On August 16, 1896, on a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada's Yukon Territory, three men found gold. George Carmack, Skookum Jim, and Tagish Charlie were prospecting on Rabbit Creek when they spotted gold nuggets in the gravel - 'lying thick between the flaky slabs like cheese in a sandwich,' Carmack later wrote. They staked claims on what they renamed Bonanza Creek. Within days, every inch of the creek was claimed. Within a year, ships arriving in San Francisco and Seattle carrying gold sparked the Klondike Gold Rush - the last great gold rush in North American history. An estimated 100,000 people set out for the Klondike; perhaps 30,000 arrived. Today, the Discovery Claim on Bonanza Creek is a National Historic Site where visitors can pan for gold on the exact spot where it all began.
George Carmack was an American prospector who had 'gone native,' living among the Tagish people and marrying into the family. Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie were his brothers-in-law - experienced hunters and woodsmen who had spent their lives in the Yukon wilderness. In August 1896, the three were fishing for salmon near the mouth of the Klondike River when they met Robert Henderson, a prospector who mentioned finding gold on a nearby creek. The group went to investigate Rabbit Creek. On August 16, they found gold - thick deposits in the streambed that would prove to be among the richest in history. Carmack staked the Discovery Claim; Jim and Charlie staked claims upstream and downstream. They registered the claims in Fortymile, and the rush began.
News traveled slowly from the Yukon. It wasn't until July 1897, when ships arrived on the Pacific Coast carrying successful prospectors and gold, that the rush exploded. Within days, thousands of people were booking passage north. The routes were brutal: over the Chilkoot Pass from Skagway, down the Yukon River from Whitehorse, or around by sea to St. Michael and up the river. Canadian authorities required each prospector to bring a year's worth of supplies - roughly a ton of goods per person. Many turned back. Those who arrived found every claim staked. Most went home empty-handed. But the Klondike produced over $29 million in gold (1900 dollars) - billions in today's money.
The Discovery Claim - Claim No. 1 Below Discovery on Bonanza Creek - is where Carmack first staked. It was fabulously rich, producing hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold. The claim passed through various owners as the rush faded. In 1998, it was designated a National Historic Site. Today, visitors can tour the site, see the placer mining equipment, and pan for gold in the actual creek - there's still gold in Bonanza Creek, though not enough to get rich. The Discovery Claim is a touchstone: the exact spot where the Klondike Gold Rush began, preserved as both historical site and working gold operation.
Carmack became wealthy; Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie did too, though their wealth brought complications in a society that didn't treat Indigenous people equally. Carmack eventually left his Tagish wife and remarried. The Klondike's gold was largely exhausted by 1899; most prospectors moved on to Nome, Fairbanks, or home. Dawson City, which had swelled to 30,000, crashed to a few hundred. The gold rush left Yukon with roads, infrastructure, and a mythology that persists today. The Discovery Claim itself continued to produce gold; modern mining operations still work Bonanza Creek. The gold is still there, buried in the permafrost and gravel.
The Discovery Claim National Historic Site is located on Bonanza Creek, approximately 15 kilometers southeast of Dawson City, Yukon. The site is open in summer; guided tours explain the history and demonstrate gold panning. Visitors can pan for gold and keep what they find. The Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site, featuring a massive gold dredge, is nearby. Dawson City offers extensive Gold Rush tourism: restored buildings, the Dawson City Museum, and Diamond Tooth Gertie's gambling hall. Dawson City has scheduled air service from Whitehorse; driving from Whitehorse takes 6-7 hours on the Klondike Highway. The best time to visit is June through August.
Located at 63.94°N, 139.10°W on Bonanza Creek, southeast of Dawson City, Yukon. From altitude, Bonanza Creek is visible as a valley extending into the hills, with gravel tailings from over a century of mining visible along its length - white gravel piles marking worked claims. Dawson City is visible where the Klondike meets the Yukon River. The terrain is subarctic - boreal forest, permafrost, and mining scars. The Yukon River winds through the landscape. Dawson City Airport is nearby. Whitehorse is 535 kilometers south.