Two Years in the Klondike and Alaskan Gold Fields 1896-1898: A Thrilling Narrative of Life in the Gold Mines and Camps (Classic Reprint Series, 5)

A thrilling narrative of personal experiences and adventures in the wonderful gold regions of Alaska and the Klondike, with observations of travel and exploration along the Yukon. Portraying the dangers, hardships, and privations of a gold-seeker's life; with a faithful description of life and scenes in gold mines and camps. Including full and authentic information of the countries described, their underground treasures, how to find them, etc. Beautifully illustrated with many engravings from recent photographs taken on the spot.

Dozens of the instant guides to the Klondike that sprang from the presses at the turn of the century might have bannered the text above, but Two Years in the Klondike was singularly different from those books: here, author William B. Haskell told the truth, and he told it well. In a unique, charming, and poetic style, Haskell writes of his trek to Alaska's Fortymile and Circle City in the spring of 1896 preceding the Klondike discovery, and recounts his adventures in the gold fields before and after the rush of 1897-1898. A keen observer of human nature, Haskell's witty comments on conditions in the Yukon Valley are delightful reading. His gritty and realistic account of life in the north on the eve of the Klondike rush details the enormous changes that took place once the flood of stampeders arrived.

Though out of print for nearly a hundred years, Haskell's autobiography has been a major source for every thorough history of the gold rush era in the past century. This new edition of his memoir, published in commemoration of the gold rush centennial as the fifth volume in the University of Alaska Press's Classic Reprint Series, brings back his remarkable eyewitness account of the Klondike stampede. A preface by series editor Terrence Cole and index accompany the original text and photographs.