One day Grandma Chris sat down with her grandchildren Julie, Steve and Tim.

Grandma Chris:
Today I will tell you about my father, Samuel. Samuel was adventurous and wanted to become rich. So he went to Alaska, the northernmost state of the US, during the gold rush period.

Samuel loved hunting and fishing. He traveled long distances to hunt. In summers he hunted for moose, caribou and other animals. In winters he hunted for seals, walruses and bears. These animals provided him with both needed food and warm clothing.

The main reason Samuel went to Alaska was to find gold and "strike it rich." In summers he traveled along rivers and beaches. People believed that the sand of the rivers and beaches contained gold.

On one of his hunting trips he stopped by the side of a creek (a natural stream of water smaller than a river) for lunch. When he looked down into the creek to get some water, he saw shiny gold pieces in the cracks of the rocks at the bottom. Samuel knew that this was the fortune he was looking for.

Samuel thought: "If the rocks have gold, then the sand nearby should also have some gold."

He knew how to separate the heavier gold from the lighter sand. He used a simple method called panning.

He took some sand and water in a pan and started shaking it gently, then poured out the excess water and lighter sand. He would repeat this until he was left with shiny nuggets of gold.

Samuel was very happy. Over the years he collected a lot of gold nuggets. He put these safely in a large metal trunk, his treasure box. He loved the gold and carried this box with him where ever he went.

He wanted his children and their children to use this gold in times of need or for a good cause.

One day your great-grandfather left from Nome on a long hunting trip and never returned. All we know is that he wanted to go to Anchorage. It is possible that he decided to go to Fairbanks first.

Nobody knows what happened to him, his huskies or the large metal treasure box. Perhaps, it is still stranded in the great Alaskan wilderness - waiting for you to find and claim it.

Steve:
Grandma, this happened long ago. Surely, someone must have found and taken the box.

Grandma:
In other places this would certainly be true. But Alaska is such a huge and remote state. There are many parts where no one lives or visits. If this treasure box was stranded in the wilderness, it is possible that it is still lying there.

Alaska is the northernmost state of the United States of America (USA). It is not connected to the 48 states making up the mainland US (also known as the Lower 48 by the Alaskans). Alaska was accepted as the 49th State of the USA in 1959.

Gold has played a big role in Alaska's history. Alaska's first big discovery of gold came in Juneau in 1880. This was followed by other important gold strikes in Klondike and Nome. The discovery of gold brought thousands of men and women to Alaska. The period from 1880 to 1914 is known as the gold rush era.

• Alaska's capital city, Juneau, is named after Joseph Juneau, one of the miners who first found gold there in 1880.
• Gold is Alaska's state mineral.
• Miners have found pieces of gold (nuggets) that are the size of a large fist.

For Native Alaskans subsistence is a traditional way of life. It means relying on nature as a source of food and other things for everyday living. The main subsistence practices are hunting, fishing, picking wild berries and other plant products. Traditionally, men used harpoons (long spear-like weapons), kayaks (canoes), dogs, and sleds for hunting.

• Whale hunting is a traditional activity in Barrow, the northernmost city of the US.
• Subsistence forms more than half the food for many Native Alaskans.
• Native Alaskans share what they hunt and fish with the rest of their community.

Gold is one of the most precious metals and is called a "noble metal" because it does not react with air under ordinary conditions. Gold is deposited from solutions containing dissolved gold.

There are two main types of gold deposits. When gold is found at the place where it was formed, the deposit is called a primary deposit, or a . When gold moves away from its primary location by wind, water, ice, or gravity, it can concentrate in another place to form a secondary deposit called a . In a placer deposit gold can be found as clumps (nuggets), as small particles, or as gold dust.

Gold is very heavy, and usually does not travel very far from its source. Miners often find placer gold in streams and pan their way up the stream until they reach the lode deposit. Much of the gold produced in Alaska was mined from placers.

Panning for gold can be a lot of fun. There are many places in Alaska where you can pan for gold for free. There are websites (check resources section of this story) that give details on the location of such spots and provide detailed step by step instructions on how to pan.

You can also purchase a gold panning kit, that includes gold containing sand, and pan for gold in your classroom or home.

In the 1800s, Alaska did not have a road system. In summers, people used boats to travel along coasts, rivers and lakes. In winter Alaskans used sleds pulled by dogs (huskies) to travel through the land that was covered in deep snow. Dog sleds were used as a mode of transportation to carry mail, people, supplies and gold. Some routes were preferred and they formed trails.

In the 1920s airplanes started being used for transport and in the mid 1900s snow machines became very popular. This changed the traditional mode of transportation in Alaska.

These days dog sledding is primarily a sport and is not used as a means for travel.

In the gold rush era, many settlers came to the coastal town of Seward (near Anchorage) and then traveled to the gold fields near Nome, passing through the town of Iditarod. They used the trail which is now called the Iditarod National Historic Trail. The Iditarod trail is used for the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Another trail that runs from Nome to Nenana (a town near Fairbanks) has historic significance. It was used in the "Serum Run" in 1925 - a race to bring medicine from Nenana to Nome.

• The Iditarod race started in 1973.
• It is about 1160 miles long.
• More than 400 people have finished this race.
• Winners take 9 to 12 days to complete the race.

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