When Gates wanted to charm his listeners with self-deprecating humor he would instead claim that the nickname was given to him sarcastically because he avoided those rapids religiously, even walking around them to dodge their peril. One version held that he was called Swiftwater Bill because of his skill at piloting canoes over the deadly White Horse Rapids. The irrepressible gambler, adventurer and ladies’ man told different accounts of the origin of his nickname, varying the tale to suit his current audience. SWIFTWATER BILL – William Gates (yes, really), long-haired and sporting a handlebar moustache, was easily one of the most notorious figures from the Klondike Gold Rushes. And the Kid’s former career as a pugilist made it futile to be on the wrong side of him in saloon brawls.
#Klondike forever windowd plus
Periodic clashes with Chilkoot and Chilkat Indians plus rival smugglers and outright bandits added to his reputation.
A form of Yukon Omerta.įor the Montana Kid’s part, he had a reputation for surviving many such duels with gamblers who questioned his honesty at card-playing. The losers’ bodies would be left where they fell and none of those present would ever discuss what had happened. And still more were the losers in duels held out in the freezing wasteland, where the combatants and their witnesses would gather for the deadly exchange of gunfire. Still others were men taken out into the wild at gunpoint and shot for various personal reasons. Others were men slain in gunfights or knife fights and whose corpses were then dragged out into the falling snow to make them disappear for a few months. Some were cheating gamblers or thieves or con artists who had tried to flee aggrieved victims but failed. These proto-newscasts would be held at 7pm, 9pm and 11pm local time.ĭawson’s remoteness meant that with each Spring thaw a harvest of dead bodies would be discovered in the wilderness surrounding the town. He provided newspapers to his friend Judge Tom Maguire and the pair rented a Hall where people would pay admission fees to listen to the Judge read aloud from the latest news. Since there were never enough newspapers to go around AND because many gold prospectors and boomtown rats couldn’t read, the Montana Kid launched a lucrative side business. Dan was the first in with newspaper accounts of the sinking of the Maine in 1898. The Kid added to his legend by getting the (comparatively) latest newspapers to the Yukon city of Dawson after they arrived in coastal towns. This amiable but deadly man was a frequent participant in the marathon, multiple-day card games held at the Bank Saloon, along with equally colorful Klondike figures like Silent Sam Bonnifield, One-Eyed Riley, and the gambler known only as the Oregon Jew. When he was on a winning streak Egan would reward his sled-dogs with prime steaks from the best available restaurants. The Montana Kid would spend his down time between smuggling runs drinking and gambling in the many saloons in the Gold Rush boomtowns. Beginning around 1896 the Kid was in Alaska and made a name for himself smuggling whiskey from Juneau and Skagway to Dawson via his notoriously fast dogsled team.Įgan became a legend from his escapades eluding Canadian Mounties and American authorities with his ever-expanding inventory of smuggled goods. He had only limited success and his career as a pugilist is distinguished mostly by his losses to THE Billy Hennesy.Īlready called the Montana Kid, Egan lost to Hennesy in boxing matches from Leavenworth, KS to San Francisco, CA between 18. THE MONTANA KID – Dan Egan, before his Yukon fame, was a boxer during the dangerous years when the sport was illegal in many areas and boxing matches were subject to being raided by the police. Boomtowns, gunslingers and gamblers are common to Gold Rushes in the frozen north AND in the continental U.S. Think of winter storms of such magnitude that the entire city of Nome, AK was literally wiped out late in the Gold Rush. Think of dogsleds instead of stage coaches and instead of hot deserts, snow and temperatures so cold that whiskey freezes in the bottle. Klondike Kate was the only figure I’ve covered from the Yukon so it’s long past time for more.
Frontierado is on August 2nd, so two weeks from now blog posts related to that major holiday will wrap up for the year.Ī neglected aspect of Wild West lore is the Alaskan Gold Rush.
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