It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Keish, the man who started the Klondike Gold Rush

Keish was born around 1855 near Bennett Lake, Yukon, His name Keish means wolf.
A member of the Tagish people, his father was Kaachgaawaa, a chief.

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In the mid-1880s, Keish was working as a packer, carrying supplies through the backcountry. It was doing this where he earned his nickname Skookum Jim, for his strength. The word means strong & reliable in Chinook jargon.
He soon began working with George Carmack.

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His sister, Kate (she will have her own thread in a few days), married George & the three began prospecting.
In mid-August 1896, they struck gold at Rabbit (Bonanza) Creek. While Carmack said he saw it first, witnesses say it was Keish who discovered gold.

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Carmack staked a double claim, and Keish staked his own claim. As they worked their claims, they pulled $1 million worth of gold out, starting the Klondike Gold Rush.
The sudden wealth changed everything. Keish built a large house where he lived during the winters.

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Known for his generosity, when Carmack abandoned his wife Kate & left her penniless, Keish built her a cabin.
He eventually created the Daisy Mason Trust so his fortune could be given to his daughter for her education and adult life.

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Keish died on July 11, 1916 in Whitehorse after a long illness. He left money to several relatives to help them.
When his daughter died in 1938, as per Keish's instructions, the remaining money in the trust was used to help the Indigenous people of the Yukon.

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Mar 15
In pre-colonial Canada, the First Nations established many prominent settlements.
Two of the most famous were Hochelaga and Stadacona, located on the sites of Montreal and Quebec City.
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🧵 1/9 Overhead view of a detailed scale model showing a circular fortified settlement surrounded by a wooden palisade wall. Inside the enclosure, numerous long, oval-shaped bark-covered longhouses are arranged across an open central area. Narrow pathways run between the buildings, and small figures are placed throughout the village. Outside the palisade, dense forest with green, yellow, and red foliage surrounds the site, suggesting an autumn landscape.
It is not known when Hochelaga first appeared.
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🧵2/9 Historical illustration showing a gathering of Indigenous people and European men near a wooden structure in a village setting. In the foreground, a woman wearing a long patterned garment bends toward a small child standing beside her. To the right, a man stands on a ladder leaning against a wooden wall while another woman stands nearby. In the middle distance, a European man in a blue coat holds a flag with white cross symbols while other men stand behind him carrying flags and staffs. Around them, numerous Indigenous men and women stand or walk through the scene, many wearing traditional ...
The size of the village varied by the time of year. When Jacques Cartier arrived in 1535 it had between 1000 and 3000 people.
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🧵3/9 Colour historical illustration depicting a meeting between European explorers and an Indigenous community in a large village. In the foreground, a bearded European man in armor kneels and speaks with an Indigenous man seated on the ground while other Indigenous men sit nearby watching. Behind them stand European soldiers in helmets and armor holding flags and weapons. The background shows rows of longhouses enclosed by a tall wooden palisade, with many people gathered throughout the settlement. Forested hills rise in the distance under a pale sky.
Read 10 tweets
Mar 15
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Mar 11
Father David Bauer loved the game of hockey.
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Mar 7
On Aug. 17, 1923, the 71-branch Home Bank of Canada failed.
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Finance Minister W.S. Fielding, who assumed the post in 1896, saw nine bank failures by 1910. Many Canadians, and even industry leaders like H.C. McLeod, the GM of the Bank of Nova Scotia, wanted to have government inspections to prevent fraud in Canada's banks.

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Mar 6
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