<Tr> <Th> Routes </Th> <Td> Dyea / Skagway route and others </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Legacy </Th> <Td> The Call of the Wild, The Gold Rush </Td> </Tr> <P> The Klondike Gold Rush was a migration by an estimated 100,000 prospectors to the Klondike region of the Yukon in north - western Canada between 1896 and 1899 . Gold was discovered there by local miners on August 16, 1896, and, when news reached Seattle and San Francisco the following year, it triggered a stampede of prospectors . Some became wealthy, but the majority went in vain . It has been immortalized in photographs, books, films, and artifacts . </P> <P> To reach the gold fields, most took the route through the ports of Dyea and Skagway in Southeast Alaska . Here, the Klondikers could follow either the Chilkoot or the White Pass trails to the Yukon River and sail down to the Klondike . Each of them was required to bring a year's supply of food by the Canadian authorities in order to prevent starvation . In all, their equipment weighed close to a ton, which for most had to be carried in stages by themselves . Together with mountainous terrain and cold climate, this meant that those who persisted did not arrive until summer 1898 . Once there, they found few opportunities, and many left disappointed . </P>

When was gold first found in the klondike