Provinces and Territories · Drawing 32 of 42
Panning for Klondike gold
Yukon — since 1896
Near Dawson City, people have searched creeks for gold since 1896. This is the homeland of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, who have lived in the region for thousands of years.
How to say it: Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in sounds like “tron-DEK WITCH-in.”
Look together
What would you do with a tiny flake of gold?
An idea to try
Hide a few large yellow objects (bottle caps, blocks) in a tub of sand or rice. Your child searches with a colander, then tells you what they found.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
In August 1896, gold was found on Rabbit Creek, soon renamed Bonanza Creek, near the Klondike River. Parks Canada notes that the find is generally credited to Keish (Skookum Jim Mason) of the Tagish First Nation. About 30,000 newcomers then poured into the homeland of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, who were pushed out of their fishing camp at Tr’ochëk; Chief Isaac led their move to Moosehide.
In 2023, Tr’ondëk-Klondike joined UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The site, whose nomination was led by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, tells how they experienced and adapted to colonialism between 1874 and 1908. Share the fun of searching with your child, then ask how the people already living here might have felt when so many strangers arrived.
Sources and illustration notes (4)
An imagined present-day scene; the pan, creek and people are simplified and show neither a specific claim nor real people.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Parks Canada — Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage SiteInscribed in 2023; homeland of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, who have lived in the region for thousands of years; relations with newcomers from 1874 to 1908; gold rush of 1896–1898 drawing about 30,000 people; Tr’ochëk Fishing Camp and Moosehide Village; nomination led by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in; more than a century of placer mining.
- Parks Canada — Discovery Claim National Historic SiteGold found in August 1896 on Rabbit Creek, renamed Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River; the find is generally credited to Keish (Skookum Jim Mason) of the Tagish First Nation.
- Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Government — Our StoryThe Nation’s own account: some 30,000 newcomers; displacement from the fishing camp at Tr’ochëk; Chief Isaac led the move to Moosehide; self-government today.
- Government of Yukon — Digital Service Delivery Guide: Indigenous PeoplesPronunciation of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in: “tron-DEK WITCH-in.”
Page prepared on September 24, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book My Canada to Colour
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