"You're crazy to think you'll strike it rich. Crazy, crazy, crazy!" Aunt Rachel isn't very happy about 13-year-old Tim and his older brother, Roy, heading off to the Klondike Gold Rush. But times are tough and getting worse. The possibility of discovering riches, however slim, is hard to resist. The trip from Seattle to the Yukon is torturous and filled with dangers. Blinding snowstorms, a hazardous mountain range and raging rapids stand between the prospectors and their chance to hit "paydirt." And of the 30 000 who do make it all the way to Dawson, only a small percentage will ever strike gold. Even so, Roy is determined to come back a rich man. And Tim, a budding writer, is looking to find the story of a lifetime. Their year in the gold fields is filled with exhausting travel, backbreaking work and bitter feuding. As the two brothers face increasing tensions and hardships, even all the gold in the world may not be enough to save their family. Book jacket.

“A thrilling narrative of personal experiences and adventures in the wonderful gold regions of Alaska and the Klondike, with observations of travel and exploration along the Yukon. Portraying the dangers, hardships, and privations of a gold-seeker's life; with a faithful description of life and scenes in gold mines and camps. Including full and authentic information of the countries described, their underground treasures, how to find them, etc.” This classic first-hand account contains the following chapters: I. My Boyhood and Early Life—What Led Me to Adopt the Life of a Gold-seeker—Why My Eyes Were Turned Towards Alaska II. Ho For Alaska!—Extent of Our Great Territory— Getting Ready For the Start—Our Outfit and What It Consisted Of III. Choosing a Route—Our Voyage Along the Coast-arrival at Dyea—First Experience With Natives IV. Life on the Trail—Strange Sights and Scenes—Storm Bound in Sheep Camp—a Woman’s Adventures and Experiences V. The Dreaded Chilkoot Pass—How We Crossed It—Sliding Down the Mountains at Lightning Speed—“There Comes a Woman” VI. Camp Life in Alaska—We Build a Boat to Continue Our Journey— Adventures With Bears VII. A Dangerous Voyage—Overturning of Our Boat—Loss of an $800 Outfit—We Escape With Our Lives—Hunting For a Camp Thief VIII. Some Thrilling Experiences—Discovery of the Thief—His Summary Punishment—Pictures by the Way IX. Life on a Yukon Post—Our First Glimpse of the Klondike—How Miners Administer Justice in Alaska—The Plague of Mosquitoes X. Arrival at Circle City—Dance Halls and Other Places of Amusement—The Yukon Sled—Alaskan Dogs and their Peculiarities XI. Guarding Against Evil-Doers—Life in a Gold-Seeker’s Cabin—How It Is Built and Furnished XII. Work and Wages in Alaska—Agricultural Possibilities in the Icy North—Cost of Living XIII. We Reach the Gold Diggings—Locating a Claim—How Gold Is Mined—The Miner’s Pan, Rocker, and Sluice Boxes XIV. My Voyage Down the Mighty Yukon—Incidents and Experiences During the Trip—In the Shadow of the Arctic Circle XV. Still Journeying Along the Dreary River—Sights and Scenes on the Way—Habits and Peculiarities of the Indians XVI. Arrival at Forty Mile—Wonderful Stories of New Diggings—Ho! For the Klondike!—Mad Rush of Excited Gold-Seekers XVII. My First Tramp in the Klondike Gold Fields—What a Place For Gold!—A Peep into the Sluice Boxes—I Stake a Claim XVIII. the Discovery of Eldorado—The Founding of Dawson—Confusion and Queer Complications Over Claims—“Three inch White” XIX. Richness of the Klondike Gold Fields—The Great Winter Exodus From Circle City—First Results From Testing Pans—Miners Wild With Excitement XX. Winter in the Klondike—Camp Life and Work—A Miner’s Domestic Duties—Christmas in a Gold-Seeker’s Camp XXI. Alaskan Weather—On the Verge of Starvation—How We Pulled Through—Dangers of Winter Traveling—Painful Experiences XXII. Preparing For Sluicing—The Spring “Clean-Up”— Astonishing Results When Dirt Was Washed Out—Some Lucky Strikes—The Romance of Fortune XXIII. Stories of Great Hardships and Scanty Rewards—A Romance of the Klondike—Claim Jumpers—An Old Slave’s Lucky Strike XXIV. Incidents of the Trail—Death and Burial of a Baby—A Woman’s Thrilling Experiences XXV. The Opportunities For Money-Making in Alaska—The Costly Experience of Two Tenderfeet—Appalling Price of a Supper—A Horse Missing With $49,000 in Gold XXVI. Dawson and ItsIniquities—Gambling Places, Their Devices and Their Ways—Night Scenes in the Dance Halls—Real Life in New Mining Camps XXVII. A Refuge For Criminals—The Mines More Profitable Than Sporting Devices—Pursuing a Fugitive—A Chase of 25,000 Miles For an Escaped Murderer XXVIII. Women in the Klondike—Some Romantic Stories—Experience of a Woman on the Trail—How Women Have Made Fortunes ... and 12 more chapters.

Collects photographs and accounts of the adventures of women on the trails to the Klondike gold fields.

A unique hybrid of fact, fiction and activities pulls kids into the excitement of the Yukon Gold Rush.

Gold fever!When the steamships Excelsior and Portland docked in San Francisco and Seattle in the spring of 1897 bringing news that gold had been discovered in the Canadian Yukon, gold fever hit. Soon thousands of stampeders from as far away as Europe were making their way to the Klondike, sure that they were going to strike it rich. Very few had even the slightest idea of just how inhospitable the Klondike was, how dangerous the journey would be, and how slim their chances were of making enough money there just to turn around and get home. With striking and often poignant archival photographs and an engaging text, Charlotte Jones explains the events leading up to the Yukon gold rush and the amazing events that followed the discovery of gold and changed Alaska forever. Maps, bibliography, and index are included.

-A middle grade biography of Jack London that sheds light on how he drew upon adventure and life experience to create works of literature---