Gold Fever! Seattle Outfits the Klondike Gold Rush (Teaching with Historic Places)

Ascending the Golden Stairs up to Chilkoot Pass on the Chilkoot Trail, 1897. Library of Congress.

Seattle's Pioneer Square bustled with excitement as news of a major gold strike in Canada's Yukon River valley reached the port city during the summer of 1897. Soon eager prospectors from all over the country descended on Seattle to purchase supplies and secure transportation to the far-away gold fields. Newcomers were beset with information from every corner. Hawkers offered one sales pitch after another, explaining where to find lodging, meals, gambling, and other entertainment. Outfitters tried to entice prospectors into their stores to purchase the supplies necessary for the stampede north. Anticipating large crowds, these outfitters piled merchandise everywhere, including the sidewalks in front of their stores. One clever merchant opened a mining school where greenhorns could learn the techniques of panning, sluicing, and rocking before setting out for the gold fields. Some anxious stampeders headed directly for the piers where ships were ready to sail north, joining the great migration to the Klondike gold fields. The intense bustle and commotion of the Klondike Gold Rush dramatically changed the face of Seattle. Use this lesson plan to learn more about the Gold Rush. (Click in image for full lesson plan.)

Essential Question

Examine how the discovery of gold in the Canada's remote Klondike region touched off the last great gold rush, creating an economic boom that changed the city of Seattle forever.

Objective

1. To list several impacts the Klondike Gold Rush had on Seattle;
2. To examine why people came to Seattle to purchase their supplies and transportation to the gold fields;
3. To evaluate methods used to entice stampeders to outfit in Seattle;
4. To describe some of the difficulties stampeders encountered on their journey from Seattle to the Klondike;
5. To determine the effect of a dramatic event on their own community.

Background

Time Period: Late 19th century
Topics: The lesson will help students understand how Seattle exemplified the prosperity of the Klondike Gold Rush. It can be used in units on western expansion, late 19th-century commerce, and urban history.

Grade level

Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

Subject

Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies

Lesson Duration

90 Minutes

Common Core Standards

6-8.RH.2, 6-8.RH.3, 6-8.RH.4, 6-8.RH.5, 6-8.RH.6, 6-8.RH.7, 6-8.RH.8, 6-8.RH.9, 6-8.RH.10, 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 9-10.RH.3, 9-10.RH.4, 9-10.RH.5, 9-10.RH.6, 9-10.RH.7, 9-10.RH.8, 9-10.RH.9, 9-10.RH.10