Before the Klondike Gold Rush onset in 1896 it was reported that only 12 murders took place and each of the murderers were caught and punished thanks to the Mounties who patrolled the area. As news reached the mainland and men flooded into the Yukon, greedy newcomers fought and offed one another as they scrambled to make partnership deals with those who already staked a claim. Murder reports climbed as quickly as the population boomed.
Ten years after the announcement that gold was present, the Yukon Gold Mining Company flooded the creeks to make way for the Dawson Dredge and many others to mine the creeks 24 hours a day. Those who refused to sell their claims to make way for the dredge sometimes disappeared overnight. Human remains have been found in the dredges' tailings but are rarely spoken about. The #6 dredge that remains in Bonanza Creek today is said to contain the screams of those who died in its crushing gears. The best time to hear these eerie sounds is in the severe winter nights.
Industry in Dawson City Pictures of the Dredge Dredge Tsailings |