SCRIPT

On August 16, 1896, gold was discovered in the Yukon by local miners. This surprising news spread to Seattle and San Francisco the following year, and triggered a stampede of prospectors. 

​... "One day, a young man was sitting on the couch and reading a newspaper he had just gotten from his way home. "Oh my," he exclaimed, "what a wonderful chance it is." He looked around his room –dirty and messy. And look at himself –works 10 hours a day for 6 days a week, while still earning extremely low wages. ​​He couldn't wait to tell his family. This could be a chance for them to become wealthy.

 

"I am sorry, kids," said Mom, "we don't have enough money to buy more food anymore. For up to 1 year, we will run out of food. We are such a huge family and... our wages can't afford all of us." Yes, they are a huge family with 5 children. He is 20 years old, the oldest child at home, while the youngest brother is only 7. Within the family, only he and his 18-year-old brother earn the highest wages. His other siblings were all too young to hold high-paying jobs. Their dad lost his life years ago, and their mom, earning the most money, lost one arm when working with a machine a few weeks ago.

​

"Mom," he brought out the newspaper, "there might be a chance for us to get new opportunities and get rich." He told their family about the discovery of gold in Yukon, northwestern Canada. Their eyes lit up, ​seeing a new future. "Well, why not?" Said the 18-year-old brother, "I'm sick of working so hard but still earning so low. The factory knows that I need this job so they won't give me more."

They can't wait to escape poverty. To reach the gold fields, they decided to take the route through the ports of Dyea and Skagway in southeast Alaska, then follow the Chilkoot Trail to the Yukon River and sail down to the Klondike.​​​

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Everyone in the family decided to fill their bags with equipment and as much food as possible. The next morning, they got ready and headed to the port of Dyea in southeast Alaska.

"Oh," said one brother, "this is so heavy! It must be half a ton already!" 

In order to prevent frustration, they assigned all the food to each person so that nobody would be frustrated by too much equipment and food. Luckily, it was just enough for them to take all the food they had that could support them for up to 1 year.

​

They only took a few days to get to the port of Dyea, thanks to the steamboats. On their way from the port of Dyea to the Chilkoot Trail, they saw another group of people, heading back disappointedly.

"A scam! It's just a scam!" A man who looks like a leader shouted angrily, "What does it mean by 'you should bring enough food for one year to keep going'? I bet they are just trying to take all the gold themselves!"

"Now what should we do? We all quit our jobs before this. We don't have any income now." Said another person. His words brought out a moment of silence.

​

Everyone in the family looked at each other. They just got enough food for 1 year, and they also quit their jobs. This is a journey that could never be regretted, as soon as they started. "All or nothing," said this young man, "are we ready?" "Let's go."

The true journey began. The Chilkoot Trail was a 33-mile route. In order to minimize the time they spent here, they walked repeatedly, every day. Days passed, weeks passed. After months, they finally reached the end of the Chilkoot Trail and arrived at the head of the Yukon River –Lake Bennett. 

​​

At Lake Bennett, the family saw some other groups of people. 

"They are building rafts and boats." Said Mom, "It seems like we also need to make one."

"One is not enough," said the young man, "we need at least two."

After a few months, they finished building boats and put them into the lake. By that time, many other rafts and boats of varying size and quality had also left. However, on their way to the Yukon River, there was a very dangerous part –around Whitehorse. There were several rapids along the Miles Canyon through to the White Horse Rapids. Many other people died, but this family didn't. They left their home in the summer of 1896, and they miraculously survived and arrived at the Yukon River in the summer of 1897.

​

"Oh my god..." exclaimed the young man, "we are alive..."

In front of them, it's the Yukon River. There were many fewer people there. Some looked tired, some looked energized. The little brothers took a rest, and the Mom, the young man, and the other 18-year-old brother started mining. 

"Wow... you might not believe this, but look at this, Mom!" The young man asked his Mom and his brother to come. And they saw...

Shining gold lying peacefully inside the valley gravels near the place they arrived.

They mined and mined. After a few weeks, they went back home with all the gold they got. They became the richest family in their hometown, and...

"They never suffered from starvation or poverty anymore." The old man closed the book, "This is the end of the story." He looked around his room –clean and organized. And look at himself –thanks to the risky choice he and his family made, they sold 1/3 of the gold they had, and he doesn't need to work now.