Gold fever spread rapidly throughout all continents. In the newspapers,the news of the fantastic riches of the Klondike were written along with the news of less prosperous economic conditions, especially found in the Province of Quebec and the United States. That is all that was needed to attract thousands.
The Klondike gold rush began in the winter of 1896-1897 when the prospectors already in the North rushed towards Bonanza Creek, but it is in 1898 that a true human wave from the exterior spread towards the Yukon. Of the 100,000 gold seekers who used different routes towards the North, only 30,000 to 40,000 reached Dawson city.
“The French-Canadians who were more numerous than the Anglophone-Canadians who went there, represented about 10% of those who were adventurous, while Americans were made up of about 65% of the group; the others came from the “old countries”.
Ref. Empreinte, vol.11, p.29
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