Going For The Gold: The White Pass And Yukon Route

摘要

It was to be among the last of the great gold rushes in North America. Approximately 100,000 fortune seekers swarmed into southern Alaska between 1897 and 1900, intent on making their way through the tortuous mountain passes into Canada and the legendary Klondike region. In addition to being exposed to thieves and swindlers, these unsuspecting prospectors were at the mercy of the region's inhospitable climate and perilous terrain. To haul mining materials and passengers safely into the region and gold safely out, British businessmen, an American engineer, and a Canadian contractor constructed the White Pass and Yukon Route, which was among the first railroads constructed in the northern latitudes of North America and the steepest railroad in the world at the time of its completion.