Bonanza Creek: The location of the claim by Geo Carmack which started the Klondike gold rush. Originally called Rabbit Creek, it was quickly renamed Bonanza creek by the miners only 5 days after Geo Cormack filed his claim.

Forty-Mile: As this town had the nearest claims registry office to Bonanza Creek, Geo Cormack registered his claim here. The settlement is about 40 miles down river from Bonanza creek.

Dead Horse Gulch: An aptly named location on the White Pass. Almost all of the thousands of horses brought to the Yukon died while packing over the White and Chilkoot passes.  They often died when working and were simply pushed to the side of the trail and left for nature to recycle.

Skagway: Tidewater town at the trailhead of the White Pass. The home of the notorious Soapy Smith and his gang of mafia like hoodlums who ruled and terrorized Skagway and neighbouring towns while bilking unsuspecting Klondikers out of their poke and pack.

Chilkoot Pass: Most famous of the passes. Although extremely steep, it unlike the White Pass remained open all year. The famous picture of Klondikers packing up the most steep part of the pass (The Golden Stairs) during winter is the inspiration (and almost a direct copy) of our Klondike Derby logo. The most steep part of the pass rose more than 1000 ft at an angle of 35 degrees. All access to the interior from anywhere along the North Pacific coast had been blocked by the local tribe (Chilkoots) who guarded the passes with an army of 3000 fanatical warriors. The pass was not opened until 1880 when  the American government sent a heavily armed party plus a gun boat to the area. After a short skirmish, chief Hole-in-the-Head was convinced to open all the passes.

Dawson City: Headquarters settlement for the gold rush. Located at  the confluence of Bonanza Creek and the Yukon River.

Big Skookum Gulch: Site of the smallest claim in the Klondike. Due to a measuring error a pie shaped sliver of land was not staked between two adjacent and very rich claims. When the error was discovered, it was claimed and subsequently gave up over 1/2 million dollars in gold at 1899 prices. The claim is located at the spot where the Gulch opens into Bonanza Creek.

The Scales. Resting place immediately before the most steep part of the Chilkoot Pass. At this stop, the Klondikers would break their one ton of equipment & supplies into 50 lb packs (thus the scales). 50 lbs was the maximum load that most men could carry over the summit of the pass. The forty round trips of about 2 miles took typically 40 days to complete. It took perhaps 12 hrs to go up and literally a few minutes to slide down again. It usually took 3 months to pack ones supplies from Dyea to Lake Bennet on the other side of the pass, a distance of only 30 miles. Usually a sled was used past the summit. Many trips were needed so that the distance covered by each Klondiker was 1000 miles for this stretch alone. After winter, when only backpacks could be used, the distance easily doubled.

Suckerville: The place in Alaska  where a party of about 100  unsuspecting Klondikers travelling by boat from Seattle to Dawson were stranded 800 miles down stream from Dawson when their boat was frozen in for the winter. They had been suckered into the trip by the former mayor of Seattle, WD Wood, who also led the expedition.

Sourdough Gulch: The place where the parents of Pierre Berton (author of the book "Klondike"), camped the summer they were married. It is located near Dawson City, but no information could be found to pinpoint its location.

Motherlode: This is any major deposit of gold. It is often the apparent source of gold found in streams that have cut through it.

Cougar Crossing. This is not a geographical location associated with the Klondike gold rush. It is a name that has been associated with our Klondike for a very long time.

Baker's Point: Named after John Baker, a dedicated Scout leader in the former St Vital District and a strong supporter of the Klondike Derby  who passed away very suddenly in 1999.

Feb 9,2003