On this day in 1898, a Palm Sunday avalanche on the Chilkoot Trail killed at least 65 “stampeders” during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Thousands of miners traversed the steep route across the Boundary Range of the Coast Mountains between 1896 and 1900, the most perilous of several leading to the gold fields up and down the Klondike River. Running about 26 miles from Dyae, Alaska to Bennett, British Columbia, the danger didn’t deter eager miners. It was the shortest and cheapest way over the mountains. The parallel White Pass east of the Chilkoot was a much easier trail it but was controlled by con men and criminals who preyed on miners.
Another, longer all-water route circled the coast to Saint Michael and proceeded up the Yukon River to Fort Yukon on the American side of the border.
A Russian mining engineer had detected traces of gold as early as 1832 and substantially more gold was found on the Kenai Peninsula in 1850. But the Russian government prohibited mineral prospecting. Their hold on the territory was tenuous at best and they feared a flood of foreigners would endanger their sovereignty.
The first strike after Alaska came into American possession was at Sumdum Bay in 1870 and a huge lode was discovered near Juneau in 1880.
In August of 1896, gold was discovered on Bonanza Creek in the Canadian Yukon, touching off one of the largest voluntary migrations in history. The Chilkoot’s elevation made it prone to slides in early spring and snows had been unusually heavy in late winter that year. Professional packers familiar with the trail refused to go above Sheep Camp, the last camp on the Alaskan side and the Scales, located at 900 feet. Hundreds of do-it-yourself stampeders went anyway.
The Scales was just that, an official stop where stampeder’s packs were certified. Canadian officials required miners to have food for a year, an extensive amount of equipment, a long a list of warm clothing and a variety of medicines. Weighing about a ton, the do-it-yourselfers had to make several trips. Native American and First Nation packers charged better-off stampeders a penny a pound to tote their supplies up the mountain.
The Golden Stairs, 1,500 steps tediously cut in the ice and snow, helped miners up to the summit. Guide ropes along the side helped steady packers on the final assent. Once at the top, you had to get down, a descent of 1,300 feet covering nine miles horizontally.
A tramway made the trek easier following the avalanche and made its builders richer quicker than panning gold. Charging a cent and a half a pound, it is estimated the tram collected $150 a day, more than $4,000 today. A 110-mile narrow-gauge rail line begun in 1898 through the White Pass to Whitehorse, B. C. was finally completed in 1900, but by then the Klondike gold fever had waned.
Rising crime rates created tension on the border between the U.S. government at the Canadians. The Northwest Mounted Police eventually established the Yukon Field Force to protect gold shipments, guard prisoners and regulated the whiskey trade.
Of the approximately 100,000 gold seekers who headed for the Klondike, fewer than a third made it. The hardy souls that did, had hiked just about 1,000 miles by the time they hauled their supplies to Bennett, B.C.
While the Palm Sunday avalanche was the single largest casualty event, it was not the biggest killer of stampeders. Malnutrition, mental illness and extreme weather conditions took a bigger toll.
Not all the stampeders were men. Steamship manifests indicated that 1,500 women made their way north, representing about 7 per cent of the travelers from 1898 to 1900.
A dozen more gold strikes in the next ten years continued to lure fortune hunters. What is considered the last Alaska gold rush occurred in 1913. Over the years, some struck it rich, others died trying and still others gave up looking, settling down to make Alaska their home.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is headquartered in Alaska’s Skagway historic downtown, the site of nearly a dozen museums and establishments of the Gold Rush era. A variety of trails can be accessed in 
the park, including the Chilkoot, a hiking experience still not for the faint of heart. While the park is open year-round, services vary with the season. A variety of permits are required for camping and hiking. Program schedules and ranger programs are located he visitor center located in Skagway’s White Pass & Yukon Route depot. The center is open seven days a week form 8:30 to 5:30 May through late September and weekdays and Saturday, 8 to 5 in winter. For more information go to www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit, email to e-mail us, call (907) 983-9200 or mail Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, P.O. Box 517, Skagway, Alaska 99840.