Featured Video: Klondike Gold Rush, 1897

The great Library of Congress channel on YouTube provides us with this 1897 footage of Seattle, Washington, as the Klondike Gold Rush was in full force. The brief, shaky clip shows excited miners (or “stampeders”) equipping themselves with supplies. Many stampeders ultimately lost their lives in their quest. In fact, the outfitters got much richer serving their customers than the miners did from pursuing valuable rocks and dust. Not surprising, really. The pathways pioneers incidentally develop are usually far more valuable than the riches they seek.

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