Bseed;

Ah hem-- where I'm from we call it the Klondike Gold Rush, Or the Yukon Gold Rush--Alaska? Where's that.

The late David Perry of Ottaw wrote some brilliant music for many of Service's poens. They are on a tape called the Man from Eldorado. Don't know if it is still available.

Many of the songs used in California and Australia found their way north to the Fraser River (1858) and Cariboo (1862) Gold Rush here in British Columbian Some of the words were changed of course. Also popular at the time were civil war songs and of course popular Music Hall type songs.

I have a local parody for instance based of Katy or Kitty Wells and another on Fathr Dear Father. Several years ago I was a street musician in Barkville and we recorded a few of these songs. Somethime this winter my wife3 and I hope to record a CD of similar stuff.

For songs you might also try Phil Thomas who has a vinyl of BC Folk Songs and a book. Some of these are picked up from the earlier Gold Rushes.

I spend much of my working life researchint the gold rushes and it is interesting to find that fwhat we had from California in 1840 through Australia in 1852 to B.C. in 58 and 62, was a gold rush society. Men and women moved between the rushes and knew each other from California or Australia. In a court case for instance a woman was refered as " I knew her as Mrs. Christian in California." Interesting stuff.

The Klondike rush, however, was late enough that it was a whole new set of folks for the most part.