Grand Forks Hotel facts for kids
| Grand Forks Hotel | |
Quick facts for kids  Grank Forks Hotel in 1898, second building from left |
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
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| Location | Grand Forks, Yukon |
| Coordinates | 63°55′13″N 139°19′01″W / 63.9202°N 139.3169°W |
| Opening date | August 1897 |
| Closing date | 1911 |
| Developer | Belinda Mulrooney |
The Grand Forks Hotel was a very important building during the Klondike Gold Rush. It was a special kind of hotel called a roadhouse. This hotel was located near Dawson City in the Yukon region of Canada.
Contents
The Klondike Gold Rush
In 1897, a lot of gold was found in the Yukon area. This discovery started a huge event called the Klondike Gold Rush. Many people, called prospectors, traveled to this far-off region. They hoped to find their own gold and become rich.
Building the Hotel
A smart businesswoman named Belinda Mulrooney arrived in Dawson City that same year. She wanted to start her own businesses. Belinda opened a restaurant and a shop in the city. She also built homes for the many new prospectors.
Belinda then looked for new chances outside Dawson City. She explored the creeks where gold was being mined. She thought the spot where Eldorado Creek met Bonanza Creek was perfect. This would be a great place for a roadhouse hotel.
Hotel Design and Services
Belinda Mulrooney's new roadhouse was a big, two-story building. It was made from strong logs. On the first floor, there was a bar and a dining room. The second floor had many bunk beds for people to sleep in.
Behind the hotel, there were kennels for husky dogs. These dogs were very important for travel in the cold region. Workers from Dawson City came to build the hotel. It was finished by August 1897. Belinda also had a separate cabin built for herself nearby.
Storing Gold and More
The hotel had a safe where people could store their gold. Gold was often used as money by the prospectors. Over time, the logs used to build the hotel shrank a bit. This caused small gaps to appear in the walls.
The Grand Forks Hotel offered food, drinks, and a place to stay. Even when supplies were hard to get in winter, Belinda kept the hotel well-stocked. A dinner cost $3.50, and staying there with food cost $12. The drinks and cigars were the most expensive in the area.
Typical meals included bacon and beans, and canned meats. For special occasions, they served interesting dishes. These included moose heart and pickled moose nose. The roadhouse was also a trading post. It was a place to store gold and even served as a church.
A whole community grew up around the hotel. It became the second-largest town in the Yukon region.
The Hotel's End
By 1899, the Klondike Gold Rush was slowing down. Belinda Mulrooney decided to leave the Yukon. She sold the Grand Forks Hotel in May 1899. After 1906, the town around the hotel became smaller. In 1911, large digging machines destroyed the hotel site.
