One of the main avenues to the Klondike was overland from the head of the Lynn Canal over the White and Chilkoot Passes. Over 30,000 hopeful miners made the brutal trek over these passes. The Chilkoot was in many ways the most spectacular. Steps had to be chiseled out of the ice. If a man lost his place in this human chain he might have to wait hours before he was allowed in again. Each man had to make several trips, for he had to carry a total of 1,150 pounds up the slope on his own back. On the right of the picture men are returning to the base camp to pick up still another back-breaking load. Any obstacle could be overcome if a man were possessed by the drive for fame and fortune.
The Police were, among other things, responsible for the well-being of the incoming hordes. They made sure each man had a year's supply of provisions (1,150 lbs.) before allowing him to enter Canada. Once over the pass, they made certain that the prospectors found their way safely to the goldfields. Between 1898 and 1903 the force never totaled more than 300 men in a population of over 40,000. To their tribute, the Yukon never experienced the lawlessness and violence so prevalent in American territory where camps like Skagway were controlled by "Soapy Smith" and his henchmen. Only twelve murders in thirteen years were reported in the Yukon.
