The following letters from the Yukon and Alaska appeared in the Hollister Free Lance newspaper, and were transcribed and posted to the NORCAL-L email list by Dee, one of their members. More information about the list, which is for Northern California related topics, can be found here. An enormous amount of other information about the Klondike can be found by clicking here.

    From the dangers of avalanches in the Chilkoot Pass and rapids along the Yukon River to the annoyances of dealing with Canadian Customs officers and the thrill of finding gold, these adventurers tell a wide variety of stories. Included are some opinions about the Klondike and Dawson City that seldom appear in print anymore!

R. D. Logan

Bonanza, July 3, 1898

John Mahoney

Dyea, Mar. 24, 1898 and Sheep Camp, April 2, 1898

April 22, 1898

Lake Linderman, April 29, 1898 and Lake Bennett, May 23, 1898

Fort Selkirk, June 11 and July 6, 1898

Selwyn River, July 12, 1898

Victor T. McCray

Circle City, June 20, 1898

Ed Nash

Dawson City, March 8, 1898

Isaac Thexton

Yukon River, June 18, 1898

There was a lot more going on in the North than just the Klondike. The letters below are from the Kenai Peninsula.

Robert Matthews

September 2, 1898

G. W. Towle

Cooper Creek, Alaska - April 30, 1898
George Towle and his 7 sons came to the Kenai Peninsual in 1898, and his youngest son, Frank, remained for the rest of his life. Their story is briefly told in Mary J. Barry's excellent 296-page book A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (self-published, 1997).