Neil Sutherland’s Journey to the Klondike

It was July 17, 1897 in San Francisco. The steamer Excelsior had arrived in port with tales of a major gold strike in a far off northern Canadian land called the Klondike. The men leaving the ship were aged beyond their years, gaunt and unshaven – but with eyes that glittered feverishly. And their loot was heavy with gold. Gold!

Word spread across the land, to every town, large and small. The Klondike stampede began, not quietly or gradually, but instaneously and with explosive force. In River John, Nova Scotia, a poor farming community at the far eastern end of the continent, things were no different. Like more than 100,000 others that year, a group of young men, eager to escape the

cruel depression of the 1890’s, laid their own personal plans to seek their fortune in the Klondike.

Neil Sutherland, along with a small number of friends from the surrounding farms, left his young family consisting of a wife, two daugthers and an eight month old son, and his duties behind, and chased a wild dream of striking it rich in the frozen north. Like most of those in his wake, he had no idea what was in store for him – but he was willing to leave his family behind and spend the majority of his family savings on a trip that involved: almost 6,000 miles of travel on trains, streamers, horseback, on foot, and via home made boats; with 1,000 lbs of supplies per person in tow; through some of the most hostile and unforbidding territory on the planet. And despite the odds, he managed to hit pay dirt and come home a relatively wealthy man some two and a half years later.

This man and his entrepreneurial spirit helped change the course of our family history. He left a legacy that allowed his children to become well educated, with a will and a means to pursue their life’s ambitions. Because of Neil, we have an interesting tale to tell others of our family history. It wasn’t just the lure of the money – it was his raw determination to succeed, which allowed him to keep going when

so many others failed.

As a gift, I am giving you this superb book, The Klondike Quest, by Pierre Berton, that chronicles the hopeful journey that Neil and his fellow stampeders from Nova Scotia undertook. The pictures themselves tell a story that no words could ever describe fully. The life threatening risks, the physical obstacles, the unbelievable determination and hardship that Neil and his companions overcame – much of it is presented here. After reading this book and looking again and again at the pictures, it brought our shared family history much more in focus for me. To see and hold the broach made from fused gold nuggets that Neil had made for Stella (the ones made for his wife, and other daughter Laura, appear to have been lost or destroyed) now hold new meaning.

Enjoy!

- Derek

Klondike hopefuls, boarding ships in Vancouver, 1898

Neil Sutherland’s Claim #22252

Neil Sutherland’s Journey Jan 31, 1898 – With his third child only 8 months old, Neil sets out to seek his fortune in the Klondike, leaving Nova Scotia for the 4500 mile train trip to Vancouver Feb 1, 1898 – A winter snow storm delays Neil in Montreal for 20 hours Feb 16, 1898 – Neil leaves Vancouver for the 750 mile open seas journey to Fort Wrangell, Alaska Mar 10, 1898 – A letter, probably written at Fort Wrangell, is sent to home by a companion of Neil’s Mar 31, 1898 – Ice on the Stikine River finally breaks after a 5 week wait. Neil then makes his way via the Stikine River Valley to Teslin Lake more than 350 miles by land, mostly on foot. It takes almost 3 months to haul the 1000 lbs of materials the full distance per person. Jun 12, 1898 – After building a boat from locally harvested trees and loading their supplies onto it, Neil’s team sets sail for Dawson City, 550 miles away, through dangerous rapids and portages. Jul 14, 1898 – Neil stakes and files his first claim in the Klondike! Apr 14, 1899 – Neil sends home $205. The letter takes 3 months to get there. May 10, 1900 – Neil finishes sluicing May 26, 1900 – Neil starts for home via steamboat through Alaska, and then on to Seattle. Jul 15, 1900 – Neil arrives home (gone 2-1/2 years), spends $3000 on a new farm and materials (worth about about 200 oz of gold at $16 an ounce) Sept 10, 1901 – Neil heads back to Dawson City Sept 26, 1901 – Neil arrives in the Klondike Jul 1, 1903 – Neil arrives home again for the last time

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Stella, Chester and Laura with their gold nugget broaches