THE MYTHMAKERS

Writers, photographers, and filmmakers have mined the Yukon gold rush for creative inspiration. Whether true to life or wildly fantastic, their works have nearly always depicted the Klondike from the colonizers’ point of view.

Above left: Journalist Pierre Berton wrote the awardwinning book Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush. Above right: Author Jack London wrote adventure stories inspired by his own experiences in the Klondike. Top far right: Eric Hegg took this photo of a Chilkat man posing as a packer in his Skagway, Alaska, studio in 1897. Right: A poster for the 1936 movie Klondike Annie, which was based on a play written by the film’s star, Mae West. Bottom far right: A poster for the 1950 movie Call of the Klondike, starring Kirby Grant as a heroic Mountie and Chinook the Wonder Dog as his canine sidekick.