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Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush, 1896-1899
With the building of the railroad and the settlement of the plains, the North West was opening up. The Klondike stampede was a wild interlude in the epic story of western development, and here are its dramatic tales of hardship, heroism, and villainy. We meet Soapy Smith, dictator of Skagway; Swiftwater Bill Gates, who bathed in champagne; Silent Sam Bonnifield, who lost and won back a hotel in a poker game; and Roddy Connors, who danced away a fortune at a dollar a dance. We meet dance-hall queens, paupers turned millionaires, missionaries and entrepreneurs, and legendary Mounties such as Sam Steele, the Lion of the Yukon.
Pierre Berton's riveting account reveals to us the spectacle of the Chilkoot Pass, and the terrors of lesser-known trails through the swamps of British Columbia, across the glaciers of souther Alaska, and up the icy streams of the Mackenzie Mountains. It contrasts the lawless frontier life on the American side of the border to the relative safety of Dawson City. Winner of the Governor General's award for non-fiction, Klondike is authentic history and grand entertainment, and a must-read for anyone interested in the Canadian frontier.
Pierre Berton's riveting account reveals to us the spectacle of the Chilkoot Pass, and the terrors of lesser-known trails through the swamps of British Columbia, across the glaciers of souther Alaska, and up the icy streams of the Mackenzie Mountains. It contrasts the lawless frontier life on the American side of the border to the relative safety of Dawson City. Winner of the Governor General's award for non-fiction, Klondike is authentic history and grand entertainment, and a must-read for anyone interested in the Canadian frontier.
472 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
79 people are currently reading
2162 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Berton
177 books203 followersFrom 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
July 7, 2022
History that reads like a novel. If there is one thing more thrilling than this account of the Klondike Gold Rush, written by Pierre Berton, it is the privilege of reading it while living in Pierre Berton's childhood home in Dawson City, Yukon. The story is close to the author's heart, and he makes it endearing for the rest of us.
The mad conglomeration of details of the gold rush are so incredible one cannot believe they could possibly be true. And yet . . . the remnants are still visible in rusting hulks and decaying paddle wheel steamboats. Dawson City is worth a trip, and this book brings history to vivid life.
I've read many accounts of the Klondike gold rush, many different approaches to the people involved, and this book is certainly one of the very best.
The mad conglomeration of details of the gold rush are so incredible one cannot believe they could possibly be true. And yet . . . the remnants are still visible in rusting hulks and decaying paddle wheel steamboats. Dawson City is worth a trip, and this book brings history to vivid life.
I've read many accounts of the Klondike gold rush, many different approaches to the people involved, and this book is certainly one of the very best.
May 26, 2012
I'll always remember one of Pierre Berton's final television appearances, in which he benevolently taught the Canadians watching how to roll a joint. With that unrelated anecdote in mind, this book is fantastic and a joy to read. The pure storytelling with which Berton imbues his history of the gold rush is enthralling.
If you don't know anything about the Klondike gold rush, this is the book about it you should read. It covers everything, including the parts that are not so pretty. In the end, while it's sickening to read about the thousands of horses who died on hopeless journeys... well it's just as sickening to read about the two people who froze to death trying to boil a moccasin for food.
This book adequately gives the idea of a great adventure, which, outside of the few lucky ones who got wealthy and stayed that way, is the true draw and theme of any gold rush. And this book is great enough that it adequately gives an idea of the entire three-year ordeal. I found it more than adequate, and Berton keeps the telling honest as well as lively.
Reading this book is worth it if only for the character sketches Berton provides, for he is not the sort to leave an interesting story out of the mix, and evidently there were many interesting stories – and probably many more lost in the flames, snow, or mud.
If you don't know anything about the Klondike gold rush, this is the book about it you should read. It covers everything, including the parts that are not so pretty. In the end, while it's sickening to read about the thousands of horses who died on hopeless journeys... well it's just as sickening to read about the two people who froze to death trying to boil a moccasin for food.
This book adequately gives the idea of a great adventure, which, outside of the few lucky ones who got wealthy and stayed that way, is the true draw and theme of any gold rush. And this book is great enough that it adequately gives an idea of the entire three-year ordeal. I found it more than adequate, and Berton keeps the telling honest as well as lively.
Reading this book is worth it if only for the character sketches Berton provides, for he is not the sort to leave an interesting story out of the mix, and evidently there were many interesting stories – and probably many more lost in the flames, snow, or mud.
December 24, 2014
This was the first book of history written by Pierre Berton. He wrote many books afterwards but never quite attained the same level as he did in this one. Berton grew up in the Klondike listening to stories from those who had lived through the crazy Gold Rush. Perhaps for this reason, writes about the Klondike Rush with the same fluidity and ease with which a fish swims. Berton describes the men of the Gold Rush with a breathtaking vividness and passion. It is a great speculation on the madness and passion for Gold.
May 25, 2012
Vintage Berton!
As a Canadian living away from home, I never miss an opportunity to read a book by Pierre Berton. Berton had a talent for making History come alive in a way that is rare not only among Canadian authors, but indeed is rarely equaled and certainly not surpassed by any other author I have encountered abroad.
Klondike is one of those books that is so well constructed and written that you forget you are reading History and instead are absorbed into the story-line as if you were reading a first-rate novel. Burton develops the story-line and characters so that you are drawn into the history and come to appreciate the facts of the era and location. The people become real. You leave having experienced history instead of just having been served warmed over facts with a few theories as to how they tie together.
Despite the difference in genre, reading Burton's account of the Gold Rush in the North is every bit as entertaining as reading Farley Mowat or Jack London.
I recommend this book highly. It is a good introduction to Berton, to the Canadian North, the history of the Yukon, and a good primer before you launch into the other great books of Berton if you have never read him before!
As a Canadian living away from home, I never miss an opportunity to read a book by Pierre Berton. Berton had a talent for making History come alive in a way that is rare not only among Canadian authors, but indeed is rarely equaled and certainly not surpassed by any other author I have encountered abroad.
Klondike is one of those books that is so well constructed and written that you forget you are reading History and instead are absorbed into the story-line as if you were reading a first-rate novel. Burton develops the story-line and characters so that you are drawn into the history and come to appreciate the facts of the era and location. The people become real. You leave having experienced history instead of just having been served warmed over facts with a few theories as to how they tie together.
Despite the difference in genre, reading Burton's account of the Gold Rush in the North is every bit as entertaining as reading Farley Mowat or Jack London.
I recommend this book highly. It is a good introduction to Berton, to the Canadian North, the history of the Yukon, and a good primer before you launch into the other great books of Berton if you have never read him before!
October 30, 2023
At the end of the nineteenth century, a ship entered Seattle harbour, carrying the vanguard of prospectors from the far north, who were bringing out a fortune in gold. The newspapers spread the news: the ship had carried a million dollars in gold...a new strike on the Klondike River.
Well, they were wrong. There had been near $2 million in gold on that ship! People the world over went mad! They flocked by the tens of thousands to pan for gold on the tributaries of the Yukon River. A lot of them didn’t even know that the Klondike was in Canada...many people still don’t! And they certainly had no idea of the brutal conditions they would meet with in the Canadian north.
Berton, who grew up in the Yukon himself, tells the story as no one else can. Few of the people who dashed to the north actually made it to the gold fields, and by the time they got there, the richest claims had long been snapped up, so fewer still struck it rich. The Klondike Gold Rush lasted only 3 years...but what a ride it was! Fortunes were made and lost by some of the most eccentric characters you'll ever find in print.
Berton was one of Canada's best writers, and this is definitely one of his finest books.
Well, they were wrong. There had been near $2 million in gold on that ship! People the world over went mad! They flocked by the tens of thousands to pan for gold on the tributaries of the Yukon River. A lot of them didn’t even know that the Klondike was in Canada...many people still don’t! And they certainly had no idea of the brutal conditions they would meet with in the Canadian north.
Berton, who grew up in the Yukon himself, tells the story as no one else can. Few of the people who dashed to the north actually made it to the gold fields, and by the time they got there, the richest claims had long been snapped up, so fewer still struck it rich. The Klondike Gold Rush lasted only 3 years...but what a ride it was! Fortunes were made and lost by some of the most eccentric characters you'll ever find in print.
Berton was one of Canada's best writers, and this is definitely one of his finest books.
June 7, 2013
I wavered between three and four stars for this one. Each paragraph of this book could easily have been developed into an entire book of its own. If you are in the mood to follow along on this grand sweeping epic then you'll think of this book as a four star, and perhaps a five, just for its incredible wealth of information, but if ever you want to pause, get to know someone a little better, or better understand any number of social, economic, historic, geographic, or other point you may become a little frustrated. A great book, sometimes breathtaking, sometimes infuriating.
December 4, 2021
I will admit to skimming over a good number of pages as they seemed very repetitive; a number of (nameless) people rushing up to the Yukon in search of gold and were completely unprepared for the conditions and either died or turned around and went home.
The mid to later chapters were specific names were provided were much more interesting as their characteristics and personalities were laid out in great detail during their search for gold; and I liked the chapter were Berton let us know what happened to this group of people.
It was very said to hear how many human and animal lives were lost and the unscrupulous behavior of a few of the prospectors.
The mid to later chapters were specific names were provided were much more interesting as their characteristics and personalities were laid out in great detail during their search for gold; and I liked the chapter were Berton let us know what happened to this group of people.
It was very said to hear how many human and animal lives were lost and the unscrupulous behavior of a few of the prospectors.
December 31, 2017
Well it is about time I read this. I lived in the Yukon from 2013-2015, knowing almost nothing about the place or its history. I quickly fell in love with its natural beauty, but sort of ignored all of the gold-rush history. It just seemed too in-you-face, at least for someone hoping to live there for a while. As a tourist, I would certainly understand and encourage it.
Reading Klondike certainly brought back memories: "oh hey! I've hiked that trail" or "oh hey! I've been down that river" or "oh THAT's who Diamond Tooth Gerty is!"
The Yukon is a peculiar place, gorgeous beyond belief, and still relatively untouched. I'm thankful to Berton for educating me on the history, and for taking me back to some good memories.
Reading Klondike certainly brought back memories: "oh hey! I've hiked that trail" or "oh hey! I've been down that river" or "oh THAT's who Diamond Tooth Gerty is!"
The Yukon is a peculiar place, gorgeous beyond belief, and still relatively untouched. I'm thankful to Berton for educating me on the history, and for taking me back to some good memories.
December 4, 2022
Took so long to read this but it was a fascinating ride. The stories and characters are so wild you hardly notice what a fossil the author is.
February 7, 2025
I just went on an adventure! Loved this book. It is wild the lengths people go for gold and yet are never satisfied.
September 9, 2024
There is a very (very) small minority of historians who know their history AND can write. Some can get by with 300 or less pages. Hardly any can keep one enraptured for 400+. That is the reason this book was languishing in the dark recesses of my bookshelf for over a year. But after reading it within a week, I now wish it was longer. If you believe Canadian history is boring (as I did), read Berton.
As for the content of the book, I find it hard to believe 100,000 city-folk would quit their cozy jobs to go roughing it in the harsh climate of the Yukon. But that's exactly what happened. And with Berton telling the stories of their journey, it's a fascinating read.
As for the content of the book, I find it hard to believe 100,000 city-folk would quit their cozy jobs to go roughing it in the harsh climate of the Yukon. But that's exactly what happened. And with Berton telling the stories of their journey, it's a fascinating read.
June 20, 2016
This book was a gift from my sister who spent a summer driving tour buses in Skagway. It was interesting for me to learn the history of this part of the world, and of this episode in history that I was unfamiliar with.
I'll admit that I can see why so many people got caught up in the stampede. The descriptions of plucking gold nuggets from the ground like acorns got me excited, and I began pondering how much unexplored land still remains in Alaska. However, as the author states at the end of the book, the numbers speak for themselves. Of the estimated 100,000 people who set off looking for gold in the north, only a few hundred were made rich, and most of these lost their wealth before leaving the Yukon.
It is interesting to note the author's claim that in all the written memoirs of the gold rush, their is scarcely one note of regret. "Though few of the writers found any gold, it turned out in retrospect to have been a golden period for them." As one man wrote 30 years after the stampede, "I had thirty-five cents in my pocket when I set foot in Alaska, but I gave that to a mission church at Dutch Harbor. I did not have so much when I left the country more than two years later... I made exactly nothing, but if I could turn time back I would do it over again for less than that."
I loved the author's statement at the close of the book, and I think it sums up well how I feel about the Klondike gold rush. "In some ways the great trek represents one of the weirdest and most useless mass movements in history." Fascinating!
I'll admit that I can see why so many people got caught up in the stampede. The descriptions of plucking gold nuggets from the ground like acorns got me excited, and I began pondering how much unexplored land still remains in Alaska. However, as the author states at the end of the book, the numbers speak for themselves. Of the estimated 100,000 people who set off looking for gold in the north, only a few hundred were made rich, and most of these lost their wealth before leaving the Yukon.
It is interesting to note the author's claim that in all the written memoirs of the gold rush, their is scarcely one note of regret. "Though few of the writers found any gold, it turned out in retrospect to have been a golden period for them." As one man wrote 30 years after the stampede, "I had thirty-five cents in my pocket when I set foot in Alaska, but I gave that to a mission church at Dutch Harbor. I did not have so much when I left the country more than two years later... I made exactly nothing, but if I could turn time back I would do it over again for less than that."
I loved the author's statement at the close of the book, and I think it sums up well how I feel about the Klondike gold rush. "In some ways the great trek represents one of the weirdest and most useless mass movements in history." Fascinating!
July 14, 2011
I couldn't even tell you what drew me to this book a few years ago at a book store closing sale. But - what a find! I want to read more by Pierre Berton. While he does give incredible detail about about the ways and means of participating in a gold rush, but it's more than that. He covers everything from the mindset to the frontier spirit needed to participate, and the impact of hundreds of thousands of people having that midset at spirit at the same time on society, culture and civilization. In the end, he goes into something that resonated with me completely; life really is about the journey, not the destination.
January 21, 2020
First written in 1957, revised and updated in 1972, Berton's account is chock full of facts, statistics, and colourful stories. Overall it is an interesting read but for this Indigenous reader, Berton's casual sexism and blatant racism make it above all an infuriating though critical example of the colonial mores and attitudes that underpin most settler histories of Canada.
July 23, 2011
Once again Pierre Burton has done his homework and this book is not only a chronicle of the events of the goldrush to the Yukon but contains many amusing antecedotes and colorful descriptions of the people who made their way north.
September 23, 2025
An unexpectedly good read. A very engaging and in-depth view into a very specific period of history. The Klondike Gold Rush only lasted about 3 years, but Berton manages to cover the entire life cycle of primitive discovery to mass exodus od men and beasts to daily life in boomtowns to the craze’s eventual decline. He introduces the reader to a multitude of characters and deftly tells each of their stories, whether big or small. His prose is beautiful, especially when he describes the rugged wilderness that men and women braved. Was also really cool to hear him talk about places like Skagway and Whitehorse and Juneau, locals that Id recently visited on a backpacking expedition. Maybe i’ll need to go back and hike the Chilkoot Pass in the memory of all those argonauts.
November 16, 2025
This is a must-read for anyone making a trip to Skagway. I first saw this book while there on a cruise stop and now, 18 months later am blown away by the history that this book details of that small town.
June 28, 2024
Bought this in Skagway hoping to learn more about the gold rush and that turned out to be a wonderful choice. Thoroughly enjoyed this, so many crazy tales and characters from the past.
May 21, 2025
Great history. Fascinating period of Canadian (and American) history. Highly recommend. And I’m going to the Yukon tomorrow…..
October 2, 2023
While at times parts of this book made it easier to fall asleep at night, the vast majority of it was very interesting, especially having just came from an Alaskan adventure! Loved hearing the personal stories from those to braved the Gold Rush of the 1890s!
August 2, 2020
Wonderful read by the always amazing Pierre Berton. A little slow to the start but the stories of some of these miners are amazing.
April 12, 2021
Canadian History - Why has this book not been turned into a TV miniseries? You've got greed, crime, incredible nicknames, an NWMP officer named Sam Steele and did I mention greed? Over 100,000 people flocked to Dawson City at the end of the 19th century. Some barely survived two northern winters while making the trek. Fascinating characters living and working in unbelievable conditions. I was surprised to find out 80% of the people in Dawson City, a Canadian territory, were American. One of the old buildings, when it was dismantled many years later, yielded over $1,000 in gold dust from the floorboards.
Too many Canadian references to mention.
Pharmacy references - pharmacies sell Klondike medicine chests; mention of a pharmacy in Skagway with a doctor's office attached.
Too many Canadian references to mention.
Pharmacy references - pharmacies sell Klondike medicine chests; mention of a pharmacy in Skagway with a doctor's office attached.
March 15, 2012
Fantastic! This book has everything.
History, travel, adventure,...er mining, stupendous acts of single minded perseverance, wildest dreams squared levels of riches often followed with indecent rapidity by gutter hugging poverty. Sometimes in the same weekend.
Enterprise on a heroic scale, more mining, greed, sorrow, partying, stupendous acts of single minded stupidity and cold. Cold, cold, cold. Fall asleep with wet socks on and wake up needing to have your legs taken off at the knee cold.
An extraordinary history told with such affection and knowledge I enjoyed every page.
History, travel, adventure,...er mining, stupendous acts of single minded perseverance, wildest dreams squared levels of riches often followed with indecent rapidity by gutter hugging poverty. Sometimes in the same weekend.
Enterprise on a heroic scale, more mining, greed, sorrow, partying, stupendous acts of single minded stupidity and cold. Cold, cold, cold. Fall asleep with wet socks on and wake up needing to have your legs taken off at the knee cold.
An extraordinary history told with such affection and knowledge I enjoyed every page.
January 24, 2023
Amazing book. Here's the best review here, by George Ilsley:
"History that reads like a novel. . . . The mad conglomeration of details of the gold rush are so incredible one cannot believe they could possibly be true. And yet . . . the remnants are still visible in rusting hulks and decaying paddle wheel steamboats. Dawson City is worth a trip, and this book brings history to vivid life." -- from his 5-star review, at the top of the main GR page for this book.
One of my 100 best books. No to be missed!
"History that reads like a novel. . . . The mad conglomeration of details of the gold rush are so incredible one cannot believe they could possibly be true. And yet . . . the remnants are still visible in rusting hulks and decaying paddle wheel steamboats. Dawson City is worth a trip, and this book brings history to vivid life." -- from his 5-star review, at the top of the main GR page for this book.
One of my 100 best books. No to be missed!
February 5, 2022
A fascinating and authoritative history of the Klondike Gold Rush. Berton has a great voice, and he details the madness, upset, and triumphs of the sourdoughs and cheechakos as they stumbled north to the Yukon.
My only complaint is the casual racism that dates this work, and it's obvious that Berton knew some of his language was unacceptable in the way he occasionally uses less offensive words.
My only complaint is the casual racism that dates this work, and it's obvious that Berton knew some of his language was unacceptable in the way he occasionally uses less offensive words.
May 21, 2012
The tales are so outlandish and excessive, it is hard to believe they are part of Canadian history. A great read and a colorful part of our past. We own Berton tremendous thanks for preserving and translating our history in a way many can appreciate.
April 29, 2017
Amazing story of human folly and an insight into human nature. Of the more than 100 000 people involved in the gold rush only a small handful actually profited from it. One incredible story after another. Riveting reading.
December 30, 2018
Brilliant, vivid account of the Klondike rush and my first Pierre Berton book. What an unbelievable time. Interesting to learn that 5 out of 6 people in the Klondike were from U.S....and made off with a lot of gold.
September 5, 2012
If there is one book to read on the Gold Rush, this is it. Concise, but readable, Pierre Berton manages to bring history to the masses. Just terrific.
November 23, 2015
Narrative social history of the very highest order from Canada's master of the genre
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews