00SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 13                                                                                     
01 Relating to the Gold Rush Centennial Decade.                                                                            
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03  WHEREAS the discoveries of gold in Alaska and the Yukon in the late 1890s set off                                      
04 the last great American gold rush, luring thousands of men and women north, some to escape                              
05 economic depression, others to seek adventure; and                                                                      
06  WHEREAS prospectors searched throughout Alaska, including the Southeast                                                
07 panhandle, the Kenai Peninsula, the Seward Peninsula, and the vast Interior, discovering gold                           
08 and other precious metals and establishing new towns such as Circle, Nome, Juneau, Skagway,                             
09 Fairbanks, Hope, Iditarod, and Valdez; and                                                                              
10  WHEREAS along with the prospectors came people, both honest and crooked, to                                            
11 provide services to the miners and, in the process, to stimulate the development of                                     
12 communications, local governments, and establishment of transportation routes like the                                  
13 Chilkoot, Iditarod, Valdez, Kantishna, Bonnifield, Dalton, and Circle City trails; and                                  
14  WHEREAS, while the participants were predominantly white males, there were also                                        

01 women, Asians, and African-Americans who were part of the Gold Rush story; and                                          
02  WHEREAS Alaska Natives participated in the Gold Rush and the changes the Gold                                          
03 Rush brought to the territory dramatically changed their way of life, impacting land rights,                            
04 hunting grounds, and trade and travel routes; and                                                                       
05  WHEREAS the gold mining industry has become an integral part of Alaska's                                               
06 economy, with over 200 producing gold mines, employing hundreds of persons, and producing                               
07 over 260,000 ounces of gold in 1992 worth more than $88,000,000; and                                                    
08  WHEREAS the Governor and Lieutenant Governor formed the Alaska Gold Rush                                               
09 Centennial Task Force in 1993, consisting of 124 members from 25 Alaska communities,                                    
10 Washington, and the Yukon Territory, representing federal, state, and municipal governments,                            
11 tourism organizations, historical groups, museums, libraries, the news media, private                                   
12 businesses, educational institutions, and Native organizations; and                                                     
13  WHEREAS the mission of the task force is to coordinate statewide celebration of the                                    
14 100th anniversary in order to promote the understanding of the importance of the Gold Rush                              
15 Era in Alaska's history and to enhance tourism opportunities; and                                                       
16  WHEREAS the task force supports education, research, documentation, and                                                
17 preservation of historical resources from the Gold Rush Era;                                                            
18  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates the years 1994                                             
19 through 2004 as the Gold Rush Centennial Decade; and be it                                                              
20  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the Alaska Gold                                          
21 Rush Centennial Task Force as coordinator and promoter of statewide centennial activities;                              
22 and be it                                                                                                               
23  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges schools, public and                                           
24 private organizations, and the people of the state to coordinate statewide celebrations of the                          
25 100th anniversary in order to promote an understanding of the importance of the Gold Rush                               
26 Era in Alaska's history and to enhance tourism opportunities.