the gold rush guided writing - summit hill...take part in the great klondike gold rush.” after...
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The Gold
Rush
Guided
Writing
• Directions: This is a guided writing assignment that requires you to write in the first person. You are about to take part in the great Klondike Gold Rush.” After each prompt, respond in writing, using your imagination and creative skills. Your response after each prompt should be at least one paragraph. There are five prompts for each session or chapter. We will complete one session a day. There are a total of five sessions or chapters in the entire guided writing assignment, and we should complete the assignment in one or two weeks. When we are finished with all five sessions, you will compile your writing into a Gold Rush book, complete with pictures and title page.
Prompt 1
It is mid-July 1897 and you are a reporter in Seattle.
Your editor tells you to go to the dock to cover a story
about miners returning from a place called the Yukon.
The ship is about 200 yards away. The crowd is
anxious. Describe the scene and what people talking
about.
Prompt 2
The ship Excelsior docks. It is
a short, stubby ship with a
lone black smokestack and
two masts. Down the plank
come miners with broad
brimmed miners’ hats, their
lined faces almost burned
black. They are gaunt and
weary with eyes on fire. Each
of them is hauling a heavy
suitcase. Describe the scene,
what the miners are saying,
and the spectators’ responses.
Prompt 3
Miners with names like Lippy, Hestwood and Joe
Ladue come forward. Some have $30,000 to
$40,000 in gold. In 1897, a square meal cost 25
cents, a quart of whiskey went for 40 cents, and
rent for an apartment was about a $1.25 a week.
Describe what is going through your mind as you
see all of this gold coming down the gangplank.
Prompt 4
You go to Selby Smelting Works on Montgomery
Street. Clerks weigh the gold and pay for it. It is then
shoveled into a great melting pot. You talk to one of
the miners, Joe Ladue, and ask him about the place
called the Klondike. What does he say to you?
Prompt 5
Later that day you get the fever: Klondicitus. You
can think of nothing else but Gold, Gold, Gold.
You go to the bank and withdraw all of your life’s
savings, $500. Next, you run to purchase a ticket
North on the steamer, the Al-Ki. It leaves in two
days. You call your editor, quit your job, and rush
to the general supply store. What supplies do you
buy for your trip up North?
The Gold Rush: Guided Writing
Session #2
Prompt 1
You are aboard the ship called the Al-ki. On board are
110 passengers, 350 tons of miners’ supplies, 900
sheep, 65 cattle and 50 horses. Your ship is only 201
feet long. The crowd is cheering and waving good bye
to you as your ship leaves the harbor. Describe what
you are thinking at this moment.
Prompt 2
Two weeks later you meet up with another person on
board. He or she seems very likable. You have a
conversation that convinces you that this person would
be a good partner. What do you say to each other that
leads you to this conclusion. Be sure to describe the
person who will be your partner. .
Prompt 3
Six weeks from the day you left Seattle, you land in
Skagway. You get off the ship and wander through the
streets. Describe the hustle and bustle of Skagway, and
the kind of people who are attracted North for the
Great Gold Rush.
Prompt 4
Two men named Fatty Green and Jefferson Randolph
Smith come up to you and ask if you would like to
send a telegram to your loved ones in Seattle. Describe
the men’s appearance, demeanor and how you react to
their proposition.
Prompt 5
You and your partner decide you do not want to spend
much time in Skagway. You decide to take a boat over
to Dyea at the foot of Chilkoot Pass. You land on
shore and two Chilkat Indians come over to talk to you
about working as professional packers. What do you
say to each other?
The Gold
Rush:
Guided
Writing
Prompt 1
You are at the start of Chilkoot trail. It is a 33-mile
trail. You will need to carry 100 pounds of supplies on
your back. It is late August. You can feel winter in the
air. Describe your thoughts as you walk the first few
miles of this trail.
Prompt 2
You encounter a frozen waterfall, and the going is very
slippery. Some people use a ladder to pull their loads
across. Describe how you cross this very precarious
place.
Prompt 3
You arrive near the foot of Chilkoot Pass called the
Golden Stairs. There are many men and women with
their supply caches at the foot of the Golden Stairs.
One man is sitting in the snow weeping. You approach
him and talk to him. What does he say?
Prompt 4
You make your way up the Golden Stairs. It will take
you six hours to climb the 1500 agonizing steps to the
top. Describe the pain you feel as you grunt your way
up the most difficult part of Chilkoot Pass. Describe
the smells and sounds of those above and below you.
Prompt 5
It has taken you three months and 40 trips for you and
your partner to shuttle all of your supplies to the top of
Chilkoot Pass. As you look back down at the
thousands of stampeders below you, you reflect on
how far you have come. You have learned something
about yourself. Describe how you are feeling about
your accomplishments.
The Gold
Rush:
Guided
Writing
Prompt 1
You arrive at Lake Bennett in February after pulling
your supplies on sleds from the top of Chilkoot Pass.
As you enter the tent city of 30,000 along the shores of
the lake, you can hear the sounds of axes and saws as
men chop trees down for boats they will make to take
them down the Yukon River. Describe the setting.
Prompt 2
You have collected enough trees to build your boat.
Your partner is in a pit below you, and you are on top
handling the whipsaw that will cut the planks for your
boat. You two are getting angry at each other. Describe
the scene and your complaints.
Prompt 3
You have completed your boat. You have finished
tarring and caulking it so it will not leak. All you have
to do is wait for the ice to go out. Around an evening
fire, you and your partner talk about what you will do
once you reach Dawson. What do you say to each
other?
Prompt 4
On May 29, the ice goes out on Lake Bennett. More
than 7,000 boats depart for the 550 mile voyage down
the Yukon. Several days down the river you enter a
section called White Horse Rapids; it is full of
foaming water and whirlpools. Describe your ordeal in
this rapid.
Prompt 5
A week later you reach Dawson. It is clogged with
30,000 people. There is almost no land available for
pitching a tent. The streets are full of mud. Many men
say all the gold claims have been staked. Your
exuberance has turned into disappointment. Describe
your thoughts and what you say to your partner at this
moment.
The Gold
Rush:
Guided
Writing
Prompt 1
You are in Dawson, and you can’t believe the prices.
Milk sells for $20 a gallon, watermelons sell for $25
each. Nails sell for $8 a pound. You and your partner
shuffle up and down main street. A man talks to you
about taking a job to make ends meet. Describe the
conversation, and your decision.
Prompt 2
After two weeks, you get tired of working for others.
You and your partner come up with what you consider
a brilliant idea to make money. You have come up
with a business that fills a special need the miners
have. Describe the idea, and how you plan to make it
happen.
Prompt 3
You have established your own business. It is about
two months later. Describe how successful or not you
have become. What are your hopes and fears for the
future? How do people treat you when they pass by on
the streets of Dawson?
Prompt 4
It is a year later, and you have decided to leave
Dawson. You get on board the steamer that will take
you down the Yukon and home to Seattle. Describe
your departure and what you take with you.
Prompt 5
Two months later, you arrive back in Seattle. Family
and friends greet you. It becomes apparent that you
have changed. You reflect back on the hard times. You
realize you have changed. Describe your feelings at
this point, and end your story.
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