Joseph Beaudoin
The name of this French-Canadian is found in the list of pioneers established by Michael Gates.
This French-Canadian was already in the Yukon when the two first representatives of the North-West Mounted Police arrived in the territory. During the summer of 1893, Beaudoin met Inspector Constantine and Sergeant Brown on the shores of the Lindeman. The two officers were discouraged by the difficulties found due to the construction of a boat using a long saw and were thinking of cancelling everything and going back when Beaudoin and his American companion , Jack Cawper offered to finish the job for them and to guide them up to Fortymile for the price of $125.00.
After having argued about the price, Constantine finally accepted the offer. Beaudoin and Cawper finished the boat in one week. The crew got aboard and headed towards Fortymile joyfully leaving behind this area which Constantine had christened “Camp Misery.”
In 1895, about twenty officers of the North-West Mounted Police arrived in the Yukon to establish order amongst the miners at Fortymile.
In August 1896, Georges Carmack, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie discovered a great quantity of gold in Bonanza Creek. It is this discovery which started the famous Gold Rush towards the Klondike.
The prospectors who were already in the Klondike at this point were those who were lucky to have the chance to obtain the best “limits” or mining concessions.
Ref. Empreinte, col.11, p.18-19
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