Discovery (1896)
On August 16, 1896, an American prospector named George Carmack, his Tagish(First Nation) wife Kate Carmack, her brother Skookum Jim and their nephew Dawson Charlie were travelling south of the Klondike River looking for gold, Following a suggestion from Robert Henderson, a fellow prospector. They began looking for gold on Bonanza Creek(once called Rabbit Creek), one of the Klondike river's tributaries. It was not clear who discovered the gold, but George Carmack and Skookum Jim agreed to let George appear as the official discoverer due to their feared of mining authorities being uncertain to grant a claim made by an First Nation. Carmack measured out four claims (strips of ground that could later be legally mined by the owner) along the river and they were registered the next day at the police post located on the mouth of the Forty Miles River. News spread rapidly to other mining camps in the Yukon River valley and by the end of August, Bonanza Creek was completely bought out by miners. A unknown prospector then travelled up into one of the tributaries of Bonanza creek and discovered a new sources of gold, which was even richer than those on Bonanza. Despite the cold climate, many prospectors quickly left for the Yukon, eager to reach the region before the best lands were taken. However, the outside world was still largely unaware of the Gold rush and although officials had managed to send a message to their superiors in Ottawa, the Canadian government did not pay much attention. The winter also prevented ships from sailing, and it was not until June 1897 that the first vessels left the area, carrying the freshly mined gold and a full story of the discoveries.