Disguised Treasure

Long after the gold rushes were over in California, Northern Canada’s Yukon, and the USA state of Alaska, the last gold rush being about 1890, hundreds of people continued to search for the yellow metal for the next fifty years and longer, even to the present day. The magnetism of gold nuggets became an addiction for many. Individuals risked their livelihoods, health, and their lives, surviving the most miserable of conditions in the quest, and an incalculable number of individuals perished. Despite everything, others still heard the rumors, still dreamed of cashing in on inconceivable amounts of treasure. Like a religion, no matter what the actual situation was, people wanted to believe in unspeakable wealth, even in the harsh face of reality. When minds and hearts are young, dreams are much easier to believe in than the stark, sometimes hostile realism that’d been or were their lives up to that time.
A select few went north, not only for the gold but other personal reasons, a deliberate choice possibly to escape poverty or an overly structured, un-accommodating society. For some, it was to escape a harsh, sometimes hopeless reality. For the majority, it was an excuse for adventure, to travel to distant locations, experience the great land that was North America, especially the far north, and possibly find some gold in the process. Along the way, many turned back; life was too severe. More realistic individuals settled down along the gold routes heading north, met partners/spouses, settled down, and raised families, ending their quest for gold. A few refused to capitulate to the obvious, pushing on despite great hardships with little possibility of a decent life and less likelihood of discovering the bonanza that was gold.
Of the ones that survived the bar fights and the especially difficult winters, which many didn’t, they unknowingly became the survivalists. Nevertheless, like the proverbial thief in the night, ever so slowly over the years, sometimes not even noticing, they lost their youth, lost their ambition, some even lost their souls. Alcohol and drugs replaced dreams. Broken-down bar rooms became easier to find than gold nuggets.
Yet a few select individuals survived, discovered new dreams, even flourished, and found a vibrant life that others hadn’t dreamed of. These are some of their stories.