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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Walks By Big Alex’s Pond organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

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Walks By Big Alex’s Pond

by Henry Van Berkel

Genre: Autobiography / Nature

Synopsis

Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880’s to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as “the King of the Klondike”. At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex’s departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases “Big Alex’s” family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.

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Enjoy this exclusive peek inside:

For a brief period, Alex was employed by local construction companies and then worked at mines in Goldenville, Guysborough County and possibly at other Nova Scotia mining sites. Both the 1871 and 1881 census record him as a resident of Ashdale. But he was not content. His father was an accomplished storyteller, and on long winter nights huddled around the fireplace, Alex would have heard tales of renowned Scottish chiefs of old, of ancient battles and heroic deeds, of great expeditions and proud conquests, and of riches found or won or lost—all of which might have whetted his appetite for travel and fired up his imagination for adventure. At about the age of twenty-six, sometime shortly after the census in 1881, he left home for the New England States. From there, over a span of about fourteen years, he worked his way west, then north, and after assorted ventures and changing fortunes, he suddenly amassed immense wealth, almost overnight, and became famous as the “King of the Klondike.

Some lore has it that he made and lost vast wealth in silver in New Mexico. One article on the internet said “Mexico.” Not true, according to more reliable resources. He initially tried his luck in Pennsylvania where he started a logging business. It failed. He took the railroads west to Montana, and there he gained his first experience thinning precious metal. From Montana, he moved on to Colorado and toiled in mines near Leadville and Aspen, gathering invaluable knowhow, first as a miner and then as a mine owner. In Colorado, he did make money in silver—around ten thousand dollars. Not a huge fortune, but a substantial amount— enough to become the owner of a ranch with over fifty horses. In 1893 he bought a pack-mule train, a mining outfit, and the Sand’s Lease on the Tam O’Shanter mines near Ashcroft. He poured men and resources into mining silver through the following winter. Unfortunately, when he went to sell the output in the spring, the silver market had collapsed, and he was eft with considerable debts. After a hard struggle over the summer of 1894 to make up the losses, he fell short, so he transferred his lease to F. F. Reiner of P. M. & M. Company and left in November with fellow Nova Scotians, Duncan Stewart and Malcolm Chisholm, for Alaska. He arrived in Juneau, Alaska, with $3.50 and the clothes on his back.

By disposition and heritage, Big Alex was not easily deterred or discouraged. He soon landed a job at Treadwell Mine on Douglas Island as a machine driller. He saved his money to buy supplies to survive in the North Country and in April, 1895, set out with his companions for Forty-Mile, an inland settlement near the confluence of the Stewart and Yukon Rivers. They followed the route from the vicinity of Skagway over the Chilkoot Pass to Lake Bennett where they built a craft that took them the length of that lake and Tagish Lake and down five hundred miles of the upper reaches of the mighty Yukon. There is little recorded information on this journey, but those who are familiar with the Klondike gold rush will know that it was a challenging trek fraught with danger.

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About Author Henry Van Berkel

Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880’s to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as “the King of the Klondike”. At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex’s departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases “Big Alex’s” family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.

Connect with Henry Van Berkel: Facebook / Goodreads

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Amazon / Amazon CA / Bookshop / Indigo Chapters

B&N / Book Depository / Kindle

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