Stealing Dogs for the Klondike
James Chester, San Jose Middle School, Novato, CA
This learning activity was created for “The Richest Hills: Mining in the Far West, 1865–1920,”
sponsored by the Montana Historical Society and funded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for Schoolteachers.
Grade Level: 7th
Subject(s): English
Common Core Standards:
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.2 Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2a Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow;
organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition,
classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2b Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete
details, quotations, or other information and examples.
Time needed: One or two class periods.
Description
Students will study newspaper articles from 1899 regarding dogs and the Klondike gold rush in
order to gain an understanding of the historical context for the setting of Jack London’s The Call
of the Wild. Students make inferences and produce written responses based on the evidence
presented in the articles.
Essential questions/understandings:
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How were important were dogs in the Klondike/Yukon gold rush?
How did the use of dogs in the Klondike/Yukon gold rush compare with animals used in
Australia’s gold fields?
Goals:
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Students will demonstrate their understanding of how animals were used as
transportation by early gold miners in the Klondike in written paragraphs.
Objectives:
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Students will use historical newspaper articles to determine the importance of dogs in
the Klondike gold rush.
Students will compare the use of dogs in the Klondike with other animals used in the
Australian gold fields.
Students will use historical documents to write a persuasive paragraph.
Students will use historical documents to write an informative paragraph comparing and
contrasting the animals used in the Klondike with those used in Australia.
Materials
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All articles were found using the Chronicling America website.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Copies follow the lesson. PPT article found in Chester Resources folder.
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"The Duece Take Him." The Herald 2 Mar. 1898: 8. Chronicling America.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042461/1898-03-02/ed-1/seq-8/
[accessed July 29, 2013].
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""Lost"." The San Francisco Call 26 Jan. 1899: 11. Chronicling America.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1899-01-26/ed-1/seq-11/
[accessed July 29, 2013].
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"Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold." The San Francisco Call 13 Mar. 1898:
19. Chronicling America. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1898-0313/ed-1/seq-20/ [accessed July 29, 2013].
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"The Traffic in Dogs." The San Francisco Call 29 Jan. 1898: 7.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1898-01-29/ed-1/seq-7/ [accessed
July 29, 2013].
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"Would Have the Dog." The Record-Union 22 Jan. 1898 [Sacramento]: 11. Chronicling
America. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015104/1898-01-22/ed-1/seq-1/
[accessed July 29, 2013].
Resource Name:
“Do Now” PowerPoint - See Chester Resources Folder.
“Dog Thefts, 1898” - Follows lesson.
“Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold “- Follows lesson.
“Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold“ Worksheet - Follows lesson.
Preparation
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Prepare handouts and “Do Now” PowerPoint slide:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Give groups one copy of “Dog Thefts, 1898.”
Make copies of “Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold.”
Make copies of handout for “Rush … “ Worksheet, if desired.
Prepare discussion group seating chart if desired.
Procedure
Part One:
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Project “Do Now” PowerPoint (Journal topic) so that students see it when they enter the
room. Allow five minutes or so for students to respond. Discuss. You may want to list
ideas on the board and then determine which ones are most viable.
Review what your students already know about “Gold Rushes.” Begin by asking them to
brainstorm in a group or with a partner and then share their ideas with the class.
Give the students the basics about the Klondike Gold Rush but leave the dogs out of it at
first.
a. Klondike, Yukon or Alaskan Gold Rush.
b. 100,000 prospectors, 1896 to 1899.
c. 30,000 to 40,000 made it all the way to the gold fields.
d. About 4,000 found gold.
e. Ended 1899 when gold found in Nome, Alaska, which was much easier to get to.
Ask the students what this might have to do with the missing St. Bernard in the “Do
Now.”
Move students into groups and pass out “Dog Thefts, 1898” to each group.
Students read the articles and answer the discussion questions in their groups.
Students share their answers with the class.
Students then write a letter to the editor in response to the articles. They should write
a letter from the point of view of someone who is outraged at the dog thefts because
their own dog has recently been stolen. Letters should directly reference the articles.
Students may write with a partner or as a group.
Share drafts with the class. Keep these letters for use after reading The Call of the Wild.
Part Two: (This part may be done as homework or on day two.)
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Distribute “Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold” to the students.
Inform the students that many of the “Klondikers” had previously prospected for gold in
Australia. It was common for men to move from one gold rush to another. Many of the
49er’s who looked for gold in California moved on to the gold rushes in Nevada and later
in Montana and the Dakota territories.
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Begin “Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold” by comparing the illustrations of the
Australian gold rush and the Klondike gold rush. Based on the illustrations, what can
the students predict about the subjects the article will cover? What can they conclude
about the gold rushes in Australia and the Klondike?
Students then read the article in groups or on their own. You may ask the students to
take Cornell Notes on the article or to complete the worksheet. Direct them to focus on
how people got to the gold fields in Australia versus how they got to the Klondike. This
should be the focus of their summary if you’re using Cornell notes instead of the
worksheet.
Collect and keep students work for extension activity if desired.
Assessment
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Discuss “Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold” as a class.
Evaluate paragraph summaries written for Cornell Notes or completed worksheets.
Extension activities
1. After reading The Call of the Wild, revisit this assignment and ask students to write a
second letter to the editor about the dog thefts. This time, students should write from
the point of view of someone who has returned from the Klondike gold rush knowing
how dogs are used and treated by the miners in The Call of the Wild.
2. Ask students to use the Chronicling America website to find out what newspapers in the
rest of the America were writing about the Klondike gold rush. Students may also use
the Chronicling America website to find out what the reviews of The Call of the Wild
were like when it was first published.
Dog Thefts, 1898
From: The Herald. (Los Angeles) March 02, 1898,
“The Deuce Take Him”
Henry L. Smith, a hobo, who stole a St. Bernard dog valued at $100 from A. A. Eckstrom in this
city on February 20th, to sell him to some prospective Klondiker, but who was arrested by
Constable Cammer before he had disposed of his four-footed corpus delicti, was arraigned
yesterday before Justice Young on the charge of grand larceny. His examination will take place
tomorrow afternoon. The St. Bernard will be present under a "duces tecum" subpoena, which
Mr. Smith translates, "the deuce take him."
From: The San Francisco Call, January 29, 1898,
“THE TRAFFIC IN DOGS.
John Higgins and James Flynn Plead Guilty to Petty Larceny.”
The two men, John Higgins and James Flynn, who were arrested some days ago for stealing big
dogs in the Mission and selling them to paroles who were going to the Klondike, pleaded guilty
in Judge Joachimsen's court yesterday to petty larceny and were ordered to appear for
sentence this morning. James Brownie, a bartender in a saloon on Fulton and Larkin streets,
testified that he had purchased thirteen dogs from the two defendants, giving them from $5 to
$10 for each dog. He was to leave for the Klondike in a few days and intended taking the dogs
with him.
From: The Record-Union. (Sacramento), January 22, 1898
“WOULD HAVE THE DOG
But They Will Deter Their Trip to the Klondike in Consequence”
FRESNO, Jan. 21.—Constable J. W. Green of Madera to-day arrested West Moore and Frank Wt,
prominent citizens of this place, who are preparing to go to the Klondike, and took them back
to Madera County to answer to a charge of dog stealing.
It seems that George McDonald, who lives twelve miles from Madera, was visited by Wyatt and
Moore some time ago and an offer made for a valuable dog which McDonald refused to sell.
That day the dog disappeared. McDonald came to Fresno and found his animal, with twenty
seven others, in Moore's possession. The arrest of the two men followed.
Both men are well connected and have large property interests here.
Discussion Questions: After reading each article, answer the following questions as a group. Be
prepared to share your answers with the class.
1. The Duece Take Him
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What is a “Klondiker”?
What crime has Henry L. Smith committed?
What does “His examination will take place” mean?
What language is “duces tecum”?
How does Mr. Smith feel about the St. Bernard now and how can you tell?
2. The Traffic in Dogs
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Approximately how much were the dogs Higgins and Flynn stole worth?
If a dollar in 1899 would be worth 22 dollars today, what would the current value of the
dogs be?
Why was Mr. Brownie willing to pay so much for the dogs?
What sentence (penalty) would you give Higgins and Flynn?
3. Would Have the Dog
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Who is accused of stealing George McDonald’s dog?
Why did they steal his dog? How do you know?
How wealthy are Moore and Wyatt? How do you know?
What conclusions can you draw about the men who stole dogs in 1899? (Think about what
they might have in common and about how different the men in these three stories are.)
The San Francisco Call.
March 13, 1898
From:
RUSH TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
FOR GOLD
A wise man once remarked: "Gold is
where ever you find it." And when you
come to look into the matter you find
there is a great deal of truth in the
sentiment. Nature has been so lavish in
her distribution of the precious metal
that no continent or climate is
without its share.
To-day men are digging for gold under
the burning sun of the tropics and amid
the deathly cold of the long, long Arctic,
night. No climate is sufficiently
formidable to deter the gold seeker,
and once the madness is upon them
men will as gladly lay down their lives in
plague-stricken Skaguay as in malarious
New Guinea.
Even now, early in the season as it is,
boats are loading up in Australia for
Alaska, and the men who but a few
years ago rushed across the arid deserts of Western Australia, following a long line of plodding
camels,"the ships of the desert,” will shortly be guiding a dog sled over the snows of the Chilllkoot Pass,
or steering a flat-bottom boat down the rapid Yukon.
A contrast between these two rushes illustrates most forcibly the vicissitudes of a miner's life. All the
early finds which made Australia famous as a gold producing country took place on the eastern side of
the continent, and comparatively near the seacoast. Where the land is fertile and well watered, there is
a large farming population and railways intersect the country in every direction. Even during the '50's,
before the colonies of Victoria and New South Wales fully opened up, the distance from the seacoast
diggings was not difficult to manage for the poorest seekers after fortune.
From Melbourne it was an easy walk to Ballarat, and from Sydney, though the Blue Mountains had to be
crossed, there was a well made coach road all the way to Bathurst. But in Western Australia the
conditions which met the prospector were entirely different. The center of Australia was once a vast
shallow lake, now it is an arid desert, where little but salt bush and spinifex grow and where years often
pass without a drop of rain falling- The difficulties to be encountered were in their way, quite as great as
those which the Klondiker has to face. Only for frozen ranges you must substitute burning sands, for
blizzards dust storms and for dogs and sleds camels and pack trains.
Yet, in spite of all these obstacles, an intrepid prospector, in 1891, started out into the desert from
Southern Cross, then the outpost of the Western Australian Fines. Though but a small mining township,
Southern Cross became famous shortly afterward for another reason. It was the place to which
Deeming, one of the most remarkable murderers of the century, fled after killing and burying a wife in
Melbourne. Deeming's method, it will be remembered, was to quietly make away with his wife, and
case her in cement under the fireplace of the parlor. He repeated this operation several times, and
when arrested at Southern Cross had already ordered a quantity of cement, so as to be ready for the
new bride whom he was shortly to marry.
But Deeming had nothing to do with the great Coolgardi gold finds. It was the plucky Bayley who made
his way with infinite difficulty through the trackless desert. Even a camel cannot travel forever without
water, and thus Bayley's journeys were restricted. But about 15O miles from Southern Cross he met
with his reward.
He found a very rich alluvial patch, and after some little prospecting discovered the outcrop of the reef.
The specimens of quartz which he brought away with him assayed very richly, and with the news one of
the greatest gold rushes of the century set In. Bayley, in accordance with the mining laws of the colony,
received a reward, as the name which the mine still bears, 'Bayley's Reward." indicates.
Coolgardie was not a poor man's diggings. Though there was plenty of wonderfully rich alluvial, there
was no water with which to wash it. Dry blowing was resorted to. with more or less success, and some
very ingenious blowers were invented to meet the demand. But in the early days the cost of living was
tremendously high; everything had to be brought from the seacoast on the backs of camels, and even
water, that most necessary of all fluids, cost $2 a gallon. The saloonkeeper, when you asked for a drink
of whisky, would hand you the bottle to help yourself
as freely as you chose. but if you were so exacting as to demand water with it, he would measure out
the precious fluid with the most miserly hand.
Despite all these drawbacks thousands of poor prospectors essayed to make their way to the diggings.
Carrying their “swags" as the Australians call a man's roll of bedding and clothes, they toiled painfully
along the dusty track, already clearly defined by the whitening bones of those who had lain down by the
wayside to die. The stages between water were exceedingly long, often a couple of days' journey, and to
fall on the road meant the most terrible of all deaths— by thirst. How many perished miserably in the
desert will never be known; no record is ever kept of the nameless dead who have fallen by thousands
in all parts of the world while madly seeking for gold.
Gradually, of course, the rush began to organize itself, and the danger of the journey was in some
degree lessened. A favorite plan was for a number of miners to combine and hire a cart, in which they
placed their luggage, while unencumbered they walked beside. The great drawback to this method was
that at the worst part of the road the horses generally broke down from lack of feed and water, and
then the unfortunate prospectors, themselves suffering from thirst, had nothing for it but to carry their
own burdens, and hasten to the nearest water hole, thankful if they might get even a mouthful of
muddy, fetid water.
Another and more successful method was to use a wheelbarrow, and hundreds of men pushed their
belongings in this way to the diggings. One ingenious individual evolved a new scheme. He placed his
outfit in a cask, through which an axle was run, thus enabling the curious contrivance to be drawn along
the road after the fashion of a garden roller.
But none of these contrivances would have enabled men to live at Coolgardie, had it not been for that
wonderful beast, the camel. The use of this animal is not a new thing in Australia. For many years it has
been employed amid the sheep stations of the "back blocks" which fringe on the desert center of the
continent. At Bourke. in New South Wales, some 500 miles from the coast, the camel-carrying business
is quite an extensive industry. It is undertaken entirely by Afghans, and therefore meets with the most
bitter opposition from the white carriers, who, with horse or bullock teams, formerly monopolized the
carrying trade. There are over a thousand camels at Bourke, and every day you can see a long string
start forth, led by a white-robed Afghan, for a journey of perhaps several hundred miles to some
outlying station. They take up food and supplies of all kinds, and return with great bales of wool, slung
one on each side of the camel.
THE conditions of travel which prevail in icy Alaska are so utterly different from those of any temperate
clime that even the most experienced Californian or Australian traveler will find himself utterly lost
when he lands at Dyea or Skaguay. Just now, as the beast of burden, the dog is all the craze, for the
parties leaving thus early the season expect to get over the passes and well on the way to Dawson
before the snow melts. And as the dog is the only beast of burden used by the Alaskan Indians,
everybody wants dog, no matter what kind of dog; anything will do, so long as it is dog.
The demand for the useful canine has been so great that California has been pretty well stripped of its
big dogs. Every steamer takes away scores of these animals; the steamer National City carried over 100,
while the Australia carried even more. During the past few months to own a St. Bernard or a
Newfoundland has been a serious responsibility; any number of dogs have been stolen, and the
departure of each steamer has witnessed some amusing scenes between irate dog owners and Klondike
adventurers.
In most cases the dogs were honestly bought by the prospectors from well-known city dealers. But the
real owner of the animal appeared on board with a search warrant, and there was no resisting the
strong arm of the law. The dog had to be landed, pending judicial inquiry, and the miner, having no time
to bother with lawsuits, had to let the matter drop and submit patiently to his loss.
Almost every kind of dog has been taken to Alaska— St. Bernards, Newfoundlands, Great Danes,
mastiffs, retrievers, bird dogs of indescribable breeds, have been bought and shipped at prices often
ranging as high as $150. Yet in the face of all this the latest reports from Skaguay inform us that any
number of dogs can be had there for $10. As this is exactly the freight which the steamers charge for
taking the dogs up, it seems likely that many of the prospective millionaires, when they land at the head
of the Lynn Canal, will rather regret their expensive investment in dog flesh, the more so as it is highly
probable many of the dogs, either through ill-treatment or constitutional weakness, will perish beneath
the rigors of the Arctic clime.
It is one thing to own a team of real Eskimo dogs, inured by generations of breeding to every form of
hardship, and quite another to deal with the delicately bred city dog, who has never done an hour's
work in his life. Of course, the St. Bernard and the New Foundland come of a cold-resisting stock; they
have the thick, furry coats necessary to protect them from the frost, and as long as their feet hold out
they may be of some use. But what the poor short-haired dogs, such as the Danes and the mastiffs, are
going to do in the Arctic it is hard to imagine.
A city butcher, who has had some Alaskan experience himself, made a remark the other day which
illustrates the ignorance and inexperience of many Klondikers. "A man came here." he said, "and
ordered six barrels of corned beef to feed his dogs on. Corned beef! Why, the poor brutes will have their
tongues hanging out and be parched with thirst before they have done half a day's work."
The butcher knew what he was talking about; It Is as necessary to provide water as meat for dogs who
are working hard. And everybody who has been In the Arctic regions know that you cannot eat snow; it
only increases instead of diminishing your thirst. You must stop and light a fire and melt the snow before
you can get a drink. To melt enough snow to satisfy the thirst of a team of dogs fed on corned beef
would be a Herculean enterprise.
Still, putting corned beef on one side, the difficulty of feeding dogs is the great obstacle to their use on
long journeys. A team will only drag enough food to last it for thirty or forty days, so a month's journey is
the outside limit of their utility. Of course, you can do as Nansen did, and eat the dogs when there is
nothing more to feed them upon, but the plan hardly sounds satisfactory.
Probably the best feed for dogs, because of its compact nutritiousness, is the dog biscuit, made of a
mixture of meat and meal. The one drawback is the expense — the biscuits cost about 15 cents a pound.
As a cheaper substitute the butcher recommended Indian cornmeal mixed with crackling, a compound
sufficiently heating for this rigorous clime.
Before any work can be expected from these imported dogs it will be necessary to carefully shoe them,
for their tender feet will never stand work over the ice-clad rocks of the passes. It is estimated that three
good-sized dogs will draw an ordinary seven foot single sled, such as is commonly sold in the city. Some
prospectors, going in large parties, propose to use two sleds, fastened together, and hauled by a team of
seven. This is more after the Indian fashion, who harness up their dogs in teams of from seven to eleven,
according to the weight of the load and the
size of dog. But each full-grown dog is supposed to be able to draw a hundredweight for his share.
The method of harnessing is very different from that used for horses or other larger beasts of burden.
The dogs are fastened to a single yoke line by a breast strap, and have no guide reins, the animals having
sufficient intelligence to obey the voice of their master. But, to make sure, a leader of known sagacity is
usually selected, and, obeying his master's voice, he takes care that the team moves in the right
direction.
Worksheet: Rush to the Ends of the Earth for Gold
Follow the direction in each space.
How were animals used in the Australian gold
rush?
How were animals used in the Alaskan gold rush?
Draw a symbol or a picture that sums up how
animals were used in the Australian gold rush
Write a short paragraph comparing how animals
were used in Australia and Alaska. Begin here and
continue on the back.
Do the same for Alaska.