About the book

In the mid-1880s, Johnny Lind, a teenager from Pond Mills, Ontario,  struck out for adventure and wealth. After a decade working as a railroader in the United States, Johnny headed north, to Yukon and Alaska, and he was mining gold nearby when the Klondike Gold Rush began.

As an unsung “sourdough”—the nickname for miners who had survived an  entire winter in the North—Johnny went largely unrecognized in the lore  of the era, his understated demeanour overshadowed by the  larger-than-life characters that dominate the history books. But he kept journals recording his adventures in the Klondike, and these form an  invaluable personal record.

His stories shed light on the people and events of the gold rush, from the perspective of an everyman who wound up striking it rich. Here, Johnny’s grandson Phil Lind shares his grandfather’s fascinating story, along with his love of the Klondike, the history of the gold rush, the colourful players in that famed period, and the peoples and land affected by the legendary stampede for wealth.

All proceeds from the book will be used to support the development, preservation and accessibility of the Phil Lind Klondike Goldrush Collection at UBC Library.