The Golden Grindstone: One Man's Adventures in the Yukon

by Angus Graham and Lawrence Millman

Gold has the power to make men do dangerous things, including those attempting to make their fortunes in the gold rush of the 1890s. Many of those trying to strike it rich ended up frozen to death on... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592287077
• ISBN13: 9781592287079
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Highly recommend

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (3/07) In 1897-1898 "would be miners ascended Alaska's Chilkoot Pass the Yukon River basin." But there were other trails that lead to the Klondike Gold Rush. All the routes were harsh but some were almost unendurable. "George M. Mitchell was an insurance broker in his early thirties." George had always lived an inactive life. He would occasionally fish or hunt but most of his life was inactive. Lured by the adventure of the Klondike Gold Rush, George "chose the most obscure, arduous, and downright implausible route to the goldfields." It's as though he said to himself: "no one, not even me, would ever think of insuring a person so incautious as to try to reach the Klondike via the peel river system and, specifically, the Wind River." Athabasca Landing was a small unassuming place before the gold rush. There were about 40 or 50 white men and about 200 Indians that came and went. George settled in for a bit preparing for the next leg of his journey. The party needed more manpower. When Craigie, a Scotsman, and Smith, a Welsh, approached George he hired them both. George enjoyed his time in Athabasca especially getting to know the people. "Grizzly bears were quite plentiful, and when he was on the main river or the larger creeks Mitchell used to see one or two of them every day, grubbing among the roots of the willows by the stream-side. One time George shot a young grizzly bear and when Bonnet Plume found out he cursed him. It was unsafe to tackle a grizzly alone. On another occasion he saw a large, pure white grizzly bear. It reared up in front of him. One time when George woke up a grizzly was sitting up on his haunches watching him. "The Golden Grindstone" by Angus Graham tells the fascinating story of one man on the adventure of a lifetime. Mr. Graham is an excellent storyteller and successfully shares the journey of George M. Mitchell as he makes his way to the Klondike Gold Rush. George Mitchell comes to life on the pages of this book. Many of the adventures are told with a humorous slant. Mr. Mitchell was a very brave man and faced many hardships as did other miners. I particularly enjoyed the tales concerning the wildlife and the Indians. I enjoyed learning about this special time in history and the men that sacrificed so much for gold and adventure. I highly recommend this book to fans of history, adventure and non-fiction.