Klondyke Facts; Being a Complete Guide Book to the Great Gold Regions of the Yukon and Klondyke and the North West Territories
Montreal: John Lovell and Son, 1897. Very Good. First Edition. [7.5x5.25in]; 205 pp., [1] advertisements of American Technical Book Company, frontispiece image of Ladue, one fold map, 18 plates of ten images, four illustrations and four maps, appendix; Dark green cloth covers with gilt lettering on front and spine, gilt image of "A Klondyke Nugget" on front, all edges trimmed; Minor shelf wear to covers, edges and corners with rubbing to all and top and bottom of spine and joints, small minor dents to top and bottom edge of front cover, slight age-toning of text, residual sticker mark on front end paper. [Kurutz Klondike 312b, Smith 5637, Tourville 2580, Wickersham 3942, Arctic Biblio 9546]. Item #14030
Joseph Francis "Joe" Ladue (1855-1901) was an American of French-Canadian that was an a western miner, engineer and adventurer and founder of Dawson City during the Klondike stampede to the Yukon and Alaska in 1897. He moved to the Northwest in 1881 to explore mining and business opportunities in the Alaska interior. In 1893, he established a trading post on the Yukon at Sixtymile River (the distance upriver from Fort Reliance) and named it Ogilive. He also built a Sawmill to supply miners in the area. During the 1890's Ladue and others were exploring the Yukon area for gold and other mineral deposits. In 1896, larger deposits were discovered along the Klondike river and creeks, and Ladue moved his sawmill and trading post to a larger flat area a few miles down river at the mount of the Klondike river and the Yukon. He staked out and recorded the town site of Dawson to sell lots and supplies to the projected gold rush miners by mid -1897, there were 5,000 people in Dawson.
From Kurutz, "Klondyke Facts ranks as one of the essential books on the Klondike. The first part of this expanded work repeats the text found in Ladue's earlier work, Klondyke Nuggets.' Both books provided factual information on the routes and conditions of the Yukon region and the gold discoveries. Kurutz, "The text is loaded with quotes from others who also had firsthand experience in this remote land, including several women."
Price: $750.00