With our stampeder Tappan Adney safely at Lindeman building his boat for the final push to the Klondike, we'll take a break from his journey for a couple of episodes. Today, we'll look at the other routes to the Klondike. Other than the so-called Rich Man's Route by steamer up the Yukon River, most of them make the Chilkoot Trail look like a short stroll in the park.
The Eliza Anderson was one of the so-called Floating Coffins of Alaska, managing to make even the 'Rich Man's Route' a harrowing experience. The Chilkoot Trail must have looked good in comparison to riding out a wild Aleutian Islands storm in a 40-year old vessel that had already sunk once.
Sources, maps & reading
National Parks Service map showing the other routes in colour
Photos and info on other routes, including images of the dreaded Valdez Glacier
Michael Gates' article in the Yukon News on the Teslin trail
Page (linked at bottom of page) from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer showing all the ads for steamship trips to Alaska. Buyer beware, especially if you're buying Eliza Anderson tickets.
The Klondike Stampede by Tappan Adney
Klondike by Pierre Berton, a classic popular history book that reinvigorated interest in the gold rush in the mid-20th century and full of riveting episodes
Dalton's Gold Rush Trail, a fascinating look at Jack Dalton's life by Yukon author Michael Gates
Photos above in the public domain from Wikipedia Commons.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer page linked below
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