Klondike Gold Rush History Podcast Keith Halliday Pascale Halliday

Just like no one can agree on exactly how the Klondike Gold Rush started, how and when the stampede ended is also the topic of fierce dispute. We wrap up the podcast with a look at this debate, clean up a few errors we made along the way, and let you know what happened to our favourite ... and not so favourite ... characters after they left the Yukon.

What do Harrison Ford, Charlie Chaplin and Bugs Bunny have in common? They've all starred in films about the Klondike Gold Rush. Join us as we turn the camera on Hollywood and its classic ... and sometimes not so classic ... portrayals of the Gold Rush.

The Mountie is one of the iconic images of the Klondike Gold Rush, whether in red serge in Dawson or behind a dogsled on a rugged Yukon patrol. We'll talk about the feats that made the reputation of the North-West Mounted Police in the Yukon, and their complicated relationship with First Nations. And we'll get to know Sam Steele, who some call the quintessential Canadian man of action in the Victorian era.

The gold rush is at its peak. Just a year ago, Dawson was a moose pasture with a few cabins. Now it has dance halls, Parisian fashions, electricity, running water and a restaurant where you could eat pâté de foie gras while listening to a string orchestra. And it has stories, tons of stories. Some true, some not so much. We'll share some of them which, factual or not, will give you a feel for Dawson's brilliant but brief spell as the Paris of the North.

Getting to the Klondike was just the start of your mining adventure. Next, you had to learn how to get the gold out of the frozen muck under your feet. The Sourdoughs had developed a huge range of ingenious techniques from rockers to sluice boxes to steam points. But they all had one thing in common: back-breaking manual labour.

Klondike Kate was the most famous of the women who graced the stages of Dawson's dance halls. Her fascinating life story is layers of popular myths, hard realities and enduring mysteries. Join us to find out why the New York Sun said "Klondike Kate is a legend, and legends, unlike old soldiers, neither die nor fade away."