Klondike

a gold-bearing region in the Northwest Territory, Canada. It derives its name from the Klondike River, a tributary of the Yukon. It lies near the Arctic Circle. Gold had been found in various regions of Alaska before the Klondike excitement set in. The Alaska gold excitement set in as early as 1880. The riches of the Klondike were not known until about 1897. In that year a number of miners made their fortunes. One of them appeared in San Francisco in the fall with $130,000 in gold dust. The region may be reached by way of the Yukon River and Dawson, or by way of Dyea and Skaguay. In 1905 the amount of gold taken out of the Klondike region was estimated variously at from $35,000,000 to $50,000,000. See Alaska