4/5/2023 0 Comments Diamond rush south desperation![]() ![]() No longer were riders required to carry their provisions and shelter with them and they could travel light. Terry probably was mistaken, though bicycles were still rare enough on the trail that it is possible he did not come across any others.īicycle travel became far more reasonable after roadhouses were established at every twenty miles along the trail. He told the Seattle newspaper The Argus that he made the trip in eight days, sometimes travelling 125 miles on a single day and that his was the only bike in the region. ![]() The first known cyclist to make it to Dawson from Skagway in March 1899 was Mr. At least a few must have made it through, because the paper claimed that the trip between Bennett and Dawson took ten to fourteen days by “wheel” – the popular name for a bicycle of the time. This painting shows the penny-farthing bicycle, which consisted of one large front tire and a smaller back tire.ĭespite the obstacles, articles from the Skagway newspaper the Daily Alaskan report that bicycles were used on the White Pass Trail in the winter of 1898-99 and became common the following winter. ![]() The evolution of the bike has come a far way since the gold rush era. Bicycles of the time were not light machines, either, making one an unnecessary burden for the already overworked Klondiker. This load could never have fitted on a bicycle, even if the rider could have ridden it over the pass in the first place. Of course, no one could simply bike over the White Pass Trail – the North West Mounted Police required everyone to carry with them a year’s supply of food, which when added to the tent, stove, clothing, and other supplies, translated into nearly a ton of goods or more. Early on, two bicycles arrived in Skagway, where the pedals were removed and racks and frames were added so that the bikes could carry two-hundred-pound loads. Some bicycle owners heading north used their “iron steeds” to carry goods rather than themselves. Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-25339 The Race Is On Sometimes, stampeders were seen carrying their broken down bikes which ultimately defeated the purpose of bicycle travel. The plan is to load it with half the miner’s equipment, drag it on four wheels ten miles or so, then the rider will fold up the side wheels, ride it back as a bicycle, and bring on the rest of the load.Įncountering a flat tire while riding to the Yukon was a big issue. Devices for packing large quantities of material are attached to the handle bars and rear forks, and the machine, it is estimated, will carry 500 pounds. From each side of the top bar two arms of steel project, each arm carrying a smaller wheel, about fourteen inches in diameter, which, when not in use, can be folded up inside the diamond frame. The frame is the ordinary diamond, of steel tubing, built, however, more for strength than appearance, and wound with rawhide, shrunk on, to enable the miners to handle it with comfort in low temperatures. The tires are of solid rubber, one and a half inches in diameter. It is built very strongly and weighs about fifty pounds. The Klondike bicycle is specially designed to carry freight, and is in reality a four-wheeled vehicle and a bicycle combined. ![]()
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