Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush, 1896-1899

Eseménydús és lelkesült beszámoló a klondike-i aranyláz rövid, de annál intenzívebb lefolyásáról. Mint minden aranyláz, ez is azzal kezdődött, hogy a kőkemény, de becsületes pionírok (akiket Berton valamiféle protohippiként ábrázol, akik folyton-folyvást menekülnek a civilizáció és a bürokrácia elől) megérkeztek az ősvadonba, elkezdtek aranyat mosni, és hát általában nem találtak semmit. Viszont ha igen (a Klondike-pataknál pont ez volt a helyzet), akkor a nyomukban megjelentek a zöldfülű álmodozók, no és a csőcselék: az ügyeskedők, a hamiskártyások, a kurvák (na jó, nevezzük őket markotányosnőnek, esetleg dance-girl-nek) és a satöbbik hada. Ebből is fakad, hogy ez a könyv show more egyszerre vádirat és szerelmetes óda: vádirat az emberi kapzsiság és ostobaság ellen, ugyanakkor pedig himnusz az emberi találékonysághoz – hiszen ennyi fogalmatlan városi fazon eljut Alaszkába, és még túl is éli, hát ez azért nem semmi.

Hihetetlenül izgalmas és színes iromány – ami azt illeti, talán kicsit túl színes is. Berton olyan mennyiségben önti rám extrém anekdotáit, hogy azok egy idő után nem annyira extrémnek, mint inkább sablonosnak tűnnek. Persze ez is lehet üzenet, hogy ott és akkor az abnormális volt a normalitás, de mégis, talán üdvösebb lett volna felére csökkenteni a sztorik számát, és a hiányt mondjuk valami összegző áttekintéssel pótolni. Így gyakran éreztem eltemetve magam egy halom apró-cseprő információdarab alatt. Ettől függetlenül ez egy korrekt hiánypótló munka, és ha valaki szeretett elmerülni Jack London jeges történeteiben, ebben a kötetben szép hátteret kap hozzájuk. show less

I bought this book so I could read up on Alaskan history before our cruise this summer, and I was worried I made a poor choice. Klondike Fever is a brick of a book at about 450 pages. If it was in hardcover, I could use it as a weapon. It was also written back in the 1950s. I started reading, already half expecting to find it to be a dry, dull read not worthy of finishing.

Wow, was I wrong.

The book is extremely long, true, but Berton's storytelling prowess is absolutely engaging. He knows his stuff. His father came to the Alaskan goldfields over the Chilkoot Pass, and Berton was raised in the ghost town of Dawson City. As this book was published in the 1950s, he was able to talk to many survivors of the rush or those who knew them, and show more preserve their stories.

It took a certain personality type to survive the long trek to Dawson City. Thousands tried; thousands more failed; untold numbers died. At times, I was angered by the gross exaggerations in advertising and the swindling that led to so many deaths. The simple truth was, people dashed off for Alaska without any concept of the distance or geography. They thought they could get on a boat, disembark, and pluck gold nuggets off the ground. They didn't understand that it was thousands of miles by land alone. The route through Edmonton was 2,000 miles in length and took two years to navigate--for those who lived--and to add insult to injury, they arrived when the rush was over.

As a student of history, I vaguely recalled some of what I read of Alaska as a kid, back when I read Jack London's stories. Berton's book was an education. It brought the gritty reality of the time period to life, from the joy of discovery to the criminal syndicate of Soapy Smith in Skagway that made the city into the Mos Eisley of Alaska.

This is a book that I'll absolutely be keeping on my shelf for future reference, and it's made me all the more excited for my trip. show less

I just finished The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush by Pierre Berton. The book is definitely worth reading. This finishes a trio of Berton's book, comprising of [b:The Great Lakes|190301|The Great Lakes|Pierre Berton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172551571l/190301._SX50_.jpg|183978] and [b:The Impossible Railway|438973|The Impossible Railway|Pierre Berton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348357059l/438973._SX50_.jpg|427822] by Pierre Berton and [b:The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush|106165|The Klondike Fever The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush|Pierre show more Berton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347898486l/106165._SX50_.jpg|102340]. Let me explain why I call it a trio; Berton has written widely but most focus on the building of the CPR, and on the Gold Rush. He is an amazing writer.

Many readers don't have the background on Canada to really appreciate these books. He really tries hard to explain the country, and mostly succeeds for those that have a true interest. Another fact about the author. He was born in Yukon in 1920, 22 years after the gold rush peaked, and spent his growing years in Dawson. Much of the material in the book comes from talking to people who were there, including but not limited to his father.

Turning now to the book itself, he calls it, and I paraphrase, one of the most purposeless mass movements of people in history, and yet explains well the personal and even spiritual growth experienced by many of the miners. He likens the struggle to get there, largely on foot, from Skagway through the Chilkoot Pass and then, after climbing the pass down the Yukon River to the climb of Everest. It seems an apt comparison. He contrasts Canada's focus on "peace, order and good government" to the "Wild West" atmosphere of Skagway, Alaska. As an objective writer he does a good job of laying out the potential and actuality of corruption that comes from too much government. I just can't get enough of this author. show less

This is an eye-opening account of an important piece of history.

The Klondike gold rush experience of the "sourdoughs" and "cheekachos" - veteran Klondikers and the gold rush naifs, all of whom sacrificed everything to get rich quick. Of course, most left dirt poor - and even most of those who struck it big lost it big, too.

The gold rush lasted all of 18 months, from 1898 to 1899. To get to the gold fields, hundreds of miles of rough, frozen terrain had to be negotiated. People and animals died, people were robbed and went mad. It's all here.

And then there were the fortunate few who made it in and established towns - only to see them shrivel up and die when the next gold rush occurred near Nome.

Quite a few characters are here, show more prospectors and scoundrels, madams and greenhorns. It's all interesting, tragic and enlightening. show less

This was an amazing voyage of discovery all around, and into, the nature of the Klondike Gold Rush that occurred in Canada. There are characters, yarns, and intrigues all along the way and this is focused in concentrated and well-written writing that truly stems to the heart of what the Klondike Gold Rush meant and was. There is literally no fault with the book and I cannot give it a lesser rating.

5 stars- history buffs will enjoy this!

I kept resisting this book, despite years of people telling me I should read it (as a history major, as an Alaskan, etc.). When I finally picked it up, I was engrossed. This history reads like an adventure novel in parts. The truly amazing things that the men and women of the Gold Rush did and overcame to even get to a place where they could begin looking for gold is unbelievable. This book inspired me to visit Dawson City, Yukon.

Pierre Berton was a magnificent writer. His narrative style was comparable to Bruce Catton, or David McCullough. It's a pity he is gone.

Berton grew up in the Yukon, and this is his portrait of the gold rush of '98. He paints a magnificent picture of the trip in from Skagway and Dyea, the hazards of the trail and what the gold-seekers found when they got there. Berton also tells the tale of those who took alternative routes and the hazards they met.