Klondike Gold Rush Museum, Seattle

Located inside a historic redbrick building with wooden floors and soaring ceilings is this tiny yet fascinating museum with exhibits and photographs recounting the saga of the hectic 1890s, when half of Seattle caught Gold Rush fever. Thousands, including the mayor, left jobs and homes to follow the call of gold. The difficult journey 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) north to Alaska started with the steamship from Seattle to Skagway, and then continued onward by foot, over forbidding mountains and up treacherous rivers. Few of the spur-of-the-moment adventurers struck it rich, however, since most of the valuable claims had already been staked long before the newcomers' arrival. Many of those who stayed behind in Seattle did better. To ensure that prospectors could withstand the northern wastes, Canadian authorities insisted that they brought with them a year's supply of goods and provisions (400lbs/180kg of flour and 25 cans of butter, for example), and many of the city's early merchants did very brisk trade.

The storytelling here is good and gives a real appreciation of both the mania for gold and the many challenges the prospectors faced. While most walls are lined with photos of gold miners, explorers, and the hopeful families who followed them, others are themed on the development of Seattle and the Pacific North West. Film presentations, live gold-panning demonstrations, and rotating exhibits are scheduled throughout the year.

Refreshingly, also, due to being administered by the National Parks Service, this museum is free 鈥� therefore a perfect place for the frugal individual or family.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Seattle. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The 51爆料网 App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Klondike Gold Rush Museum
Sight Location: Seattle, USA (See walking tours in Seattle)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Pioneer Square District Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Seattle, Washington

Create Your Own Walk in Seattle

Creating your own self-guided walk in Seattle is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Pioneer Square District Walking Tour

Pioneer Square, the district where Seattle was founded in the mid-19th century, had gone through its boom and near-bust until a period of preservation managed to save it for a new life. Today, this is the most historic part of Seattle that holds a special place in the city's yesteryear and is home to several noteworthy landmarks and attractions.

One of the most prominent sites in the area... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles

Seattle Architecture Walking Tour

In terms of towering skyscrapers abuzz with commerce, upscale shopping & dining, and splendid theaters, Downtown Seattle resembles many American cities. At the same time, it is also unexpectedly pleasant with hills, outdoor sculptures, and peek-a-boo views of Elliot Bay's sparkling water. Still, the diverse architectural landscape of the city is distinctive primarily for its landmark... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles

Fremont Neighborhood Walking Tour

Fremont is a vibrant neighborhood in Seattle, renowned for its quirky and artistic character. Among other things, this famous district is home to some of Seattle's most beloved and controversial sculptures.

One of its most iconic landmarks is the Fremont Troll, a massive sculpture of a troll lurking underneath the Aurora Bridge.

At the height of its counterculture days, Fremont renamed... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles

Historical Religious Buildings Tour

Seattle, Washington, boasts a wealth of religious sites of various denominations 鈥� together reflecting the city's diverse spiritual heritage. Besides being purely centers of faith, these buildings are an important part of the city's historical heritage, some of them standing as architectural marvels, each with its unique story.

Trinity Parish Church, founded in 1865, is... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles

Seattle Center Walking Tour

Immediately north of Downtown Seattle, you will find the ever-popular Seattle Center. Developed for the 1962 World's Fair, this 30-hectare (74-acre) park and arts & entertainment center contains numerous landmarks. It is also where Seattle's biggest festivals, concerts, film screenings, and theatrical performances are held.

At the heart of this bustling area stands the iconic... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.1 Km or 0.7 Miles

Seattle Introduction Walking Tour

Overlooking Puget Sound's Elliott Bay on the West Coast of the United States, the port city of Seattle is renowned for its surrounding waters, mountains, evergreen forests, and thousands of acres of parkland. The largest metropolitan area in today's Washington State had been inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years prior to the European pioneers. The first European to set... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles

View all walking tours in Seattle, Washington

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip

15 Distinctively Seattle Things to Buy as Souvenirs

With the penchant for coffee they have in Seattle, no wonder they go sleepless. Other than that, the Emerald City is renowned for quite a few "distinctively Seattle" things that make it stand out from the crowd of other major urban U.S. destinations. Here are some tips as to which they are...

Best Coffee Shops in Seattle

Explore Seattle鈥檚 top coffee shops to get a real sense of the eclectic and culturally diverse caffeine buzzed city. Whether you desire a chic downtown coffee caf茅 with lots of windows and swanky d茅cor or a dark coffee shop with mix-matched furniture, strong espresso, free wireless and lots of...