Klondike, komatik, kittiwake, kayak

Klondike

The Klondike gold rush was started in 1896 when placer gold was found on Rabbit Creek, later named Bonanza Creek because it had so much gold. This creek runs off the Klondike River and is near Dawson. The world did not learn about the gold that was found until some of the prospectors reached the west coast by steamship in mid July 1897. The ships carried about 80 miners and was full of bags of gold.  The Seattle Post described it as 'a ton of gold'. When people found out, they headed to the Yukon any way they could get there.  There weren't enough ships and people went overland.  Over 22 000 people made it through the Chilkoot Pass and set up tent villages in Dawson, now a fast growing shanty town.  It was alive with people and became the largest city west of Winnipeg and had a population of around 16 - 18 000 people. The cities around the Yukon were permanently affected by the amount of people trying to get to the Yukon. Stores, dance halls, gambling parlours and saloons were built and the town became a busy spot. The Northwest Mounted Police were keeping Dawson a law-abiding town even though many of its residents were Americans.  The search for the gold lasted around 5 years and by the fall of 1898 the population of Dawson had returned to its original state. Famous poet, Robert Service, later wrote about the exciting gold rush days.  Today, Dawson is a museum town.  Parks Canada has restored or rebuilt many of the original buildings.

Komatik

A Komatik is a type of dog sled used by Canada's northern natives, the Inuit, to travel in winter. It is normally a sled pulled by a team of dogs, mainly huskies. The dogs are put into teams of 2 to 12 or more and are harnessed together in pairs. Dog sledding was developed by the Inuit people and it was adopted by Europeans explorers and trappers as a convenient method to haul things across the snow-covered ground. Dog sledding is today also used for racing and a normal dog sledding race last’s about 2 to 3 days at tops. The first 2 dogs in the front are called the leader or guider. They lead by commands that the human gives. Dog sled drivers are called mushers because they use the word mush to make the dogs go forward. Some sleds are used to carry loads to the town as delivery but today sleds are made for dog sled races. Now that snowmobiles have been invented dog sledding is only used for racing and people race all across Canada as a winter sport. Some are used in winter carnivals in towns across Canada

Kittiwake

The  Kittiwake is a kind of gull which  gets  its  name  from  it’s distinctive cry. They are similar to gulls but are smaller and have black wing tips. That and its rounded at the tip tail and a beak which is shorter than its head, single it out from the colonies of gulls, puffins, murres, and gannets along our Atlantic coast. The gull laridea family consists of long web feet containing two familis which are true gulls and kittiwakes and sterinae.  Most adult kittiwakes are long with grey black wings and black wing tips.  Most have white heads but some a smaller species have black heads. When kittiwakes are about two to three years old  they become brownish, becoming white adults. Kittiwakes are distributed throughout Canada . In Canada  there twenty three species of gulls and kittawakes which have been recorded, eighteen are breeding. Most kittiwakes nest on the ground , on islands or peninsulas in wild , rural or urban settings.  Most Canadian species like the kittiwake lay three green brown splotched eggs which hatch in two to four weeks.

Kayak

Every Inuit tribe has used some type of kayak designed for the water except for the most northerly tribes. Most seat one person and is a closed-deck hunting craft. They are sometimes used to transport goods. They are quick and are seaworthy and can be as long as 7 meters or as short as 4 meters. Some could hold up to three people and were covered with skin from either seal or caribou. The frame was often made of driftwood and the ribs made of willow branches. Single and double bladed paddles were used to move the kayak. To make the kayak water proof, the hunter would wear a parka which was tied to the hatch hole rim. The kayak was waterproof even when tipped.  Kayaks were mostly used for transportation of people and some times used for transporting goods. They were the main way of getting across the water by the Inuit. Now kayaks are more modern and are made in factories and used for racing and pleasure by Canadians from east to west.

Berton, Pierre. "Klondike Gold Rush". The Canadian Encyclopedia, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004349, 20 February 2004.

"Dawson City". The Canadian Encyclopedia, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=J1ARTJ0002160, 20 February 2004.

Gadacz, Rene R. "Kayak". The Canadian Encyclopedia, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004245, 20 February 2004.

"Gulls". The Canadian Encyclopedia, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=J1ARTJ0003493, 20 February 2004.

Meredith, Don H. "Dog Sledding". The Canadian Encyclopedia,http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002331, 20 February 2004.