The Klondike's "Dear Little Nugget"

Barry M. Gough is a professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University
and the author of The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and
Discoveries to 1812 and First Across the Continent.

This is the story of a feisty Dawson City newspaper that kept interested
readers well informed and entertained. The first paper in town, it was
printed on a press that was carried across the White Pass and down the
Yukon River in 1898. The Nugget told of the triumphs and tragedies of
the gold rush.

The Klondike’s “Dear Little Nugget” features accounts and
vignettes of the age, and the text is peppered with quotations and
excerpts from the newspaper. The authors tell their story in a series of
short chapters—“The Gold Commissioner,” “Fire,” “The
All-Canadian Route,” “The Dance-Hall Girls,” and “Christmas
1898” being a few. The book is not indexed, which is regrettable, but
it does contain many period photographs that highlight its contents.

Many books have been published recently on the Klondike and the Yukon.
This one, which tells the story from the front line of news, is a
welcome addition to the literature.