Dawson City
Dawson City was created in the early days of the Klondike Gold Rush, when prospector Joe Ladue and shopkeeper Arthur Harper decided to make a profit from the rush to the Klondike. The two men bought 178 acres of land at the junction of the Klondike and Yukon rivers, and created what was known as the “Harper and Ladue town site", and later changed into Dawson City after the director of Canada's Geographical Survey. It grew rapidly to hold 500 people by the winter of 1896, with plots of land selling for $500 ($400,000). Dawson City’s population rose further to 30,000 in the spring of 1898. There was no running water or sewerage, only two springs for drinking water and soon reeked of human waste plagued by flies and mosquitoes. Land in Dawson was soon became scarce, and plots sold for up to $10,000 ($8 million) each. As a result, Dawson's population spread south into the empty Hän village, renaming it Klondike City. The newly built town was highly vulnerable to fire, for the houses were made of wood, water for emergencies were needed, especially in the frozen winters. The first major fire occurred on November 25, 1897, accidentally triggered by Belle Mitchell. She also accidentally started a second major fire on October 14, 1898 which destroyed two major saloons, the post-office building, and the Bank of British North America.The worst fire occurred on April 26, 1899, most of the major landmarks in the town were burned to the ground: 117 buildings were destroyed, with the damage estimated at over $1 million ($810 million).