Would you risk everything you have for a chance to get rich mining gold in Alaska's harsh climate? In the late 1800s, gold was found in Alaska, and despite Alaska's cold, frozen terrain, it caused a gold rush. Gold mining in Alaska began in the late 1800s and people continue to get rich today. From the beginning to today, gold mining has changed; as a result, the equipment used and collection procedures have changed. The first gold rush in Alaska took place in 1896-1899 in an area known as the Klondike. “100,000 of them left. 30,000 arrived in the Klondike. About 4,000 found gold,” said Gary l. Blackwood in his article in 'Wild West' magazine. Miners coming to the Klondike were looking for a big gold reward and used old-fashioned homemade sluices. Sluices are used to pour the gold-rich material over the top and groves and metal screens capture the gold and heavier black sand. Today the Klondike region is still being mined and continues to produce gold for the lucky few who find it. With all the chaos surrounding gold, it caused boom towns to start springing up. “The new cities were crowded, often chaotic, and many disappeared as soon as they arrived.” as Pierre Berton states in his book on the Klondike Gold Rush. These cities were known for all the thieves who killed people just to get the gold somehow. One of the most famous boomtowns, still inhabited today, is Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The town of Dawson had approximately 40,000 people living there a year after its formation and became the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush (Coates). An interesting fact about the city at the time is that to keep the murder and... ... middle of paper ...... produced. “Gold accounted for 15% of the mineral wealth produced in Alaska. Zinc and lead [...] represent 73%; silver [...] represented 8%; coal and aggregates accounted for nearly 2% each. Alaska produced a total of 40.3 million troy ounces of gold from 1880 through the end of 2007.” was reported by the Alaska DNR in 2007. Would you risk everything just for a chance to get rich? Even with the advancements in the industry, it's still a guarantee that you will spend a lot of money to get started and your money back is not guaranteed. Gold mining, no matter where you are in the world, is a job full of risk and could make you one of the happiest people in the world, or it could make you live the rest of your life in a mountain of debt. As they say at Bering Sea Gold: “Gold mining in general is dangerous and is not a get-rich-quick occupation.”