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Chilkoot Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass through the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the U.S. state of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. It is the highest point along the Chilkoot Trail that leads from Dyea, Alaska to Bennett Lake, British Columbia. The Chilkoot Trail was long a route used by the Tlingit people for trade.
During the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 19th century, it was used by prospectors and packers to get through the mountains. During the gold rush, three aerial tramways and several surface hoists were constructed and operated briefly over the pass. When the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad was built in neighboring White Pass, the Chilkoot Pass route fell out of favor with miners.
The Pass and the Trail are administered by the national park services of the U.S. and Canada. On the B.C. side, it is administered as Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site. On the Alaska side, it is one unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. In the summer of 1998, the Site and the Park united to form Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park. Modern-day visitors can hike the trail after registering and paying a fee.
To be allowed to enter the Klondike and take part in the gold rush, Canadian officials required that stampeders take one ton of goods with them, to try to ensure they were prepared to survive on the frontier. “Fever Pitch”, Yukon Archives This was broken down into a year's supply of food, which was half of the weight, as well as another of equipment. The supplies and food requirements were broken down into two lists. Premose, S. “Chilkoot Trail Supplies, Then and Now” , University of Utah The clothing items included: a waterproof blanket, 6 pairs of wool socks, 2 flannel over shirts, and a medicine chest. The list continues with the essential clothing needed. Some of the supplies required included: rolled oats, flour, salt, and bacon. The weight ranged from for one ingredient. This list was taken very seriously, as there was rarely a return journey after the Klondike was reached.
Park officials still require travellers to make preparation for hiking in this area. But in 1995, the list for travelling the Trail and Pass was very different, as the technologies allowed for a much smaller supply list. In addition, more creature comforts were available, such as a lightweight camp stove.
No traveller could take his supplies across the pass at once, so several trips had to be made in order to transport all needed goods to the destination. Quite often the supplies had to be carried by hand in 50-60 pound packs, as the passes proved to be too narrow for wagons or draft animals. The travel was slow and what would have taken a few hours in another environment required days to complete. It is estimated that for every mile their supplies moved, the travelers had to walk 80 miles to get it there.
Only the wealthiest of stampeders could afford to hire labour to transport their supplies. Most stampeders had to carry their own. The professional packers of the time mainly consisted of Alaska Natives and First Nations people (Indians), who charged 1 cent per pound they carried. Working the market, the packers quickly moved to new customers if there was a hint of more money to be offered by someone else.Friesen, R. The Chilkoot Pass and the Great Gold Rush of 1898, Ottawa: National Historic Parks and Sites Branch, Parks Canada, Environment Canada, 1981. The packing fees charged by professional packers were subject to change as the weather changed. Ground conditions could make the packing much more difficult, and muddier ground conditions were harder to traverse as compared to frozen, snow-covered ground.
In the winter, workers cut the ice into 1500 steps, which came to be known as the 'Golden Stairs'. The steps were too narrow for more than one person to climb up at a time, so the trek was limited to a single-file line up the mountain, as shown in the photo for this article. The workers who had carved steps into the ice of Chilkoot Pass also charged travelers to ascend the mountain, as the travelers had to use their stairs.
The weather through the Pass was unpredictable and visibility could drop to a few feet. Travelers became soaked from rain and sweat from their physical exertion; the sun's reflection against the snow could burn their skin and almost blind them. The price of provisions took a discernible downturn, as many men who had packed their year's worth of provisions to White Pass (an alternative route), had decided to turn back and sold their provisions to anyone who chose to ascend the Passes. The price of horses had increased to approximately $200 an animal at the trip's beginning.
Tensions arose between the NWMP and the Americans related to disputes about where the international borders were located. After several disputes between the governments, they decided to keep the international boundary at the Chilkoot and the White Passes. The NWMP had already built custom houses at both passes prior to the dispute being settled. Canada also used its militia, called the Yukon Field Force, to help the NWMP with guarding prisoners and protecting gold shipments. The NWMP also regulated the whisky trade along the trails.
The police had wanted to build a port of entry at the summits of both the Chilkoot Pass and the White Pass. This was to secure the border between Canada and the United States at these points. The endeavor would cost a small fortune, as the wood had to be taken up the tramway, and they had to bribe any offended packers. They wanted to avoid any delay in getting a cabin on the Chilkoot Pass summit. But, the cabin was not constructed well and the high winds of the Chilkoot Pass drove snow into it. As the snow melted, the interior became wet, creating mould; living conditions were so poor that blankets and bedding would not dry. The collection of custom duties on the summit of Chilkoot Pass began on February 26, 1898. The role was transferred to customs officers when an office opened that June but closed in September 1900 on the building of the White Pass and Yukon Route.
Women's clothing of the time made their journeys through the trails and across the passes even more difficult. The long, full skirts were ill-suited for any physical labour, and were often made with five yards (or more) of material, making them very heavy and cumbersome. Having to wear corsets and petticoats further limited women's mobility. The high collars required women to hold their heads high and, depending on the outfit, tilt their heads back. During this period, a women's movement had formed to allow women more freedom in the way they dressed. The rigors of the trail meant that many women abandoned conventional clothing and began to wear bloomers or knickers. These long, full pants were gathered at the ankle or just below the knees. Women shortened their skirts over the bloomers, generally to knee length. This was considered controversial by many men, but was more acceptable than if the women had not worn skirts. Some of the women who traveled to the Klondike had left their children behind, as few were willing to subject their children to the dangers of the trails and passes.
Most of the horses that died on the White Pass trail gave out or were killed within a stretch of slope. By 1897, 3200 pack horses had died on White Pass trail, and their bodies were left there. The bodies of the horses were often used as footing for other pack horses making their way through the trail. The horses that had fallen were not always dead, and suffered more under the hooves of others.
When the horses could not work anymore, or were of no further use along the Chilkoot Trail, the animals were turned loose without feed. Many animals were left at the base of Chilkoot Pass at Sheep Camp. Most of the animals became sick and starved as they staggered through the camps trying to find food. The horses were no longer useful and had lost their value.
Malnutrition was a large problem for the travelers on the Chilkoot and White Pass Trails, and many died from it. “The Klondike Gold Rush” Sometimes people suffering from malnutrition ate the bodies of the dead horses left on the White Pass Trail, and became violently ill as a result. It was rumoured that a traveler had used his boots as a source of food by boiling them and drinking the broth after so he could eat something. Physical illness was not the only problem to plague the travelers, as many also went insane from the conditions along the trails. Historians have suggested that the high rate of mental problems recounted were caused by the poor diets of many travelers, added to what may have been poor condition before starting the trails. In addition, along the trail the only shelter against the sometimes -40 degree temperatures were thin tents.
The name of the pass also replaces “Yosemite” for Yosemite Sam’s character in the 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon 14 Carrot Rabbit.
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