Keish
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Keish (c. 1855 – July 11 1916), better known by his European name Skookum Jim Mason, was a member of the Tagish First Nation in what became the Yukon Territory. He was born close to Lake Benett and died in Carcross, Yukon.
In the mid 1880s, he worked as a packer over the Chilkoot Pass carrying supplies for miners, where he earned his Skookum nickname because of his extraordinary strength. (Skookum means "strong" in the Chinook Jargon used on the Pacific coast.)
He assisted William Ogilvie in his explorations of the upper Yukon. He also showed members of the expedition the way over the White Pass. Keish is today credited with making the gold discovery that led to the Klondike Gold Rush, although, in keeping with the prejudices of the time, it was originally attributed to George Carmack, his brother-in-law.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=41611)
