A new Yukon gold rush? Campaign aims to sprinkle $100K of gold into creek

People pan for gold in Claim No. 6 in the Bonanza Creek. A new crowdfunding campaign hopes to raise $100,000 to seed the creek with gold in hopes of drawing tourists to the region. (Source: Government of Yukon/Archbould Photography)

More than 120 years ago, thousands of prospectors charged into northern Canada in hopes of striking rich on newly-discovered reserves of gold.

The legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush still draws history buffs and curious travellers to the Yukon, but a new campaign hopes to recreate the frenzy of the era.

A crowdfunding campaign launched by the Klondike Visitors Association is raising money to buy gold flakes to sprinkle into the Bonanza Creek – a waterway considered the centre of the historic gold rush.

An open invitation will then be issued for anyone to pan for gold, free of charge, just like the first prospectors did back in 1896.

“It’s a very unique and weird idea, and we have no idea where it will go,” said Paul Robitaille, marketing and events manager with the association, in an interview with CTVNews.ca.

The campaign has set an audacious a goal of $100,000 and, since it launched earlier this week, has raised more than $1,100. Every dollar will go toward buying local gold from some of the 90 active gold mines in the region.

The size of the gold pieces tossed into the creek will depend on how much money is raised, but will resemble the size of gold found naturally.

“We’re talking flakes -- the size of a piece of cracked pepper,” Robitaille said. “I don’t expect anyone to come out and make a fortune, but you never know. If we raise $100,000, some people could come out and find a lot of gold.”

But the gold isn’t being flung into the water willy-nilly. The association is enlisting help from the Klondike Placer Miners’ Association, which represents miners in the Dawson City area. Workers will mix the gold into gravel and spread the precious metal across a contained area.

The event is being held Aug. 20, but Robitaille said it’s unlikely that all the gold will be found in a day.

“It could be years, really, depending on how good people are at finding it,” he said.

The campaign won’t give early access to the creek in exchange for big donations. Instead, they’re offering travel perks, such as hotel rooms or city tours, based upon how much money is put up.

But really, the campaign isn’t about making anyone rich, Robitaille said. He compares the idea to a crowdfunding campaign a few years ago that raised $55,000 for a guy who wanted to make a potato salad.

“We’re hoping that it’s so weird that maybe there will be a virality to it,” he said.

Robitaille admitted that $100,000 is a lofty number, but said the real goal is to draw new travellers to the region.

“This is a strange thing to do, but we’re a strange bunch up in the Yukon,” he said. “We’re hoping that this campaign becomes larger than life, just like the characters that walk the street of Dawson City.”