Prof Vicky: The Yukon Gold Rush (1896)

Fact: The Yukon Gold Rush (1896-1899) was a time in which people from all over North America, along with Europe and other places flowed into the Yukon, Canada to try and make their fortune by prospecting for gold. One of the cities that was created from this was Dawson City.

For Jennifer O'Hara it was a new opportunity, and one that she would only get once. Her husband, a navy sailor, had died that year from scurvy and the government of Canada had sent her a check for $150, a princly sum. She was determined to do with that money what many gentleman and woman would not. She would make her fortune in the Klondike Gold Fields. Not that she would actually do any prospecting, of course. That was a man's work.

That was not to say that she was going to get married. No, she had an idea. So she packed her bag and set off by boat to the Klondike. She left in the spring of 1896 and by the fall of the same year, she had arrived. When she got to Dawson City, she began enquiring around the town. Surely they needed something in this town.

Sure enough there was. So she quickly staked her claim on a river outside of the town and waited. Fairly soon, a young gentleman by the name of Adam De'Gorge came by her house (really just a small shack just outside of Dawson City). He wanted to prospect on the river, but had arrived too late to secure a spot. As the rest of the river was already being mined, he felt that only her spot would be suitable.

This was exactly what Jennifer wanted. So she made a deal with the man. She didn't want to own the land, and he did. What she wanted was a spot on mainstreet for her restaurant. These men needed some home cooked meals, not just the mush they ate to survive.

Adam agreed. He would build her her building and in exchange, he would get the land on the river. Until the building was finished, the gold mined would be split 50/50. So it came to be.

Six months later, Jennifer, now $600 richer thanks to the mine, opened up her first restaurant in Dawson City. She called it Jennifer's and on the first night, over half the population of the city showed up to taste her home style cooking. They all loved it and Jennifer's remained for a long time.

Fact: The Yukon Gold Rush (1896-1899) was a time in which people from all over North America, along with Europe and other places flowed into the Yukon, Canada to try and make their fortune by prospecting for gold. One of the cities that was created from this was Dawson City.

For Jennifer O'Hara it was a new opportunity, and one that she would only get once. Her husband, a navy sailor, had died that year from scurvy and the government of Canada had sent her a check for $150, a princly sum. She was determined to do with that money what many gentleman and woman would not. She would make her fortune in the Klondike Gold Fields. Not that she would actually do any prospecting, of course. That was a man's work.

That was not to say that she was going to get married. No, she had an idea. So she packed her bag and set off by boat to the Klondike. She left in the spring of 1896 and by the fall of the same year, she had arrived. When she got to Dawson City, she began enquiring around the town. Surely they needed something in this town.

Sure enough there was. So she quickly staked her claim on a river outside of the town and waited. Fairly soon, a young gentleman by the name of Adam De'Gorge came by her house (really just a small shack just outside of Dawson City). He wanted to prospect on the river, but had arrived too late to secure a spot. As the rest of the river was already being mined, he felt that only her spot would be suitable.

This was exactly what Jennifer wanted. So she made a deal with the man. She didn't want to own the land, and he did. What she wanted was a spot on mainstreet for her restaurant. These men needed some home cooked meals, not just the mush they ate to survive.

Adam agreed. He would build her her building and in exchange, he would get the land on the river. Until the building was finished, the gold mined would be split 50/50. So it came to be.

Six months later, Jennifer, now $600 richer thanks to the mine, opened up her first restaurant in Dawson City. She called it Jennifer's and on the first night, over half the population of the city showed up to taste her home style cooking. They all loved it and Jennifer's remained for a long time.

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