Web Review: Going for Gold

Klondike - The Rush for the Gold!
<http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Klondike/English/main.html>.
Created and maintained by the Dawson City Museum for the Virtual Museum of Canada, 2006. Reviewed October 2007.

Taking a trip to the Klondike is next to impossible for most elementary and high school classrooms in Canada; not to mention the fact the late nineteenth century gold fever, or Klondicitus, that once typified the Yukon and its bonanza cities has since been silenced. Imagine, however, a website that takes students and other interested viewers on a historical “journey to the harsh north country” in the search for gold.

Klondike - The Rush for the Gold! does just that. The website was created by Dawson City Museum in association with the Department of Canadian Heritage for the Virtual Museum of Canada. It is separated into six different sections which include an interactive part, maps, Klondike genealogy resources, information for teachers, and acknowledgments. These pages replicate a Klondike newspaper from the late nineteenth century. Icons on the left side of the page direct users to appropriate sections within the website.

The heart of the website can be reached by clicking “Start” which redirects the user to a “Start Your Adventure” section that is presented in HTML or Flash versions. Offering an HTML version ensures that those viewers who do not have the necessary Flash software are able to view and access the website. The Flash version, however, offers audio, movies, fading graphics, games, and other effects; an overall better experience.

The adventure begins in 1897 Seattle where news spread of the gold discovered in Canada’s north by Skookum Jim and George Carmack. Viewers hear the sounds of people rushing about, sea gulls, and ocean steamers. Ideally, students and users select the links from the “Read More About” section which includes ‘nuggets’ of information pertaining to the Klondike, women’s roles in gold rush, Klondicitus, and syndicates/business opportunities. The four nuggets provide a basic, superficial knowledge of Klondike history.

There is a ‘choose your own adventure’ web game that links from the main page. Here students are prompted to “Go to the Klondike!” by selecting their own steamship ticket, buying an outfit, choosing the right horse and guide, and many other options like which speculator to trust and which dance hall to enter. If students make the wrong decision - they decide to join a local gang or buy a bicycle for navigating the northern terrain - they are told “Your Adventure is Over” and asked to start again. The most interesting part of the web game is choosing those options that ‘end’ your adventure; joining Soapy Smith’s gang, playing the local games, or starting a business provide a glimpse at everyday life in a gold rush town.

Throughout the game there are information prompts which encourage students and users to learn more about the cities of the Klondike, the steamships that brought gold hunters to the Yukon and Alaska, and the treacherous mountain passes that reached the Klondike. The website makes use of many primary sources too. Movies show original footage of ship boarding and gold discoveries and processing. There are many opportunities to read the diary of one prospector, Otto Steiner, who kept notes of his Klondike experiences. The “Seattle Photo Album”, although it focuses on the city of Seattle, offers a first hand look at the necessary preparation before embarking to the Klondike.

The web game, while an interactive way of learning, is very time consuming and somewhat confusing. The game seems to continue for longer than necessary and it was often difficult to return to the start or homepage. The result is largely unsatisfying and leaves students and viewers without a solid grasp of gold rush knowledge.

The section devoted to teachers outlines the application of the website to grades three and five of the British Columbia elementary school curriculum. It offers suggestions on how teachers can incorporate the website into classroom learning; the fragmented presentation and amount of information on the website, however, would be overwhelming for third and fifth graders. Contradictions arise with the Dawson City Museum’s suggestion that student users be at an eighth grade reading level due to the heavy text-based presentation of information on the website. Along with these inconsistencies, some of the historical content - prostitution, gangs, violence - is perhaps too advanced for younger students.

Overall the website delivers what is promised: a fun, interactive way to learn about the Klondike. The graphics, design, visuals, and sound are great additions to the website but they are relied on too heavily and distract from the information, especially in the web game. Similarly, the website would benefit from more age appropriate facts and fewer links to more information. While the website does not present any new, groundbreaking facts relating to the Klondike, it is a good way to involve younger children in their own education and it brings to life one of the most interesting and forgotten events in Canadian history.