Max Hirschberg’S 1,200 Mile Wheel Odyssey To The Klondike Aureate Rush Inward 1900

The Headline is a chip confused. The odyssey began at Dawson, City Yukon Territory, the epicenter of the Klondike gilded rush rather than going to the Klondike.

In finally week's "Norway to Map Deep Sea Mineral Deposits" I mentioned that most of the would-be gilded mining millionaires who went upwards the Chilkoot Trail struck out completely alongside their names existence lost to history.
Some inwards desperation headed for Nome, on the Bering Sea, 800 straight-line miles away:

Although some who had come upwards up the Dawson trail in addition to failed ended upwards crossing Alaska along the Yukon river, other afterwards arrivals took ships upwards from Seattle which deposited them at the beach.

And in addition to then in that location was Max.

From Tubulocity:

If you lot intend the weather condition is also mutual depression temperature for riding, here’s the first-hand line of piece of occupation organisation human relationship of a immature guy who headed off to the Klondike on his bike inwards 1900. Max Hirschberg rode his bike 1,200 miles from Dawson to Nome. The odyssey took him roughly 10 weeks.

In the 1950s, at the asking of his wife, Max wrote the storey of his epic journey, hence that his children in addition to grandchildren would know the truthful story. He died inwards 1964 (probably inwards Seattle). Hirschberg’s granddaughter, Penni Busse, submitted his line of piece of occupation organisation human relationship of the ride to Nome to ALASKA magazine, which published the storey inwards Feb 1978.

Excerpted From Wheels On Ice: Bicycling inwards Alaska 1898-1908 Alaska Northwest Publishing Company. Found on icebike.org website.

“In Jan 1900, I secured a domestic dog squad in addition to an outfit to larn over the ice, downward the Yukon from Dawson to Nome. I sold my part inwards a roadhouse in addition to my mining claims inwards Dawson. My partner, Hank West, however, did non believe the reports well-nigh the gilded boom inwards Nome were authentic. I did, hence nosotros parted.

In Dawson I got my outfit in addition to domestic dog team, in addition to I stayed at the Green Tree Hotel. About midnight, I was awakened past times the odour of smoke — the hotel was on fire. I jumped into my clothes in addition to rushed outside. Hundreds of people had formed a bucket line from the Yukon River to the hotel. I joined the line, in addition to nosotros passed buckets of H2O to quench the give the sack in addition to to moisture blankets on adjoining buildings. The give the sack subdivision was helpless because the give the sack hose froze inwards the extreme cold. Every available human being joined the bucket line, merely the edifice burned to the ground.

Broken boards were scattered over the snow. It was pitch black in addition to I stumbled on a board that contained a rusty nail. I went to the infirmary alongside blood poisoning. It was March earlier I was upwards in addition to unopen to again, also belatedly to larn to Nome past times domestic dog team. With the outpouring thaw nether way, the Yukon would go unfit for locomote on the ice. I knew the word of the gilded boom at Nome would convey thousands of people from United States of America to Nome past times boat, hence I had to larn in that location quickly. I decided to locomote past times bicycle. I had been an proficient bike passenger for years, in addition to I figured I could achieve Nome earlier the Yukon became unfit for travel.

Many domestic dog teams, driven inwards unmarried file, had preceded me downward the river, in addition to had made a difficult trail well-nigh 2 inches broad where the sled runners cutting deep troughs inwards the snow. I rode this narrow road, stopping at Indian villages or roadhouses.

The twenty-four hours I left Dawson, March 2, 1900 was clear in addition to crisp, xxx degrees below zero. I was dressed inwards a flannel shirt, heavy fleece-lined overalls, a heavy mackinaw coat, a drill parka, 2 pairs of heavy woolen socks in addition to felt high-top shoes, a fur cap that I pulled downward over my ears, a fur nosepiece, summation fur gauntlet gloves.

On the handlebars of the bike I strapped a large fur robe. Fastened to the springs, dorsum of the seat, was a sail sack containing a heavy shirt, socks, underwear, a diary inwards waterproof covering, pencils in addition to several blocks of sulfur matches. In my pockets I carried a penknife in addition to a watch. My poke held gilded dust worth $1,500 in addition to my handbag contained silvery in addition to gilded coins. Next to my pare unopen to my waist I carried a belt alongside $20 gilded pieces that had been stitched into it past times my aunt inwards Youngstown, Ohio, earlier I had left to larn to the Klondike.

H5N1 issue of friends, including my quondam partner, Hank West, waved good-by. The route out of Dawson was broad in addition to good packed, the was mutual depression temperature in addition to exhilarating, in addition to the Sky was clear in addition to calm. There were numerous domestic dog teams headed for Forty Mile, Circle City in addition to points further downward the Yukon. Whenever I approached a domestic dog team, the driver would accommodatingly line off the trail in addition to restrict his howling, snapping dogs from nipping me. I passed many domestic dog teams earlier reaching Forty Mile. At the combination bar, gambling room in addition to roadhouse, I thawed out earlier a roaring forest give the sack inwards an oil-tank stove. Eight or x whiskered men were sitting in addition to smoking, talking well-nigh the rumor of a nearby gilded strike.

The Yukon River at Dawson, was well-nigh 1,500 feet wide. When the river froze, huge cakes of ice, some standing on edge, others slanting, formed a barrier to the contrary shore. As the finally freeze occurred, cakes of H2O ice from the lowered river caused the trail to resemble a sidehill slope. There were overflows roofing the H2O ice inwards places, some frozen over alongside newly formed ice, which broke when stepped on, leaving a few inches of H2O over the corporation H2O ice beneath....MORE