In the spring of 1898, the air at Bennett was filled with the sound of hammering and sawing as gold seekers cut trees and built boats to head downstream. The ice on Lake Bennett broke up on May 29, 1898. Within a week, over 1,000 boats started across the lake and down the Yukon River to the Klondike gold fields.
<p>This photo by Eric Hegg shows the waterfront at Lake Bennett on the day after the ice broke and gold seekers started downstream. Almost all of the trees on the hillsides have been cut for shelter, fuel, and boatbuilding.
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<ul><li>Subjects (LCTGM): Boats; Camps; Gold rushes; Waterfronts</li></ul>
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Eric_A._Hegg" class="extiw" title="w:en:Eric A. Hegg"><span title="photographer, gold digger (1867-1947)">Eric A. Hegg</span></a>
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Taken on 30 May 1898
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/imlsmohai/search">Museum of History and Industry</a>