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Though the California gold rush of 1849 is perhaps the most well-known, a major strike along the Klondike River in 1896 sparked one of the largest gold rushes in the history of North America. An estimated 100,000 prospectors flooded the Klondike region, located in the Yukon in northwestern Canada. This book, published in 1897, gave readers “authentic instructions” on how to reach Klondike, a remote region accessible only via the Yukon River.

John Randolph Spears (b. 1850) was a well-traveled journalist at turn of the century, eventually writing nearly a dozen books, primarily on nautical and maritime themes. This early title is about the land, sea, flora, fauna, and cultures of South America’s southernmost region. The “gold diggings” from the title are mostly done on the east coast of Tierra del Fuego, where, after heavy storms, gold shows up on the black sands. The quest for gold often creates conflicts with indigenous communities of the area, which Spears takes great care to describe with sensitivity (for the times).