Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1146348 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 95 pages

From Booklist
With the "official" closing of the frontier in 1890, the Klondike gold rush of 1897^-98 had the aura of a last frantic grasp at a rapidly receding past. Like the previous rushes, the Klondike attracted a varied assortment of rogues and adventurers. A few struck it rich, but many more endured immense suffering, and some met violent ends. William Shape came from a middle-class Wisconsin family; he was well schooled and had traveled widely in Europe before he left his wife and two children to seek even greater wealth in the Klondike. His well-written journal captures the sights and smells of mining camps, the grind of overland treks, and the personal quirks of the people he encountered. But he writes with a curious detachment and seldom offers insights that could enrich his matter-of-fact observations. Still, the text and his accompanying photographs provide a very valuable record of one of our nation's last epic adventures. Jay Freeman

Customer Reviews

WOW
I was floored by this book. It is diary of a group of men traveling to the yukon in search of gold. I was amazed at the things that they went through. In our relatively easy modren life, It is good to read about what extremes people would go through in the old days. To say that they had a rough journey would be an understatement. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a feel for what it must have been like to ber part of the gold rush in the Yukon territory.