SEATTLE — This weekend marks a golden anniversary for Seattle.
On July 17, 1897, the steamship Portland, carrying dozens of prospectors and 2 tons of gold from the Klondike, docked in Seattle.
Word quickly spread that quantities of gold had been found along a remote river in what is today the Yukon Territory of Canada. Seattle merchants jumped at the opportunity and word reached far and wide that Seattle was the “Gateway to the Gold Fields." Upwards of 70,000 people from across the world traveled to Seattle for supplies, info and steamship transportation to Alaska.
The national impact of this time led to the creation of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in 1976. Park representatives said it was established to “preserve in public ownership for the benefit and inspiration of the people of the united state, historic structure and trails associated with the Klondike Gold Rush.” Ranger Mike Frederick is one of several at Seattle’s museum that’s attached to the Historic Cadillac Hotel, built in 1889 after The Great Seattle Fire.
“Seattle’s role in the Klondike Gold Rush is undeniable," Frederick said. "The city tripled in population. Word spread like wild fire when sixty-eight men showed up on the docks with two tons of gold. That’s equal to $110 million in 2022 dollars, so everyone wanted to strike it rich."
Seattle Historian Feliks Banel said, “July 17, 1897 was a typical day in Seattle. Rainy and cold! The gold rush was so furious in Seattle that hundreds of people left right away and even the Mayor left town, headed up the Klondike to try and make a fortune.”
Banel said the fortunes changes lives but the boom was felt in Seattle’s grown.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth around here lately but tripling, we haven’t seen anything like that since the Gold Rush," he said.