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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There was a time when walking into certain department stores included the beautiful aromas of wonderful food.
Such was the case with the Zellers Restaurant.
This is its story!
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Zellers was established on Aug. 4, 1928 (some sources say 1931) in London, Ontario when Walter P. Zeller founded the first store. This first store was 7,000 square-feet and 60 women were hired on the opening day to work in 21 departments.
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As for The Skillet, the in-store restaurant brand, that debuted in 1960. In Quebec, it was known as Café Fleur de Lys.
The restaurants proved to be so popular that they began to pop up in many of the 300 Zellers locations across the country.
Anna Swan was much more than someone who grew to be 7'11".
She acted in Shakespeare, excelled in music and loved to play the piano.
She lived the life she wanted, and found her soulmate in the process.
This is the story of a fascinating woman.
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The third of 13 children, Anna was 16 pounds at birth. By the age of four, she was 4 feet 6 inches. At six, she was 5 feet 2 inches.
She continued to grow and at 12 she was 6 feet 1 inches. At 18, she reached her full height of 7 feet 11 inches.
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Highly intelligent, she excelled in literature and music. She loved acting and singing, as well as playing the piano. At one point, she even played Lady Macbeth.
At 17, she started working for P.T. Barnum to bring in money for her family.
When you wear denim jeans with a denim jacket, you create a very unique look. Sometimes you can even include a denim shirt.
This look is known as The Canadian Tuxedo....but why?
It all began in the 1950s in Vancouver. This is the story.
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It all began when Bing Crosby was checking into an upscale Vancouver hotel in 1951 after a hunting trip. Walking in, he was wearing a denim jacket and jeans.
The hotel clerk, Art Cameron, stated he thought the person coming in was an unhoused person.
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This is because denim was something worn by miners, rail workers and cowboys at the time. When a bellhop explained that it was Bing Crosby, Cameron apologized and booked Crosby a room.
Alexander Graham Bell changed history with his creation of the first practical telephone.
He spent a lot of his life in Canada in Brantford and Nova Scotia, and had a large impact on our history.
This is the story of Bell and Canada.
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Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. When he was 23, his brother Melville died of tuberculosis. Bell's parents decided to move out of fear their other children would die. In August 1870, they moved to Canada and settled in Brantford.
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One year later, Bell took a teaching job at a school for the deaf in Boston. This began a pattern of working in the United States and spending summers with his family in Brantford. It was at the family home his telephone idea began to take shape.
On July 31, 1987, an F4 (possibly an F5) tornado hit the eastern parts of Edmonton and Strathcona County.
It left 27 dead, injured 300 and caused $332 million in damages.
This is the story of Black Friday.
📸 Steve Simon
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For a week prior to July 31, a low pressure system in southwestern BC was feeding warm and humid air into central Alberta. Hot weather in Alberta was triggering thunderstorms all week.
Then, on July 31, a cold front developed in Western Alberta.
📸 Peter Cutler
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This cold front collided with the warm moist air, creating a recipe for severe thunderstorms.
One storm developed that began to move northeast towards Leduc, south of Edmonton.
At 2:59, the first tornado was spotted.
On July 29, 1910 in Saskatoon, a fabled meeting of two prime ministers took place.
The prime minister of the time, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, met a young man selling newspapers named John Diefenbaker.
But...did it actually happen?
Let's investigate!
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At the time, Sir Wilfrid Laurier was in Saskatoon to lay the cornerstone of the first building at the University of Saskatchewan.
John Diefenbaker, who was 15 at the time, was apparently selling newspapers on the corner when the two crossed paths.
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After 10 minutes of talking, Diefenbaker told Laurier:
"I can't waste any more time on you, Prime Minister. I must get about my work."
At that point, the two went their separate ways. Today, the meeting is commemorated in a statue at the spot.