Keish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keish
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Keish in 1898
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| Born | c. 1855 near Bennett Lake, Yukon
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| Died | July 11, 1916 Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
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| Nationality | Tahltan |
| Other names | James Mason; Skookum Jim Mason |
| Known for | Discovery Claim that led to the Klondike Gold Rush |
Keish (born around 1855, died 1916) was an important member of the Tagish First Nation. He was also known as James Mason or by his nickname Skookum Jim Mason. Keish was born near Bennett Lake, close to where British Columbia and Yukon meet today. He lived in Carcross, Yukon, Canada. He became famous for his part in discovering gold that started the Klondike Gold Rush.
Contents
Keish's Early Life
Keish was born around 1855 near Lake Bennett. He belonged to the Daḵl'aweidi clan of the Tagish people. His mother, Gus'duteen, was from the Tahltan area. His father, Kaachgaawáa, was a chief of the Tagish Deisheetaan.
His family was involved in trading goods. They traded between the Tlingit people on the coast and the Tagish people inland. Keish had two brothers and six sisters who grew up. The name Keish means "wolf" in the Tagish language.
Working as a Packer
Carrying Supplies
In the mid-1880s, Keish worked as a packer during the summers. A packer carries supplies over mountains and trails. He carried goods from the Alaska Coast over mountain passes to the Yukon River system.
He earned his nickname Skookum because he was incredibly strong. He could carry very heavy loads, sometimes more than 45 kilograms (100 pounds). The word Skookum means "strong," "big," and "reliable" in the Chinook Jargon language. This language was used in the Pacific Northwest.
Helping Surveyors
Keish helped William Ogilvie, a government surveyor. Ogilvie was exploring the upper Yukon River. Keish reportedly carried 70 kilograms (150 pounds) of bacon over the Chilkoot Pass for the surveyor. This was more than twice what most people could carry.
Keish met George Washington Carmack, an American trader and prospector. They met while Keish was working on the trail at Dyea. Keish, Carmack, and Keish's nephew Káa Goox (also known as Dawson Charlie) became friends. They formed a team and spent two years packing on the Chilkoot Pass.
Carmack later started a family with Keish's sister, Shaaw Tláa (also known as Kate Carmack). In 1887, Keish also helped Captain William Moore. They surveyed the White Pass, which was another route to the Klondike.
The Klondike Gold Discovery
Becoming a Prospector
Through Carmack, Keish became interested in looking for gold. In 1888, Carmack, Keish, and Káa Goox started prospecting together. They searched for gold up the Yukon River. In the summer of 1889, George and Kate Carmack left Tagish to prospect in the Forty Mile region.
Keish stayed in Tagish. In the early 1890s, he married Daakuxda.éit (Mary), a Tlingit woman. In 1891, they had a daughter named Saayna.aat, also known as Daisy.
Finding Gold
Several years later, Keish and his two nephews, Koołseen (Patsy Henderson) and Káa Goox, went to find the Carmack family. They found the Carmacks and their daughter at the mouth of the Klondike River. Keish, George Carmack, and Káa Goox then went prospecting in the Klondike basin.
They met Robert Henderson, who was also looking for gold. Henderson told Carmack about a good spot to find gold. However, he refused to share the information with Carmack's First Nations companions. The three men were upset and left the area.
A few days later, in mid-August 1896, they found gold on Rabbit (Bonanza) Creek. One of them found a gold nugget the size of a dime. It is not clear who saw the gold first. Carmack said he found it, but Keish and his nephew said Keish was the discoverer. In September 1896, Carmack claimed a large "discovery claim" for himself. Keish and Charlie claimed land on either side of it. They did not tell Henderson about their discovery, so he missed out.
From 1896 to 1900, the men worked together on their claims. They found gold worth almost a million dollars.
Keish's Later Life
Wealth and Generosity
This sudden wealth greatly changed Keish's life and his family's. In 1898, Keish built a large, fancy house in Carcross. He lived there in the winters with his family. Each spring, he returned to the Klondike to hunt, trap, and look for more gold. In 1903, he and his nephew Káa Goox found more gold in the Kluane region, but it was a smaller amount.
In 1904, Keish sold his gold claims in the Klondike for $65,000. In 1905, he set up the Daisy Mason Trust. This trust was to protect his money and pay for his daughter's education. His marriage faced problems, and after trying to fix things, he and Daakuxda.éit separated in 1905. She returned to her village in Alaska, and their daughter stayed with Keish.
Keish was known for being very generous to his family and others. When Carmack left his wife Kate with almost no money, Keish built his sister a cabin in Carcross. In 1912, Keish held the biggest potlatch ever. A potlatch is a traditional gift-giving feast. He held it to honor his nephew Káa Goox, who had passed away.
Legacy
Keish died in Whitehorse, Yukon on July 11, 1916, after being sick for a long time.
In his will, he left money from his trust to his daughter, Saayna.aat (Daisy Mason). He also left money to his sister Kate and his nephew Koołseen (Patsy Henderson), and two other relatives. However, these payments were never made. When his daughter died in 1938, the money from the trust was used to help Indigenous people in Yukon who needed it. The Skookum Jim Friendship Centre in Whitehorse was built using money from this trust fund.
A made-up version of Skookum Jim appears in the TG4 TV series An Klondike. He is played by Julian Black Antelope. In the show, he is shown as a Hän person and is killed by a made-up character in 1898.
See also
In Spanish: Keish para niños
