Children of the Gold Rush describes, in individual stories, vintage photographs, and historical memorabilia, what life was like for those indomitable kids a century ago. Gold rushes in Alaska and the Yukon Territory attracted thousands of people from all over the world hoping to strike it rich. For thirty years they streamed into new towns like Dawson, Fairbanks, and Nome, and hundreds of thrown-together mining camps. In the midst of all this activity lived children, too.
In a land where freezing, dark winters, and mosquito-filled summers challenged even the hardiest pioneers, the children, like their parents, had to be tough and quick to adapt to harsh conditions. Living in boomtowns and rugged encampments on the gold creeks, they learned to eat different foods such as caribou and moose, dress in fur clothing to survive the cold, and endure family separations.
Some left after only a few years, while others stayed and eventually raised their own children in an Alaska that had changed dramatically since the gold rush days. None would ever forget their childhood adventures in the Far North.