Klondike Gold Rush
Caitlin C, Cale A, Sicilia H, Mikayla B
How Government Polocies Impacted the Settlement of The West
The Klondike Gold Rush immensely boosted our Nations economy. It also brought much needed advancements to development in infrastructure.
Conditions in the Klondike
Mining was slow, due to the harsh mountain terrain, and very cold weather. Miners had a very difficult time digging through the permafrost (A.K.A. frozen soil). Many of the prospectors had to prepare for these conditions by packing a years supply of food before they traveled to the gold, because of this many had to leave empty handed or else they would starve.
Throughout this booming time a central city was formed. Dawson city, founded at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon River.
In 1899 gold territories developed a railroad system that would travel from Skyway, Alaska to Calrcross, Yukon.
Effects on the Natives
The native Hän people suffered, because of the prospectors forcefully moving them into plantations, and because the harsh conditions many of them died along the way. They were forced to travel further west to Alaska. The Americans that traveled to the Klondike only cared about the aspect of becoming rich, so they treated the natives as looters. They would try to force them to leave, and those who resisted were killed with no mercy.
Expanision Into the West redefined...
Due to the extreme popularity of expanding into new territory with many opportunities in the West, the National Identify will have change. The Gold Rush caused some concerns on how the nation would expand. Brutally taking over land wasn't acceptable with the Nation's new government. Land meant money, and money meant the opportunity to gain more land. These changes to the Nations identity would be instilled into our government later, through the development of treaties, and through infrastructure.