The Rush Begins

Exhibit: Klondike Gold Rush - The Perilous Journey North
"Seattle is all ‘agog’ with this gold fever and the streets are crowded with knots of men so worked up over the news that they can scarcely avoid being run over by the cars and carriages."
~ Eugene Semple, Seattleite, July 17, 1897.
Eugene Semple Papers, Manuscripts and University Archives, University of Washington Libraries.

 


The rush began with the arrival of the Excelsior in San Francisco and the Portland in Seattle, carrying recently discovered gold. This "extra," was published on July 17, 1897, the day the Portland arrived. About 5,000 excited people met the ship, crying: "Show us the gold!" Lucky miners raised their gold-filled bags to the cheers of the crowd and the scene was chaotic.

 

Seattle Post Intelligencer Klondike Edition

~ Detail from Seattle Post Intelligencer Klondike Edition, July 17, 1897, facsimile.