jumping-off place to Alaska and the Yukon gold fields. Seattle was advertised as the closest departure point and the best place to acquire the needed supplies for a gold-seeking journey. Brainerd’s campaign was so successful that even today, more than one hundred years later, Seattle is still known as the gateway to Alaska.
On Friday, July 17, 2015 you can enjoy a day’s activities to commemorate the gold rush at Seattle’s Klondike Gold Rush National Park and Museum, located at the intersection of Second Avenue South and South Jackson Street. Look for the Cadillac Hotel sign which is the marker of this historic building in the Pioneer Square Historic District.