Lesson Plan

Klondike Railroad

Grade Level:
Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Subject:
Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
60 Minutes
State Standards:
E2.4.5 Explain the relationship between investment in human capital, productivity, and future incomes.

Essential Question

How did the Klondike Gold Rush impact the train system in the United States?

Objective

Students will:
• Conduct research about the construction and early history of the transcontinental railroads
• Identify the routes and modes of transport people took to reach the Klondike from around the world
• Design their own Klondike car intending to draw the most profits
• Write a paragraph on their opinion about the coolest Klondike souvenir and train

Preparation

Materials Needed

  • Internet or library access for research
  • Maps of the railroad system in the 1890s
  • Pencils, crayons, paper for drawing
  • List of different items that could be in a car, their prices, and popularity

Lesson Hook/Preview

How did railroad owners use the Klondike Gold Rush to their advantage? What kinds of things drew more people to trains? What kind of people took trains back then?

Procedure

Engage

Some of the United States’ railroad tracks were built over 150 years ago. What do you know about them? What was their path? What did it allow people to do?

Explore

Railroad tracks today seem like they’re everywhere, and many of them are no longer being used. With the invention of cars and airplanes, railroads and passenger trains have become less popular. However, they used to be the fastest way to get around and cross the United States from the East coast to the West coast. The transcontinental railroad was a humongous task and full of difficult working conditions and weather for the people building them, some of whom were treated terribly and underpaid. Can you name four different groups of people that worked to build the transcontinental railroad? Who got the credit for building it? When was it completed? What was its path? Who could afford tickets to ride it after completion? When the Klondike Gold Rush began in the late 1890s, rail lines stretching from New York to Seattle already existed. Can you trace a path from a major city in the East to Seattle? How long would that journey have taken to complete? How long would it take today on a plane?

Explain

Train companies took advantage of the gold rush to promote routes to Seattle and gain a lot of new business. In their cars they featured gear, gold, and other souvenirs from the Yukon. Give students a chance to design their own Klondike car using the worksheet on the last page.

Elaborate

Even today, long after the last great adventure known as the Klondike Gold Rush, artifacts and relics from that time such as the tools, gold, and other things that might have been featured in railcars continue to draw crowds. “Historical trash” and written newspapers or journals can provide insight into how people lived in the past. Ask students about any experience with historical things, such as museums, heirlooms, stories, clothing, etc. What does it tell us about the past? What kind of person might have used it and why? What was its purpose?

Evaluate

Ask students to reflect on their own experiences with the US train system and write a paragraph answering the following questions: How was your experience different from people in the 1890s? How have car designs changed? If you’ve never taken a train, what do you think about trains? Is there anywhere you want to go by train?

 

Learn more about relics from the Klondike Gold Rush and plan a field trip to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle at this site: https://www.nps.gov/klse/index.htm

Additional Resources

Klondike Car Design

Each student starts with 400$ to design their car. Their goal is to design the most popular car to gain the most riders and make the most money. They can choose to outfit their car with any number of anything from the list below, but must stay within their budget:

  • Taxidermy grizzly bear - 150$
  • Real Klondike gold (large) - 60$
  • Real Klondike gold (small) - 25$
  • Miners tools - 50$
  • Animal furs - 100$
  • Live sled dogs - 200$
  • Photographs - 10$ per photo
  • Fake gold (large) - 20$
  • Maps - 30$ per map
  • Taxidermy deer - 70$
  • Snow boots - 30$
  • Heavy snow parka - 30$
  • 50lb box of flour - 15$
  • Tent/shelter example - 30$
  • Hunting rifle - 20$
  • Ice ax - 20$

(Fun fact, according to this website, 400$ in 1899 is equivalent to over 13,000$ in 2022!)

Once students have finished designing their car, have them draw what it might look like. Give them coloring materials and blank paper. Once they are done, read through the following list of “profits” per item included in their car. They can add any money left over from the design budget. Who ended up with the most money? Did anyone lose profits?

  • Taxidermy grizzly bear - 300$
  • Real Klondike gold (large) - 150$
  • Real Klondike gold (small) - 50$
  • Miners tools - 40$
  • Animal furs - 120$
  • Live sled dogs - 300$
  • Photographs - 5$ per photo
  • Fake gold - 5$
  • Maps - 25$ per map
  • Taxidermy deer - 30$
  • Snow boots - 30$
  • Heavy snow parka - 40$
  • 50lb box of flour - 10$
  • Tent/shelter example - 45$
  • Hunting rifle - 15$
  • Ice ax - 40$
  • Empty car - minus 300$

Contact Information

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Tags: klondike railroad klondike gold rush national historical park railway railroad

Last updated: February 22, 2022