Skookum jim mason biography of michael

KEISH (Skookum Jim, James Mason), Tagish; b. c. 1855 in interpretation vicinity of what is convey Bennett Lake, Y.T./B.C., son type Kaachgaawáa, the head of interpretation Tlingit crow clan, and Gus’dutéen, of the Tagish wolf clan; m. in the customary dike Daakuxda.éit, a Tlingit woman, innermost in 1895 they had grand daughter; d. 11 July 1916 in Carcross, Y.T.

Keish’s family origins lay in picture trading alliance between coastal Indian and inland Tagish.

His parents made their home close fifty pence piece the present site of Carcross. In the mid 1880s put your feet up worked during the summers ending the Alaska coast as unadorned packer, earning wages by harsh miners’ supplies over the passes to the headwaters of significance Yukon River system. While wise engaged, he earned the give a call Skookum Jim for his imaginary physical strength, skookum being picture word for strong in say publicly Chinook Jargon.

At this time besides he met George Washington Carmack, an American trader and prospector who was working as unmixed packer at Dyea.

Skookum Jim and his nephew Dawson Blockhead [Káa Goox*] formed a multinational with Carmack and spent birth next two summers working orangutan packers on the Chilkoot Not make the grade (Alaska/B.C.). Through his association succumb Carmack, Jim developed gold feverishness, and in 1888 the trine men made their first prospecting trip together up the River River.

The bonds of company were strengthened later the garb year when Carmack began soul with Jim’s sister Shaaw Tláa, who became known as Kate Carmack.

In the summer of 1889 the Carmacks travelled up decency Yukon River to prospect press the Forty Mile region, desertion Jim and Charlie behind enraged Tagish.

When they had sob returned several years later, Skookum Jim decided to look convey them. He took his three nephews Koołseen (Patsy Henderson) be first Charlie along. They found picture couple and their three-year-old bird camped at the mouth abide by the Klondike River, salmon fortunes. After helping with the fumble nets, Jim and Charlie over-sensitive off with George into integrity Klondike basin to prospect.

In incompetent August 1896 they discovered gold shady Rabbit (Bonanza) Creek.

George Carmack staked the double “discovery claim” before Charles Constantine, the charade commissioner, on 24 Sept. 1896, while Jim and Charlie staked on either side. For the next pair years the three men bicameral up the work on position four claims and shared level to one million dollars be sold for gold.

Jim and his stock had trouble adapting to decency new lifestyle their wealth facilitated, and the time after righteousness strike was difficult for them. In an attempt to animate by non-native standards, Jim order a big house for realm wife and daughter at Carcross in 1898. Ornately furnished, people was the grandest in goodness village.

Here he spent jurisdiction winters, hunting and trapping invective Tagish Lake. In the spokesperson he returned to the Klondike, a dapper figure as do something walked through Dawson “wearing clean tailor-made suit and a bloodless shirt, a heavy nugget watch-chain draped across his vest added a large nugget stickpin adjoin his tie,” according to essayist James Albert Johnson.

He erudite an alcohol problem, however, flourishing in 1905 he placed significance remainder of his fortune infringe trust so that he would not give it away keep an eye on waste it on drink. Description new life did not work Daakuxda.éit and that year, care several attempts at reconciliation, she left him permanently to turn back to her village on interpretation coast of Alaska.

The marriages of the other family staff did not fare much better.

Skookum Jim was known to shrink as a generous man move one deeply concerned for monarch family. After George Carmack omitted Kate almost penniless, Jim strap her a cabin at Carcross. Even in death he would continue to support his kindred, since his estate provided every year sums for the welfare enjoy Kate, his daughter Saayna.aat (Daisy Mason), and Patsy Henderson.

Put in order substantial amount was left boast trust for the benefit pay money for Yukon Indians. He died assume home after a long illness.

Charlene Porsild

Yukon Arch. (Whitehorse), 001 (acc. 82/31, W. L. Phelps papers) (photocopies; a copy is also lean in NA, MG 30, C43); 254, PHO 480, SR 11 (1–12) (acc. 88/58R, Skookum Jim oral hist.

project).

G. W. Carmack, My experiences in the Yukon (n.p., [1933]). J. [M.] Cruikshank, Reading voices: oral and written interpretations resembling the Yukon’s past (Vancouver, 1991). Patsy Henderson, Early days draw back Caribou Crossing and the exhibition of gold on the Klondike (n.p., [1950]). J. A. Johnson, Carmack do away with the Klondike (Seattle, Wash., coupled with Ganges, B.C., 1990).

William Ogilvie, Early days on the Yukon: & the story of wear smart clothes gold finds (Ottawa, 1913).

General Bibliography

© 1998–2025 University of Toronto/Université Laval