Hollywood in the Klondike: Dawson City’s Great Film Find

In this exciting first-hand account of an unexpected cinematic discovery, Michael Gates delves into the history behind a hoard of silent films found buried beneath the permafrost of an Arctic gold rush town.

In 1978, hundreds of reels of silent films were unearthed from beneath the demolished site of an old hockey arena in Dawson City, Yukon. Author Michael Gates witnessed the cinematic discovery of these once-lost films—and in this book excavates and illuminates the history of a gold rush town like no other.

An event in the most unlikely of places and circumstances, the Klondike gold rush was unique in the history of Canada and the development of the North. Dawson City, the “Paris of the North,” was the hub of the Klondike gold rush 125 years ago. There were more saloons, gambling halls and theatres than there were places serving food, and the live theatre was at the centre of it all. Discover the icons who went from the Klondike to Hollywood: Robert Service, Jack London, Charlie Chaplin, Alexander Pantages, Sid Grauman, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Marjorie Rambeau and more.

Join Gates on this cinematic journey as he ponders the question: Did the Klondike help make Hollywood, or did Hollywood make the Klondike? Crafted from Gates’s first-hand experience and extensive research, Hollywood in the Klondike casts a spotlight on an exciting piece of Canadian history.

“Yukon produces pure gold. Famous for the Klondike Gold Rush, it is also renowned for its remarkable stories and storytellers. The Dawson Film Find is a truly great yarn, made richer by Hollywood's deep connections to the Klondike stampede. Michael Gates is an Arctic treasure on his own, a Yukon raconteur of great stature who brings an insider's perspective to one of the greatest cultural discoveries in the history of film.”

“A rich account of the love affair between Hollywood and the Gold Rush. Armed with meticulous research and a deep knowledge of Yukon history, Michael Gates describes an adrenalin-filled boom town, troops of high-kicking entertainers, and the surprise discovery of a unique cache of long-lost silent movies. In Dawson City’s early days, prospectors were as hungry for music, merriment and dancehall girls as for gold; ever since, Hollywood has fed on and inflated Gold Rush mythology. What a story! This is a lively, intriguing and original contribution to North American history.”

“Michael Gates has a great gift for storytelling. This is a fascinating look at the history of entertainment in the North, the colourful characters that lived and worked in Dawson, and the hidden stories from the Yukon. A captivating and entertaining read!”

“Michael Gates is a ravenously inquisitive historian blessed with a storyteller’s dry wit. Here his deep knowledge of the Yukon territory is focused on a story he is uniquely qualified to tell: a first-hand account of being on site in Dawson City in 1978 when a cache of silent films that were buried there fifty years earlier were first recovered from the permafrost. With Hollywood in the Klondike, Gates contextualizes that personal story within the history of entertainment in Dawson City, and the numerous colourful players who went on to shape the movie business as it is known today. Michael and Kathy Jones Gates were essential collaborators on my film Dawson City: Frozen Time. Without their stunning photographs, passionate research, and great generosity, my film would have been a pale shadow of what it became. This is an essential companion work to that film for anyone who is interested in learning more about the topic from the guy who has lived in its history for decades.”

“Nobody knows the Yukon better than Michael Gates, and this dual story of the Dawson Film Find and the history of the Klondike Gold Rush is his best book yet. Highly recommended.”