The Klondike Gold Rush

The Klondike Gold Rush

For three years, between 1896 and 1899, about 100,000 people rushed to Alaska. The reason? As often in the history of mankind, the hope of making a fortune, of a better life, with gold at the end of the road.

If gold in this region had already been known since the 1880s, it was the arrival of several tons of gold in the ports of the western U.S.A. that caused the madness that gripped the prospectors at the end of the 19th century.

A discovery in 1896

In 1896, George Carmack, accompanied by his wife Kate, her brother Shokum Jim and his nephew Dawson Charlie, discovered gold at one of the confluence of the Klondike River.

At that moment, the other Yukon camps became aware of the event and began prospecting along the river.

When the first shipments of gold landed on the west coast of the United States, the amounts were so astronomical that gold prospectors rushed to the scene. A gold shipment of $1,139,000 (equivalent to more than a billion dollars today) had ignited the spirits.

A rush of 100,000 prospectors to Alaska

The first departures took place in 1897. Although it is estimated that 100,000 prospectors left to try their luck, only 30 to 40% of them finished their journey. Difficulties of access to the gold fields explain this enormous loss.

Like the first gold rush in California, there were many conscripts but very few elected officials. As is often the case, it was the shovel merchants who made the most money in this affair. Alaska was inhospitable terrain and many suffered from the harsh conditions. However, towns grew in a few months to support the new population.

What ended the Klondike Gold Rush was the discovery of new gold fields in Canada and elsewhere in Alaska. In less than three years, the fever had risen and fallen.

    LET US CALL YOU...

    The Klondike Gold Rush

    WE EXPERTISE AND BUY YOUR GOLD CASH

    GOLD – PLATINUM – TIN – DIAMOND – WASTE – COIN – WATCHES

    20 years of experience & expertise in Gold & precious metals buying

    34 SHOPS AT YOUR SERVICE N°1 IN SWITZERLAND

    F

    Our shops

    BUYINGGOLD.CH NYON

    Rue de la Gare, 39
    1260 Nyon - Swiss
    +41 (0)22 362 01 01

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH GENEVA 1 Train station

    Boulevard James Fazy, 12
    1201 Geneva - Swiss
    +41 (0)22 732 24 24

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH GENEVA 2 EAUX-VIVES

    Av. Pictet de Rochemont, 5
    1207 Geneva - Swiss
    +41 (0)22 740 55 55

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH GENEVA 3 CONFEDERATION CENTRE

    Rue de la Confédération 5
    1204 - Swiss
    +41 (0) 22 810 47 47

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LE GRAND-SACONNEX

    Route de Ferney 169
    1218 Geneva - Swiss
    + 41 (0)22 362 47 47

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LE MEYRIN / GENEVE

    Av. de Feuillasse 24
    1217 Meyrin - Swiss
    +41 (0) 22 990 15 15

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH WINTERTHUR

    Obertor 40
    8400 Winterthur - Swiss
    + 41 (0)52 233 62 62

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH BELLEVUE

    Closed
    - Swiss

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH ETOY

    Route Suisse, 10
    1163 Etoy - Swiss
    +41 (0)21 843 12 12

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LAUSANNE 1 TRAIN STATION

    Avenue de la Gare, 6
    1003 Lausanne - Swiss
    +41 (0)21 323 24 24

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LAUSANNE 2 TERREAUX

    Rue des Terreaux, 20
    1003 Lausanne - Swiss
    +41 (0)21 323 04 04

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH YVERDON

    Rue de Neuchatel 10
    1400 Yverdon - Swiss
    +41 (0)24 430 44 44

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH Neuchatel

    Rue des Poteaux 3
    2000 Neuchatel - Swiss
    +41 32 724 83 83

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH BIEL

    Zentralstrasse 30
    2502 Biel - Swiss
    +41 (0)32 914 05 05

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH La Chaux de Fonds

    Léopold-Robert 74
    2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds - Swiss
    +41 32 968 42 42

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH VEVEY

    Rue du Conseil, 19
    1800 Vevey - Swiss
    +41 (0)21 922 13 13

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH MONTREUX

    Grand Rue, 84
    1820 Montreux - Swiss
    +41 (0) 22 732 24 24

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH BULLE

    Rue de Vevey, 16
    1630 Bulle - Swiss
    +41 (0)26 919 34 34

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH MONTHEY

    Place de l’Eglise, 5
    1870 Monthey - Swiss
    +41 (0)24 472 44 44

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH MARTIGNY

    Rue de la Poste, 7
    1920 Martigny - Swiss
    +41 (0) 27 722 55 55

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH UVRIER

    Route du Simplon 82
    1958 Saint Léonard - Swiss
    +41 (0) 27 203 49 49

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH SIERRE

    Route de Sion, 21
    3960 Sierre - Swiss
    +41 (0)27 456 74 74

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH FRIBOURG

    Rue Saint-Pierre, 10
    1700 Fribourg - Swiss
    +41 (0)26 495 36 36

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH BASEL 1

    Aeschenvorstadt 36
    4051 Basel - Swiss
    +41 (0)61 283 16 16

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH BASEL 2

    Untere Rebgasse 18
    4058 Basel - Swiss
    +41 (0)61 222 26 26

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH SOLEUR

    Close
    - Swiss

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH ZURICH 1

    Uraniastrasse 40
    8000 Zurich - Swiss
    +41 (0)44 202 17 17

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH ZURICH 2

    Schifflände 16
    8001 Zurich - Swiss
    +41 (0)44 350 47 47

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LUZERN

    Pilatusstrasse 17a
    6003 Lucerne - Swiss
    +41 (0)41 282 44 44

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH BERN

    Gurtengasse 6
    3011 Bern - Swiss
    +41 31 318 86 86

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LUGANO

    Via al forte 10
    6900 Lugano - Swiss
    +41 (0)91 921 07 07

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH SAINT-GALL

    Spisergasse 23
    9000 St. Gallen - Swiss
    +41 (0)71 446 27 27

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LOCARNO

    Via della posta 6
    6600 Locarno - Swiss
    +41 91 751 47 47

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH LE BELLINZONA TICINO

    Via Teatro 9
    6500 Bellinzona - Swiss
    +41 (0)91 825 18 18

    Location
    BUYINGGOLD.CH BUS

    On Call
    we move in all Switzerland
    +41 (0) 22 362 01 01

    Location
    All shops