1897 New Official Map of Alaska... with Routes to the Klondike...

A scarce map of Alaska published at the height of the Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Yukon Territory. The map was published by Rand McNally & Company with the purpose of delineating the various routes (in red) to the Klondike Region from San Francisco, Seattle, Sitka, and Edmonton.  The Klondike Gold Rush ran from 1896 when gold was discovered by local miners to 1899 when many prospectors had been unsuccessful and gold was discovered in Nome, which sent many further north, thus beginning the Nome Gold Rush (1899 - 1909). It took roughly one year for word to reach American cities such as San Francisco and Seattle that gold had been discovered in the Klondike and another year for one to make the journey to the Klondike. Prospectors were encouraged to take a year's worth of supplies for their journey as there were no railroads in the region and most had to make the arduous journey on foot.   Along the various routes sprouted numerous towns and forts that made a good deal of money