Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-03-07
War Makes Ghost
Town of Busting
Arctic Gold Site

O0Ce.E ulS0tluX 4OWuSASe
Now Lies Dead Because
Of European Outbreak.
YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST
TERRITORY.-Under shimmering,
brilliantly hued Northern lights to-
day lies a new "ghost town." shell
Of busting community that fought
its way to dominant position in
Canadian mining.
This once-pulsating townsite zoo
miles north of Edmonton, Alta, died
in childhood because Of the out
break Of war in Europe.
Lying in the shadow of the Arctic,
Yellowknife began to forge ahead as
early as 1885, but in the early days
Of 1888 hundreds of prospectors,
mining engineers, lawyers, doctors
and laborers focked to the new area
to seek their fortune in a strange
remote setting of effete, rocky waste
land. Strikes, some rich, others less
lucrative, were reported every few
days.
The problem Of transportation to
and from claims was solved with
development of air travel. Droning
plane motors resounded over the
northern wilderness the year round,
except for spring breakup and the
fall freezeup period.
Tnxv,, Ern~us 0,,;~Llv
In two months in 1898 this mining
center sprung from q motley as
sortment of weatherbeaten log
shacks and tents to q town of two
hotels, five general stores and trad
ing posts, nine restaurants, two bak-
cries, three airports, moving pic
ture theater, recreation hall and
gymnasium, laundries, barber shops
and countless frame buildings.
Yellowknife grew orderly, streets
were mapped out and plans laid for
the construction of roads over and
through surrounding rocky hills.
And with the employment of mod
ern methods Of mining and gold re-
covery, Yellowlnife life grew
startlingly reminiscent of the rau-
cous days of the Yukon and Klondike
rushes.
Rumblings of war threats reached
Yellowknife in September, 1898, but
were quickly put aside in the thrill
ing, human, drama-covered piano.
rama of the modern search for easy
money.
But with the rumblings of war,
gold mining stocks slumped. Even
tually numerous camps shut down.
Jobs became scarce. Prospectors
and their families packed up and
started outside" to seek other
means of livelihood.
Then Comes the Flop.
Business declined to its lowest ebb
in the early months of 1889. Ap-
proximately half the towns 1000 in
habitants had gone out. Those who
remained hoped against hope that
spring would bring revival of the
old boom days.
AS late as March, 1889, hope was
held that Yellowknife would crawl
out of the doldrums and move
ahead. In the spring, building was
started again, plane loads of new
prospectors arrived and disap-
peared into the bush country. The
old spirit of optimism prevailed
again temporarily, but as war
threats persisted-more strongly
than ever before-many left Sec
ond time. Lack of outside interest
prompted many to leave.
For the second time within a year,
Yellowknife appeared doomed to
die. In the summer of 1899 anxiety
increased. Months passed and
anxious, attentive ears listened to
the few scattered radio sets for news
from the outside world.
The situation became increasingly
difficult until, with the actual dec
laration of war, the climax was
reached.
Today the last remaining hope fol-
| mining advancement at Yellowknife
has virtually disappeared.