Generations of prospectors and miners have sought to unlock the mineral treasures from the craggy hills of Dublin Gulch, in the heart of the Yukon wilderness. On this tiny tributary located an hour north of the village of Mayo, families were raised and lives lived, dreaming of finding the motherlode.

For a century, miners and their families sifted gold from Dublin gravels while prospectors with grit, drive and determination burrowed into the granite below, seeking elusive veins of gold. Yet it was there all along, invisible to the eye, waiting for the right people to find it and the right technology to release it from the bedrock.

This story begins with these dreamers and ends with the opening of the Yukon’s biggest gold mine: the Eagle. It is the story of the little company that could, Victoria Gold; of a veteran miner, John McConnell; and of his committed team of determined men and women who beat the odds and turned the dream into a reality.

With insight into both the natural and human forces at play, author Michael Gates illuminates the important history of a profoundly significant industry in the Yukon—and in doing so, illuminates the landscape of the North with verve, detail and affection.

Michael Gates is the author of From the Klondike to Berlin (Harbour Publishing, 2017) which was shortlisted for the Canadian Authors Fred Kerner Book Award. He is also the author of Dalton’s Gold Rush Trail: Exploring the Route of the Klondike Cattle Drives (Harbour Publishing, 2012) and History Hunting in the Yukon (Harbour Publishing, 2010). He was formerly the curator of collections for Klondike National Historic Sites in Dawson City and pens the popular column “History Hunter” for the Yukon News. He lives in Whitehorse, YT.

Michael Gates' profile page

• Winner, Silver Medal - Axiom Business Book Awards: Corporate History/Milestone

In Dublin Gulch, A History of the Eagle Gold Mine, Michael Gates tells a 125-year saga of dedication, determination, and a small mining company with large aspirations of building a mine for Yukoners.

North of 60 Mining News

There’s a lot of breathtaking photography in this book, material that shows both the land and what the miners are doing to it, as well as pictures of people on the land, in board and community meetings, and working at the mine. With over 200 photographs in the book, you get a pretty good idea of what the area is like and how the mine has developed.

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