The Klondike Stampede

What was life like during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898-1899? Life was harsh, dangerous, hard. And for the Stampeders, those who participated in the Klondike Stampede, life was a grand adventure. Few got rich, but those who survived their Yukon experience had a tale to tell. Wallis Sanborn was one of those who went north. While he did not gain gold, he did live to write his adventure. Through letters, a diary, and a keen memory for the details of daily existence, Wallis drafted his Klondike adventure. This narrative of Wallis Sanborn and his partner Dan Dever's journey from Illinois to the Klondike and back is entertaining and interesting and offers insight into the daily living activities of the Klondike Stampeder: What they ate, what they wore, the mining process, the trails they mushed, the road houses, tents, and cabins in which they slept. And, what makes this narrative absolutely unique are Wallis Sanborn's drawings of the natural world, of rivers and mountains, of his and Dan's cabin and their hand-made furniture. Also prominent are hand-drawn maps and photographs, handbills, travel receipts, and miner's certificates. The sketches and maps and photographs are not found in any extant Klondike narrative.