TRAVELING TO THE GOLD FIELDS

     The unit Traveling to the Gold Fields uses thought-provoking questions to lead students back in time to explore what it was like during the Alaska gold rush period, 1880-1914. From photographs, newspapers, maps, government letters and steamship logs students evaluate what it was like to undertake a dangerous journey.

     Alaska State Content Standards addressed in Travel. Students will be able to:

• Use appropriate technology to access, retrieve, organize and present historical information (History: C1)
• Use historical data from a variety of primary resources (History: C2)
• Be able to think logically and reflectively in order to present and explain positions based on relevant and reliable information (Eng/L.A.:D1)
• Evaluate content from the speaker's or author's perspective (Eng/L.A.:E2)
• Analyze the consequences of human modification of the environment and evaluate the changing landscape (Geo: E5)
• Evaluate the impact of physical hazards on human systems (Geo: E6)
• Be aware that economic systems determine how resources are used to produce and distribute goods and services (Gov/Civ: F2)
• Understand the basic concepts of supply and demand, the market system and profit (Gov/Civ: F5)

• Historic maps from the American Memory project at the Library of Congress
• Photos of Dawson City, Whitehorse and the Yukon
• Panorama View of Alaska Today
• Additional travel maps and information about gold rush six itineraries.

     Before students begin the activities, brainstorm what they already know about travel during the Alaska gold rush era, 1880-1914. As a class or individually, create a topographical map that shows the terrain in Alaska. Highlight the gold rushes that you have already studied. (If you did the Discovery unit students should be familiar with Pedro Creek, Juneau, and the Klondike.)

Question 1: What do I need for a trip to the gold fields?

• Where can you get reliable information?
  • In the series of three activities the students should compare what makes a source reliable.
  • Ask students to make a list of things that they consider when judging a source. (Examples may include: personal past experience, recommendation of a trusted friend, expert in the field, etc.)
  • Ask students to look for different ads for the same type of product in magazines, newspapers or on the Internet. What things help make one ad more reliable or credible than another? How do you decide which one to buy? Discuss experiences that student have had with unreliable purchases.
    
    
• What should I take?
  • Many publications quote "From Woman's Standpoint" about women traveling to the Klondike. Ask the students to make two lists of statements from the article about women: one list of positive comments and one list of negative comments. Use the lists to discuss what attitudes and ideas about women changed in 100 years?

Question 2: Which way to the Gold?

• Use a variety of maps to help students evaluate the hazards associated with different routes to the gold fields.
  • Compare six different gold rush itineraries
  • A good web site for historic maps can be found at the American Memory project from the Library of Congress
  • Ask students to keep a list of the potential dangers associated with the land or water routes. At the end of the activities ask the students to rank the different dangers based on their own personal opinions.
  • Have a classroom debate. Group students by those who prefer the all water route or a land route. Ask them to prepare arguments for their route and be ready to debate someone from the other side. Use oral presentation guidelines for determining the best arguments. If your school doesn't already have guidelines do a web search and find one that matches your students' ability level. Sample guideline.

Question 3: What was it like on the way?

• Recommended for a whole class project.
  • Step 1: Print out a copy of the map, photos and Captain's log. Use the map (or one in your classroom) to locate the Yukon River. Determine the length (1,400 miles in Alaska, 2,000 miles total) and the possible hazards that a steamship might encounter.
  • Step 2: Ask the students to guess what might happen during the trip and how long the trip should take. (Approximately 1 year)
  • Step 3: Assign teams of students to each read one of the seven different entries from the Captain's log. After the team has deciphered their portion, have a volunteer from each team read their portion aloud to the whole class.
  • Step 4: Plot the steamer's progress. Make note of the time it took to load wood. Can the students determine the distance the steamer could travel between stopping for wood?
  • Step 5: From the pictures of a steamer (not the John J. Healy) what inferences can the students make about the impact steamship travel had on the Yukon? (Wood cutting, roads on the tundra, hauling wood greater distances, sanitation and waste disposal, etc.)
  • Step 6: Have the students write a letter to a friend or family member, pretending that they were a passenger on the John J. Healy during this September 1899 journey.

     What was it like on the way? can also be used as an assessment for the standards addressed in this unit. For additional assessment ideas see Assessment and Scoring Guide model.

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