Challenge of Communication
The only communication to and from the Yukon other than word-of-mouth was mail. Mail carriers carried only first-class mail. Everything else - newspapers, magazines, and packages - remained at the distribution point awaiting the spring, when the steamboats could deliver it. Given that so much mail was held up, it took a long time for reports of finding gold to spread to the rest of the country.
People in the Yukon Territory also longed for the news about events going on in the rest of the world. At the time, one of the main events they lacked updates on was the Spanish-American War. Despite the fact that Dawson had a local telephone service, the vast wilderness between Dawson and the cities located to the south made it a waste of money putting in wires to connect Dawson to the rest of the world. By the time newspapers reached Dawson, they were at least a month old. As a result of challenging communication, many people became homesick, feeling isolated from the world.
People in the Yukon Territory also longed for the news about events going on in the rest of the world. At the time, one of the main events they lacked updates on was the Spanish-American War. Despite the fact that Dawson had a local telephone service, the vast wilderness between Dawson and the cities located to the south made it a waste of money putting in wires to connect Dawson to the rest of the world. By the time newspapers reached Dawson, they were at least a month old. As a result of challenging communication, many people became homesick, feeling isolated from the world.
Northwest Mounted Police
Due to the vast size and remote location of Klondike and the Yukon Territory, the area had neither a police force nor any government structure other than the Northwest Mounted Police who patrolled the entire forbidding area. An officer of the force once described Skagway as "about the roughest place in the world." Because there was little police presence, the towns of the Klondike became a hot-spot for crooks who were skilled at separating the newcomers from their valuable supplies. Fights and shootings were extremely common and occurred daily.