Commemorative coin aims for more 'inclusive' history of Klondike Gold Rush

For most Canadians, the story of the Klondike Gold Rush is a romantic tale of hardscrabble stampeders pouring into a remote section of Canada's North to find adventure, hardship, and — occasionally — fortune.

But there's another side to that coin, and the Canadian Mint has aimed to show it.

A new commemorative one-dollar coin has been designed to tell the story of the Gold Rush, incorporating the perspectives of the local Indigenous communities.

"It became apparent, you know, quickly apparent, that there was more to the story than we originally thought. And obviously, we had to talk to the Indigenous communities that were involved," said Alex Reeves of the Royal Canadian Mint.

Reeves said the original idea was to mark the 125th anniversary of the 1896 discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek in the Klondike. It made sense to use the gold-coloured dollar coin, Reeves said.

Officials with the Mint began by talking to the Dawson City Museum and Parks Canada, and that led to further conversations with the Carcross/Tagish and Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nations.

"We had a really eye-opening conversation about the impact on those Indigenous communities and how the Gold Rush disrupted the traditional ways of life, the environment. And it really made us think, well, you know, that's a huge missing piece," Reeves said.