Hard drive to the Klondike: Promoting Seattle during the Gold Rush

Mighetto, Lisa; Montgomery, Marcia

Seattle became the largest city in the Pacific Northwest almost a century ago- and for nearly that long historians and other analysts have examined the reasons for this growth. The Economist has offered an intriguing, if somewhat ahistorical, interpretation: what sets Seattle apart from other successful cities is a series of characteristics resulting from the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-1898. The Klondike Gold Rush fueled a longstanding commercial spirit in Seattle that has continued through to the present. Not all historians, however, see the connection between the gold rush and the economy. Neither do historians agrees as to the importance of the gold rush to Seattle’s development. This study examines these issues, beginning in the early 1950s with the founding of Seattle, and ending in 1909 with the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition commemorating the Klondike Gold Rush and the growth of the city. Chapter one describes early Seattle and the gold strike in the Klondike, while the following three chapters analyze how the city became the gateway to the Yukon, how the stampede to the Far North stimulated local businesses, and how the city’s infrastructure and boundaries changed during the era of the gold rush. Chapter five looks at how historians have interpreted the Klondike Gold Rush throughout the twentieth century. The final chapter brings the Klondike story up to the present, describing the establishment of the Pioneer Square Historic District and the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. It also describes the buildings and structures associated with the gold rush that remain standing, emphasizing those that have not yet been recognized or listed in the National Register. These historic resources serve as reminders of the period that, in the words of one observer, “put Seattle on the map.”

Hard drive to the Klondike: Promoting Seattle during the Gold Rush

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