Chronology

1896
Aug. 17	George Carmack and Indian relatives stake discovery claims on Rabbit (Bonanza) Creek.
Aug. 31	Antone Stander and party stake first claims on Eldorado.
Sept. 5	First steamboat, Alice, lands at Dawson.
Sept. 7	Robert Henderson gets first news of Carmack’s strike.
Oct. 3	Louis Rhodes becomes first man to reach bed-rock on Twenty-One Above Bonanza.
1897
Jan. 21	William Ogilvie sends out news of Klondike’s riches to Ottawa.
Mar. 19	Cariboo Billy Dietering records first bench claim on French Hill.
May 14	Ice goes out in Yukon River at Dawson.
June 5	Dog-driver Jack Carr leaves for Juneau with news of Klondike strike.
June 7	Alice and Portus B. Weare leave Dawson with first (approx.) Klondike gold.
June 12	Inspector W. H. Scarth and detachment of nineteen Mounted Police reach Fort Constantine.
July 14	Excelsior arrives at San Francisco. Stampede begins.
July 15	Portland arrives at Seattle with “a ton of gold.”
July 19	Al-ki becomes first ship to leave for Alaska with stampeders aboard.
July 26	Queen becomes first ship to reach Skagway Bay.
Aug. 6	First detachment of Mounted Police reaches Skagway Bay.
Aug. 7	Miners’ meeting takes over Moore townsite, names it Skagway.
Aug. 16	Humboldt party under ex-mayor Wood of Seattle leaves San Francisco for St. Michael.
Aug. 29	Humboldt reaches St. Michael.
Sept. 4	Inspector J. D. Moodie leaves Edmonton to explore a route to the Klondike.
Sept. 9	North West Territories government dispatches T. W. Chalmers to cut a trail to the Peace River via the Swan Hills.
Sept. 11	Ten per cent royalty established on all gold mined in the Yukon.
	Flood at Chilkoot Pass causes three deaths.
Sept. 20	Armed party holds up Portus B. Weare at Circle City.
Sept. 25	Bella held up.
	Hansen of A.C. Company arrives back in Dawson with news that no more supplies can get through.
Sept. 27	Exodus from Dawson begins.
Oct. 8	Major J. M. Walsh, Commissioner of the Yukon, arrives at Skagway.
Oct. 13	Yukon River freezes over, trapping boats.
Oct. 29	Captain P. H. Ray ambushed during miners’ meeting at Fort Yukon.
Nov. 8	Work begins on Brackett wagon road over White Pass.
Nov. 19	N.A.T. store at Fort Yukon raided for food.
December	U.S. Congress appropriates $200,000 for Yukon relief. Archie Burns opens first ropeway over Chilkoot.
1898
Jan. 7	Inspector Robert Belcher and detachment of Mounted Police reach Skagway.
Jan. 31	Double killing of Andy McGrath and Deputy Marshal Rowan in Skagway.
Feb. 3	Governor Brady of Alaska petitions Washington to send troops to maintain order.
Feb. 25	First troops arrive at Skagway.
	Inspector Belcher begins to collect customs at Chilkoot summit.
Mar. 8	Vigilante “Committee of 101” formed at Skagway.
Mar. 15	Second detachment of troops arrives at Dyea.
	Infantrymen briefly close Skagway gaming-rooms.
April 3	Avalanche above Sheep Camp kills more than sixty stampeders.
April 22	Ice goes out in Athabasca River. Flotilla of stampeders sets off down Mackenzie water route towards Arctic.
April 24	Spanish-American War begins.
May 1	Soapy Smith’s Skagway Military Company stages mammoth parade.
May 6	Judge C. A. Sehlbrede replaces John U. Smith as United States commissioner at Skagway.
May 8	Ice goes out in Yukon River at Dawson.
May 17	W. P. Taylor starts to blaze trail from Peace River Crossing to the Pelly.
May 27	First newspaper, the Klondike Nugget, begins publication at Dawson.
May 29	Ice goes out in Upper Yukon lakes. Flotilla of seven thousand boats sets off for the Klondike.
June 8	Vanguard of Lake Bennett flotilla reaches Dawson.
June 24	Sam Steele replaces Constantine as officer in charge of Dawson City detachment, NWMP.
July 4	Soapy Smith leads Independence Day parade at Skagway.
July 8	Soapy Smith shot to death by Frank Reid at Juneau dock, Skagway.
July 9	The stampede to Dominion Creek.
July 20	Frank Reid dies of wounds.
Sept. 22	Discovery claim staked at Anvil Creek (Nome), Alaska.
Oct. 24	Inspector Moodie finally reaches Fort Selkirk.
1899
Jan. 10	The Nigger Jim stampede.
Jan. 16	Father Judge dies at St. Mary’s Hospital, Dawson.
Jan. 27	Remnants of relief expedition finally reach Dawson.
Feb. 16	First through train reaches White Pass summit.
Mar. 13	A. D. Stewart, ex-mayor of Hamilton, dies of scurvy o Peel River.
April 26	Fire destroys most of Dawson’s business district.
July 6	White Pass railway completed to Lake Bennett.
July 27	Gold found on beach at Nome, Alaska.
(approx.)
July 29	Railway completed to Whitehorse.
August	Eight thousand leave Dawson for Nome.