The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush

by Pierre Berton

This thrilling story of the Klondike Gold Rush is at once first-rate history and first-rate entertainment. Some of the anecdotes of the last great gold rush have been told by others, but Pierre Berton is the first to distill the Klondike experience into a single, complete, coherent and immensely dramatic narrative. He spent 12 years in Dawson City researching the work. The entire tale has an epic ring, as much because of its splendid folly as because of its color and motion. The full story has never been told before, nor has it been told in this dramatic way.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, American History, Travel, Nature, World History

535 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

From narrative histories and popular culture, to picture and coffee table books to anthologies, to stories for children to readable, historical works for youth, many of his books are now Canadian classics.

Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of Maclean's magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program "Close-Up" and was a permanent fixture on "Front Page Challenge" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs.

Pierre Berton has received over 30 literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. He received two Nellies for his work in broadcasting, two National Newspaper awards, and the National History Society's first award for "distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history." For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history, he has been awarded more than a dozen honourary degrees, is a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame and a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Reviews

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book so I could read up on Alaskan history before our cruise this summer, and I was worried I made a poor choice. Klondike Fever is a brick of a book at about 450 pages. If it was in hardcover, I could use it as a weapon. It was also written back in the 1950s. I started reading, already half expecting to find it to be a dry, dull read not worthy of finishing.

Wow, was I wrong.

The book is extremely long, true, but Berton's storytelling prowess is absolutely engaging. He knows his stuff. His father came to the Alaskan goldfields over the Chilkoot Pass, and Berton was raised in the ghost town of Dawson City. As this book was published in the 1950s, he was able to talk to many survivors of the rush or those who knew them, and preserve their stories.

It took a certain personality type to survive the long trek to Dawson City. Thousands tried; thousands more failed; untold numbers died. At times, I was angered by the gross exaggerations in advertising and the swindling that led to so many deaths. The simple truth was, people dashed off for Alaska without any concept of the distance or geography. They thought they could get on a boat, disembark, and pluck gold nuggets off the ground. They didn't understand that it was thousands of miles by land alone. The route through Edmonton was 2,000 miles in length and took two years to navigate--for those who lived--and to add insult to injury, they arrived when the rush was over.

As a student of history, I vaguely recalled some of what I read of Alaska as a kid, back when I read Jack London's stories. Berton's book was an education. It brought the gritty reality of the time period to life, from the joy of discovery to the criminal syndicate of Soapy Smith in Skagway that made the city into the Mos Eisley of Alaska.

This is a book that I'll absolutely be keeping on my shelf for future reference, and it's made me all the more excited for my trip.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pierre Berton is among my three favorite history writers. He lacks the meticulous scholarship of Barbara Tuchman and the gravitas of David McCullough, but Pierre Berton surely knows how to tell a good story.

The Klondike Fever is an amazing tale of bravery, perseverance, loyalty, averice, betrayal, greed, and above all folly. Berton (born in the Yukon) knows his stuff, and the stories he relates are considerably different from the stories you hear at the 'museums' of Skagway and Ketchikan when you get off the cruise ship. More than 100,000 from all over the world (but mostly the U.S.) swarmed to the Yukon like ill-informed locusts when gold was discovered on the Klondike in 1897. In two years the boom was finished, and most of those who arrived either turned back broken and starving, or pushed on to the gold fields, where they turned back broken and starving. Those were the lucky ones who hadn't died en route.

I have read several of Berton's other histories (he's written dozens) and they are delve into things we learned in school, but from the Canadian perspective. Think you learned about the War of 1812? Think again!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The late Canadian historian Pierre Berton wrote several landmark books on the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 and the surrounding times. I think his accounts could be considered definitive. Berton was born and spent much of his early years in the Yukon Territory in the early twentieth century. He knew and interviewed participants in the Gold Rush. His research was detailed and in-depth. He knew the country and stampede routes as well as anyone. And much of his personal research, witnessing, and knowledge can no longer be repeated.
In"'The Klondike Fever", Berton chronicles the key characters involved in the discovery of gold, the subsequent stampede, and the development, reign, and quick decline of Dawson. He tells a good and entertaining story. The book is now over 60 years old, and although it is showing a bit of age, it is still highly readable. He takes pains in his acknowledgements to assure the reader he tried hard to separate fact from legend. (That is hard to do when talking about this event!) During my reading, I still wondered if he was totally successful in that regard, but never-the-less; this is a very good account of the Gold Rush. If you have an interest in this subject, you could do far worse than "The Klondike Fever" by Pierre Berton.

[Elze · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest history books I've ever read! The very personal, intimate, extraordinary and even ludicrous stories of hundreds of explorers, who are portrayed here in minute detail, with humour and humanity.
The book felt more like a novel than a historical almanac, Pierre Berton did an amazing job in finding all of the facts and warping them into one crazy story.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I purchased this book in Skagway while on an Alaskan cruise. This book is very dense and well researched by the author. I realize it was written in the 1950's and therefore shows it's age; however, it contains such racist language about any Canadian native involved in the gold rush i.e. anyone who's not a white male, that I could not finish it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-done work on all aspects of the 1897-98 Klondike gold rush by a writer who himself grew up in Dawson City. Berton takes as his source primarily the journalism of the day, but manages to write a detailed and convincing narrative despite the fact that so many of his sources were suspect.

[John Fulcoly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first book in 10 years I'm going to stop reading. Every sentence is a chore - over burdened with adjectives and superlatives. Everything is chopped up and fragmented so much that I'm losing touch with a cohesive story.

[Stephen Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This corner of the continent went full-out bat-shit crazy for gold and an adventurous escape from the confining limits of farm and city in the late 1890s. This is a great story, now mostly forgotten.

[Bt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting stories, but not organized terribly well. Significant repetition throughout the book.

[Mark Sillitoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous read of adventure, craziness and greed. Loved every word of this book!

[Alexander K Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book

This book was very informative and entertaining. It is not just dry historical writing.
It was also a highlight to get it on a trip to alaska and pick this up in skagway.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush by Pierre Berton. The book is definitely worth reading. This finishes a trio of Berton's book, comprising of The Great Lakes and The Impossible Railway by Pierre Berton and The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush. Let me explain why I call it a trio; Berton has written widely but most focus on the building of the CPR, and on the Gold Rush. He is an amazing writer.

Many readers don't have the background on Canada to really appreciate these books. He really tries hard to explain the country, and mostly succeeds for those that have a true interest. Another fact about the author. He was born in Yukon in 1920, 22 years after the gold rush peaked, and spent his growing years in Dawson. Much of the material in the book comes from talking to people who were there, including but not limited to his father.

Turning now to the book itself, he calls it, and I paraphrase, one of the most purposeless mass movements of people in history, and yet explains well the personal and even spiritual growth experienced by many of the miners. He likens the struggle to get there, largely on foot, from Skagway through the Chilkoot Pass and then, after climbing the pass down the Yukon River to the climb of Everest. It seems an apt comparison. He contrasts Canada's focus on "peace, order and good government" to the "Wild West" atmosphere of Skagway, Alaska. As an objective writer he does a good job of laying out the potential and actuality of corruption that comes from too much government. I just can't get enough of this author.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pierre Berton was born in 1920 in Yukon, Canada. His father had relocated to Yukon during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. Berton worked in Yukon mining camps when he was old enough to work, and having had that experience, meeting miners, and having a miner father, this book is filled with first hand knowledge of the Gold Rush and mining experience. The Klondike Gold Rush occurred between 1896-1899. Something like 100,000 people flooded into the area once news of the discovery of gold reached them. This book is filled with accounts and stories of life of prospectors in this area, and I am certain it was a miserable time. It was crowded and conditions were unfortunate between the weather and just general living conditions. There was a lot of death in the Klondike, from the harsh living conditions, accidents, and the journey to get there. I am certain I would have not wanted to be a prospector, nor would I want to be a sex worker or travel there to marry a prospector in those times. It really amounts to hard living.

I bought this book quite some time ago and my local used bookstore. I hadn't really read much about the Gold Rush, other than what was mentioned briefly in elementary school history. (I am sure that other states learned more about it, but it wasn't very talked about in my brief US History class or in Tennessee History.) I didn't choose the US History path when I entered college for history, so my education on this topic was fairly limited. This particular book was written by a Canadian, so it was very interesting to compare the experiences of their Gold Rush to what I knew about the California miners. The book was slightly repetitive at times, however it was not boring or a dry factual telling. It was entertaining and educational, and certainly worth the read. I couldn't beat the price point either, since I got it for fifty cents. If you are interested in the Gold Rush, check this out. Personal accounts are so valuable to the historical narrative.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out well. I knew very little about the Klondike gold rush and was very surprised by some things. We hear so much more about the California gold rush that I had no idea how many people left home, jobs, and families to go to the Klondike, and the impact that it had. Yet it only really lasted about 18 months.

It was sad how unprepared a lot of prospectors were and how little they knew about wilderness survival. Many of them had never even gone camping before.

I also think of prospectors as being all men and, if there were a few women there, they would be dance-hall girls but actually there were more women than I expected including wives and mothers and women who were prospectors themselves.

The book was less interesting for me near the end as the author talked a lot about the bars and gambling. A few examples would have been enough for me.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used book stores can be full of gems such as this book. Written in 1958 this book has a style that is easy to read while still full of facts.
The author's father was a one of the thousands who made the rush to the Klondike and grew up there. He was on the ground to interview many of the people who lived through the agonizing cold, hunger, and often disappointment of the gold rush.
This one is staying on my shelf.

[travis verble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klondike

I have had the privilege to get too know how bad the time and circumstances were in the time of the Yukon gold rush. But I think that more importantly how , the Bonanza and Eldorado were already claimed. And still the rush was own. The hardships they endured and sacrifices that were made. And for most nothing.

This is a must read for anyone who plans to travel too the Yukon and up the Dawson.

[Silas Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hefty brick of a book, but full of colorful characters and stories. It was written in the 1950s and deals with events from the 1890s, so there's occasionally some language that's pretty offensive by any reasonable modern standard, including several appearances of a guy who was known primarily by a nickname that contained a racial slur. I read it in preparation for an Alaskan cruise with stops in Skagway, and I expect it's going to enrich that experience quite a bit.

[Nicole Jarvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written in the 1950s, which explains the author’s determination to erase and undermine the efforts of anyone but the straight white men involved in the gold rush. His portrayal of the Canadian natives are blatantly racist and factually incorrect. I’m having to do extensive additional research to repair and patch the outline I’ve gathered from this book.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read 3 books now on the Klondike Goldrush but this one has been the best. From the very first pages I was hooked. The characters were really brought to life. It also told of the others 'passages' to the Gold field not just the well know Chilkoot and White pass. A very well researched and informative read I loved it.

[Greg Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly researched and well written account of the challenges faced by the Klondike fortune hunters. Overcoming the challenges of the geography, the weather and their fellow men. The book would have been better with chapter headings an a brief introduction at the start of each chapter but was otherwise highly readable.

[Jwt Jan50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this in the used books section of the library. Had read around this subject, especially Jack London, but never focused. This was good. The attrition on the trail was horrible. Not much on cold, disease and starvation. Or cabin fever. Nonetheless, this is an epic tale.

[Marble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written, both engaging and incredibly detailed work about a fascinating period of history.

The author's familiarity with the location obviously helps, but he obviously put a stunning amount of work into the book.

[Rick Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book on the Klondike Gold Rush. I found the cast of characters the real life people who made the trek the most interesting aspect of the book

[Joe Beeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old book, but all the knowledge you could need when it comes to the last great gold rush. complete summary from start to beginning.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not really finish….just skimmed toward the end. Very interesting, but just too much info.

[Michael McCarthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A trip to Seattle and Alaska made me want to learn more about the gold rush. This book, unfortunately, was dry. I didn’t find the writing compelling and the narrative couldn’t hold my interest.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book after listening to a scholar lecture on subject very very interesting but the book did get a little long and I didn’t finish it

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Canadian story by a great Canadian storyteller.

[Roxanne Fentress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbelievable true story, I had no idea of what these misguided people went through.

[LA · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok book, considering the time period it was written. However, the author misses many important populations of the region, including women and native Americans.