7th graders are about to travel to the Yukon and begin a great adventure
with Buck. Before we actually start reading Jack London's classic
novel,
The Call of the Wild, we are going to learn a little bit about the Yukon, sled dogs and what it takes to make it rich during the 1800s.
The Call of the Wild: Background Information
Skookum Jim Mason, Dawson
Charlie and George Washington Carmack found gold in a tributary of the Klondike
River in Canada's Yukon Territory. Their discovery set off one of the greatest
gold rushes in history.
All
kinds of men (and women too), sold or gave up everything they had, and tried to
strike it rich. A few actually did (mostly the early arrivals), some decided to
profit from the gold fever of others. Some had to move back to wherever they
came from, broke and broken, and many didn't make it at all. The Canadian
Mounties (their organization began during this tumultuous time) tried to keep
order, but there were scams and hoodlums and all kinds of unsavory characters.
You had to watch your back, as well as the weather.
Jack London wrote vividly about life during that time, and
the effects the harsh environment and circumstances had on the men and animals
who lived through it. Now it's your turn.
