Gold was discovered there by local miners in 1896. When news reached Seattle and San Francisco, 100,000 prospectors migrated to the Klondike. Some became wealthy, but the majority went in vain.

Dawson City was established in 1896 as a result of the Klondike Gold Rush. That left a body of literature that has popularized and romanticized the Yukon.

Now Dawson Historical Complex is a National Historic Site of Canada. The complex comprises the core of Dawson City. Most buildings reflect pioneer, boom-town architecture in their small scale, simple massing and wood construction.

Photo: Original image in Hegg Album 26, page 8 . Original photograph by Eric A. Hegg 858, Wikimedia Commons