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Friday, 25th August 2006 (3215 views)

The story of George Carmack, allegedly the man who started the Klondike gold rush, is to be investigated by a group of students who hope to disprove the age-old story, The Canadian Press reports.

The tale goes that Carmack announced to a crowded Alaskan bar that he had discovered gold along the Yukon River, which sparked mass hysteria and a race among residents of the surrounding settlements to find some precious metal for themselves.

However, University of Victoria students are set to puzzle over and attempt to uncover the truth of the events that took place around the Alaskan gold rush, as it is widely thought that Carmack was not the real mastermind.

It is alleged that at the time, strained race relations meant a local pact was made that Carmack, a non-aboriginal man, should announce the discovery.

"The premise of our project is we want to hook students and the general public, but especially students, into studying Canadian history," said history professor and organiser John Lutz.

The investigation into the gold rush is one of six "unsolved mysteries" of Canadian history, which appear on the University of Victoria-affiliated website www.Canadianmysteries.ca.

 

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