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Album: Seattle, Washington 2007
Image: 430 / 545
Date: 2007-09-03 10:13:38
Tags: Seattle

Extra! Extra!

Newspapers across the country quickly picked up the story of the Klondike gold discoveries. The excitement that began in Seattle soon spread across the country - and around the world.

Laden with Gold

The SS Excelsior's arrival in San Francisco on July 14, 1897 alerted Seattle reporters to imminent arrival of the SS Portland to its own port. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer chartered a tug to meet the gold-laden vessel as it sailed into Puget Sound on its voyage from Alaska. Beriah Brown, a Post-Intelligencer reporter, obtained information and raced back to town ahead of the slower-moving ship. "GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!" shouted the July 17 headline.

In Seattle, the impact of the Klondike headlines was immediate. Excitement swept the town. Just one day after the vessel arrived, the steamer Al-Ki departed for the Yukon, filled with hopeful stampeders and 350 tons of supplies.

The Excitement Spreads

News of the Klondike discovery quickly spread. Klondike headlines and stories promising instant wealth in the far north appeared at newsstands across the country. The New York Times described the strike as "monumentally significant."

Spelled "Klondike," "Klondyke," and "Clondyke," confusion about the word added to the mystery. Whatever the spelling, the term had meaning for readers. It conveyed the promise of immense wealth and adventure. It offered escape from the drudgery of years of economic depression.

Gold Fever

The lure of Klondike gold was so great that Puget Sound cities had trouble keeping employees. Many members of Tacoma's fire department resigned to join the stampede. The Seattle District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had difficulty retaining workers to complete fortification projects in the Puget Sound region. Even W. D. Wood, mayor of Seattle, succumbed to gold fever. "Seattle is Klondike Crazy," one Seattle Chronicle headline explained: "Men of All Professions Preparing for the Gold Fields."