A million-dollar betrayal haunts this historic Alaskan gold rush town

Shaaw Tláa’s Lost Fortune from Klondike Gold Discovery

Shaaw Tláa, a Tagish woman born near Bennett Lake in 1857, kept her husband George Carmack alive for ten years in the Yukon while he found no gold.

She hunted, fished, and sewed clothes for miners using skills from her people. Then in 1896, her brother and nephew found gold worth $1 million on Bonanza Creek.

Some say she found the first nugget. Yet when George left her for a brothel owner in 1899, courts denied her any share of the fortune because they had no marriage papers.

She died broke in 1920, and had to wait until 2019 for the Mining Hall of Fame to honor her. The Skagway Historic District in Alaska now tells her forgotten story.

She Lost a Husband But Found a Gold Fortune

Shaaw Tláa was born around 1857 near Bennett Lake and belonged to the Tagish wolf clan. Her father led the Tlingit crow clan while her mother came from the Tagish wolf clan.

Following tradition, she married her first cousin Kult’ús, a Tlingit man. Sadly, in the early 1880s both her husband and baby daughter died during a flu outbreak in Alaska.

The young widow then went back to her Tagish village, facing an uncertain future.

A Marine Deserter Became Her Second Husband

Shaaw Tláa met George Carmack around 1886 after returning home. George was an American gold seeker who had left the U.S. Marines, tried raising cattle in California, then headed north looking for riches.

He first married her sister or niece who died soon after their wedding. Following Tlingit custom, her family pushed Shaaw Tláa to marry George quickly.

The couple started their life together, mixing two very different cultures in the remote Yukon wilderness.

Her Survival Skills Kept Them Alive for Years

From 1889, the couple lived in the Forty Mile area for six years while George failed at finding gold. Shaaw Tláa kept them from starving by sewing winter clothes she sold to miners.

Her hunting, fishing, and food gathering skills proved vital for their survival. Their daughter Graphie Grace was born in January 1893 at Fort Selkirk.

Without Shaaw Tláa’s practical skills, they wouldn’t have lasted in the wilderness.

Family Members Traveled Hundreds of Miles Looking for Them

During summer 1896, her brother Keish (known as Skookum Jim) and nephew Káa Goox (called Dawson Charlie) found the couple after searching for them.

The family hadn’t heard from Shaaw Tláa and George for years and worried they might be dead. They found them fishing for salmon at the Klondike River that August.

The relatives helped with salmon fishing before the men decided to try looking for gold together.

Someone Spotted Gold in Rabbit Creek

On August 17, 1896, the group found gold in Rabbit Creek (later called Bonanza Creek). Who found the first nugget remains unclear.

George claimed credit in official records, but stories suggest it was Skookum Jim. Some native accounts credit Shaaw Tláa with finding the first gold while getting water from the creek.

Despite her possible role in the find, claims were only put in the men’s names.

The Claims Made Them Millionaires

During winter 1896-97, the men dug shafts while Shaaw Tláa sewed mittens and baked bread for other miners. Her small businesses often brought in more gold than their early mining work.

The claims eventually gave them about $1 million in gold over two seasons, a huge sum back then.

The family became rich almost overnight, but no claims were put in Shaaw Tláa’s name despite her years of supporting George.

Money Changed Everything for the Couple

Fall 1898 saw the family travel to Seattle and then visit George’s sister Rose in California. George showed off his new wealth, riding in a carriage labeled “Discoverer of Gold in the Klondike.” He threw coins to crowds from hotel rooftops and caused scenes with his over-the-top behavior.

Life away from her homeland was hard for Shaaw Tláa, who felt out of place in this strange new world of wealth and white society.

George Dumped Her for a Brothel Owner

George left his family in 1899, sending Shaaw Tláa and Graphie to live with his sister Rose. He went back to Dawson City alone and started seeing Marguerite Laimee, who owned a brothel.

Within a year, their marriage fell apart under pressures of wealth, cultural differences, and George’s new social goals.

George married Marguerite in October 1900, claiming he was never legally married to Shaaw Tláa despite their 14 years together and shared child.

Courts Refused to Recognize Her Marriage

Shaaw Tláa sued for divorce because George left her and cheated on her, asking for half their $1. 5 million fortune.

The courts turned down her claim because they had no official marriage certificate for their common-law union. She lost the legal fight and got almost nothing from the gold find she helped make possible.

Years later, after their daughter died, a court finally ruled the marriage had been valid, but too late for Shaaw Tláa.

Back to Carcross With Empty Pockets

Around 1900-1901, Shaaw Tláa went back to Yukon and lived with the Tagish Nation in Carcross. Her brother Keish built her a small cabin where she lived on a government pension.

She earned some money selling her needlework to tourists passing through. In 1909, she lost her daughter Graphie to George when the 16-year-old moved to Seattle.

The woman who helped find millions in gold now lived poor.

Justice Came 99 Years After Her Death

Shaaw Tláa died on March 29, 1920, during an influenza epidemic at age 63.

She was buried in the Carcross cemetery, having never received her fair share of the Klondike fortune. For decades, history books overlooked her crucial role in the gold discovery that transformed the Yukon.

Justice finally came in 2019 when she was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, twenty years after the men who profited from her work and knowledge had received the same honor.

Visiting Skagway Historic District and White Pass, Alaska

You can explore Kate Carmack’s story at Skagway Historic District, where the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park offers free admission.

The visitor center at 2nd Avenue and Broadway has exhibits about prospectors like Kate. Take the free 45-minute walking tour using the NPS mobile app through over 100 restored 1897-98 buildings.

Tour the Moore House and Mascot Saloon for free, or visit Skagway Museum & Archives at Seventh Avenue and Spring Street for $2.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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