Klondike Gold Rush Microbox

Pioneer Square (1899)

Placed By: Silver Eagle
Date: 11/12/03
Nearest Town: Seattle, WA
County: King
Terrain Difficulty: Easy (flat, 100 yards RT)
Status: reported missing (11/18/05)

In 1897 news of a gold strike in the Canadian Yukon reached Seattle, triggering a stampede North to the Klondike Gold Fields. From 1897 to 1898, tens of thousands of people from across the United States and around the world descended upon Seattle's commercial district, the area now called "Pioneer Square", and purchased millions of dollars of food, clothing, equipment, pack animals, and steamship tickets. The final outcome of this great stampede helped shape the Seattle we know today, bolstering its reputation as the Queen City of the Pacific Northwest. Today, most of Seattle's historic resources associated with the Klondike Gold Rush are located within Pioneer Square, extending from Columbia Street south to King Street and from Third Avenue west to Alaskan Way S. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park can be found here, along with Occidental Park, the home of this microbox. You can learn about the stampede to the Klondike through the Historical Park's exhibits, audiovisual programs, and ranger programs and then relax on benches under Maple trees across the street.

Directions:

Take the James Street exit from I-5. Proceed down the hill and turn left at Second Avenue, then veer right onto S. Washington Street. One block to your left is Occidental Park; Klondike Gold Rush NHP Visitor Center is located one block south of Washington, on the opposite side of Occidental Park, at 117 South Main Street. Street parking in front of the visitor center is not recommended; there are only four metered slots that are often taken during regular business hours. You can either park on another block or at one of the public lots that are immediately adjacent to the park. Parking meters are free on Sundays and major holidays.

Clues:

From the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park Visitor Center, walk north across Main Street into Occidental Park. Walk about 95 steps toward Washington Street, aiming for the northwest corner of a garden surrounded by a metal railing with two carved figures in the middle. Sit on the brick corner and look for a stick or something to dig with. The microbox is buried in the dirt halfway between the corner railing post and a sprinkler head (about 10" from the post in a diagonal direction toward the "monkey" carving). A rock was placed over it but may not stay there. Please be discreet and re-bury well.

NOTE: Always take adequate precautions (such as prodding with a stick and/or wearing gloves) before reaching into dark crevasses and holes in the wild. Before you set out read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.

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Last updated on 11/18/2005

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