Timeline of the Alaskan Gold Rush
| 1849 | Russian
Mining engineer discovers gold and coal on Kenai Peninsula. |
| 1861 | Buck
Choquette discovers gold at Telegraph Creek near Wrangell. |
| 1870 | Gold
found at Sumdum Bay, SE Alaska. |
| 1871 |
Gold discovered at lndian River near Sitka. |
| 1873 | Jack
McQuestern, Arthur Harper and Alfred Mayo begin prospecting along
the Yukon River. |
| 1880 |
lndians agree to allow prospectors to use Chilkoot Pass.
Joe Juneau and Richard Harris make major gold strike on Gold
Creek near Juneau. |
|
1884 |
Congress
passes the Organic Act of 1884, providing a civil government for Alaska.
|
|
1886 |
Howard
Franklin strikes Gold on Fortymile River ln Interior Alaska. |
|
1888 |
Alexander
King discovers gold on Kenai Peninsula. |
|
1893 |
Gold
discovered near Hope, Rampart and Circle. |
|
1896 |
George
Washington Carmack, Tagish Charlie and Skookum Jim make a discovery
on Bonanza Creek, setting off the great Klondike
Gold Rush. |
|
1897 |
S.S.Excelsior
and S.S. Portland arrive at San Francisco and Seattle loaded
with Klondike Gold, the stampede begins. U.S.
Army establishes Fort St.Michael, first of six Gold Rush posts. |
| 1898 |
Sixty five people die ln Chilkoot Pass avalanche. U.S. soldiers arrive in Skagway to maintain order. Construction begins on White Pass & Yukon Railway, completed July 29, 1900. Notorious Soapy Smith shot and killed in Skagway. The
"Three Luck Swedes" discover gold on Seward Peninsula. |
| 1899 |
Mining begins on the beaches of Nome. Construction
begins on Valdez-Eagle Military Trail, later to become the Trans-Alaska
Military Road. |
|
1900 |
Congress authorizes construction of telegraph lines and submarine cables to connect Alaska's military posts with each other and with the rest of the U.S. Alexander McKenzie and Judge Arthur H. Noyes arrive ln Nome and start a fraudulent scheme to seize rich mining claims. "Son
of the Wolf", Jack London's first book on the Klondike, is published.
|
| 1902 |
Felix
Pedro discovers gold on Pedro Creek. Leads to the founding of
Fairbanks. |
| 1903 | Boundary Tribunal settles boundary dispute between Alaska and British Columbia |
|
1906 |
Robert Service writes his first two poems, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee". Nome Kennell Club organizes to promote sled dog racing. Gold
discovered in Chadalar District. |
| 1908 |
Alaska Road Commission surveys route from Seward to Nome, later called
the Iditarod Trail. |
| 1909 | Iditarod
discovery made. |
|
1910 |
The "Sourdoughs," four Kantishna miners, make first ascent of Mt. McKinley's North Peak. Stampede
to Ruby. |
| 1911 | Kennicott
copper mines begin production. |
|
1912 |
Congress
passes Organic Act of 1912, giving Alaska Territorial Status and
a Legislature. |
|
1913 |
Gold found at Marshall. Sidney
Laurence completes his first monumental painting of Mt.McKinley.
|
| 1914 | Gold
discovered at Livengood, near Fairbanks. |
Back
to index of stories.
Used with
permission.
Gold Rush Centennial Task Force, State of Alaska.
|
