Discovery Claim facts for kids
Discovery Claim is a special spot on Bonanza Creek in the Yukon, Canada. It's where the very first piece of gold was found in the Yukon on August 16, 1896. This amazing find kicked off the famous Klondike Gold Rush, a time when thousands of people rushed to the area hoping to strike it rich!
Discovery Claim is about 17 kilometers (about 10.5 miles) south-southeast of Dawson City. Because of its huge importance, it was named a National Historic Site of Canada on July 13, 1998.
The Big Gold Find!
On August 16, 1896, an American gold seeker named George Carmack was traveling with his Tagish wife, Kate Carmack (whose birth name was Shaaw Tláa). Also with them were Kate's brother, Skookum Jim (birth name Keish), and their nephew, Dawson Charlie (K̲áa Goox̱).
They stopped to rest by a stream called Bonanza Creek (which was then known as Rabbit Creek). Another gold seeker, Robert Henderson, had suggested they look for gold there. Suddenly, one of them spotted something shiny in the water. It was gold!
While George Carmack took credit for the discovery, it's not totally clear if it was him or Skookum Jim who actually saw the gold first. However, the group decided that George Carmack should be named the official discoverer. This was because they worried that mining officials might not accept a claim made by an Indigenous person at that time.
Claiming the Land
The very next day, August 17, 1896, the group "staked" four claims. Staking a claim means marking out a piece of land where you plan to mine. The first claims were made on Bonanza Creek.
George Carmack got two claims. This was a special rule: if you were the very first person to find gold in an area, you were allowed to claim a second piece of land for yourself! Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie each had one claim staked in their names as well.
-
George Carmack, who claimed the discovery
-
Kate Carmack, his wife, wearing her famous gold nugget necklace, 1898
-
Skookum Jim, one of the discoverers, 1898
Making it Official
About a month later, on September 24, the group officially registered their claims. They had to travel about 80 kilometers (50 miles) to a police post in Forty Mile, which was at the mouth of the Forty Mile River.
The first claim they made is officially known as Claim 37903. It measured about 152.4 meters (500 feet) long and 609.6 meters (2,000 feet) wide.
