Flat-bottomed boat used during the Yukon Gold Rush 1898

[aukepalmhof]

June 13th marks the anniversary of one of the most dramatic and famous eras in Canadian history - a time that filled the minds of a nation with visions of riches, and the pocket of every card shark and barkeeper west of the Rockies with cold hard cash. Canada Post marks the discovery of gold in the Yukon with the release of five domestic rate stamps. The design of the series was accomplished by the talented Steven Slipp of Halifax. Steven's designs are both elegant and nostalgic, reminding us of a time when adventurers risked it all for a shot at finding the motherlode. The Klondike was more difficult to get to than any of the other great rushes, and reaching their destination was no small feat for sourdoughs from North America, Europe, South America, and even South Africa. Klondike Fever shows a sourdough on foot carrying a small part of the equipment that prospectors had to bring to the Yukon, most of it on their backs. To the right, flat-bottomed boats make their way across Lake Laberge. The great drama of the Yukon gold rush has never been forgotten - an important chapter of the history of Canada. This summer, as centennial celebrations throughout the West, recall those thrilling days 100 years ago, collectors can remember with this inspiring and evocative Yukon Gold Discovery Commemorative series.

https://postagestampguide.com/stamps/16 ... tage-stamp

At Lakes Bennett and Lindeman, the prospectors camped to build rafts or boats that would take them the final 500 miles (800 km) down the Yukon to Dawson City in the spring, 7,124 boats of varying size and quality left in May 1898.
Not much I could find on these boats, built I believe for only one voyage and not by shipbuilders, it looks that she was not very strong, made of not seasoned wood. Flat bottomed. In the photo’s she was mostly square-rigged one mast vessel.

Building of the boats.
While there were commercial sawmills operating near both Lindeman and Bennett, the cost of milled lumber was beyond the means of most. The majority were forced to resort to milling their own lumber by hand.
This involved laying a log on a scaffold and then sawing the log lengthwise using a whipsaw. It was a two man operation. One man would stand atop the scaffolding straddling the log, while the other would work underneath. The man on top would pull the saw on each upward stroke and guide the saw on the downward cutting stroke. It was both a physically demanding and exacting job. The man on the bottom meanwhile would provide the power for the downward cutting stroke, an equally exhausting job.
For the inexperienced, the physical demands of the job, combined with the inherent difficulty of keeping the saw straight enough to produce a usable plank – plank, after plank, after plank – proved more of a frustration than the hardships of the trail. Klondike Gold Rush journals are liberally laced with accounts of partnerships forged on the trail, dissolving in the sawpits of Lindeman and Bennett. Nonetheless, by the spring of 1898, a makeshift armada had assembled on the shores of Lindeman and Bennett Lakes, impatiently waiting for the ice to go out.
Off to Dawson
On the 29th of May, the ice began to move. There was a frenzy of activity and within 48 hours over 7000 boats of various descriptions had set off, bound for Dawson City. Some swamped and sank – others were beached – on the stormy lakes. One hundred and fifty more were wrecked – and countless others lost their outfits – in Miles Canyon. But by the 8th of July, the main flotilla had arrived in Dawson City. Their arrival signaled the end of the era of the small hand-built scow and ushered in the era of commercial sternwheel navigation on the upper Yukon River.

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/yt/chil ... ateau-boat
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/ ... the-rapids
Canada 1996 Yukon Gold Rush 45c sg1686, Scott 1606.