Alex McDonald (prospector)
Encyclopedia
Alexander "Big Alex" McDonald (1859–1909) was a Canadian gold prospector who made (and lost) a fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush
, earning himself the title "King of the Klondike".
The son of Scottish immigrants, McDonald was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia
. He was an unsuccessful prospector, having tried his luck in the Colorado gold fields, before heading to the gold rush in Juneau, Alaska
, in the late 1880s. In 1895 or 1896, he was in the Yukon
, employed by the Alaska Commercial Company at Forty-Mile to buy mining properties. Gold was discovered in the region in 1897.
He was nicknamed the "Big Moose from Antigonish", "Big Alex" and "Big Mac". He was described by a contemporary as:
One of the early arrivals in the Klondike
, he purchased either half or all of Claim 30 on Eldorado Creek from a Russian named Zarnosky or Zarnowsky for a sack of flour and a side of bacon. That claim proved to be one of the richest of the Klondike, yielding $5000 a day. McDonald's slowness of speech hid a shrewdness and business acumen that enabled him to amass a tremendous fortune, somewhere between seven and twenty-seven million dollars. Rather than just work that single piece of land, he leased it to two other miners, who did the actual work for half of the proceeds. In the first 45 days, that amounted to $30,000. He then proceeded to buy up other claims and by the end of the year he had acquired 28. By 1898, he had interests in 75 mines, making him the largest landowner and employer in the area.
That year, when the local Catholic church burned down, he donated $30,000, more than enough to pay for its rebuilding. When Father William Judge
started building St. Mary's Hospital, McDonald once again made a large donation. In the winter of 1898-1899, he toured Europe, finding time to marry, in London
, Margaret Chisholm, the twenty-year-old daughter of the superintendent of the Thames Water Police, and to be received by Pope Leo XIII
, who made him a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory
in appreciation of his generosity.
However, though the gold rush eventually died down, McDonald continued to buy land claims, now mostly worthless, squandering his money. Living alone in a cabin on Clearwater Creek, he died of a heart attack in 1909. His remaining assets of $30,000 did not cover his debts. Fortunately, his widow benefited from a life insurance policy urged upon him by another Klondike tycoon, Belinda Mulrooney
.
McDonald's legend was retold in an anonymous poem called "King of the Klondike" (ca. 1910).
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
, earning himself the title "King of the Klondike".
The son of Scottish immigrants, McDonald was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. He was an unsuccessful prospector, having tried his luck in the Colorado gold fields, before heading to the gold rush in Juneau, Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
, in the late 1880s. In 1895 or 1896, he was in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, employed by the Alaska Commercial Company at Forty-Mile to buy mining properties. Gold was discovered in the region in 1897.
He was nicknamed the "Big Moose from Antigonish", "Big Alex" and "Big Mac". He was described by a contemporary as:
... a large brawny, swarthy man, canny and close of mouth, with a curious habit of slowly rubbing his chin whenever a new proposition is presented to him. He makes it a rule to first say "No" to every proposal, however alluring, thus gaining time to think it over.
One of the early arrivals in the Klondike
Klondike
-Canada:* Klondike, Yukon, a region in the Yukon** Klondike River, in the Yukon** Klondike Gold Rush, in the Yukon-United States:* Klondike, Maryland* Klondike, Texas* Klondike, Louisville, Kentucky* Klondike, Kenosha County, Wisconsin...
, he purchased either half or all of Claim 30 on Eldorado Creek from a Russian named Zarnosky or Zarnowsky for a sack of flour and a side of bacon. That claim proved to be one of the richest of the Klondike, yielding $5000 a day. McDonald's slowness of speech hid a shrewdness and business acumen that enabled him to amass a tremendous fortune, somewhere between seven and twenty-seven million dollars. Rather than just work that single piece of land, he leased it to two other miners, who did the actual work for half of the proceeds. In the first 45 days, that amounted to $30,000. He then proceeded to buy up other claims and by the end of the year he had acquired 28. By 1898, he had interests in 75 mines, making him the largest landowner and employer in the area.
That year, when the local Catholic church burned down, he donated $30,000, more than enough to pay for its rebuilding. When Father William Judge
William Judge
Father William Judge was a Jesuit priest who, during the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush, established St. Mary's Hospital, a facility in Dawson City which provided shelter, food and any available medicine to the many hard-luck gold miners who filled the town and its environs...
started building St. Mary's Hospital, McDonald once again made a large donation. In the winter of 1898-1899, he toured Europe, finding time to marry, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Margaret Chisholm, the twenty-year-old daughter of the superintendent of the Thames Water Police, and to be received by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
, who made him a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
in appreciation of his generosity.
However, though the gold rush eventually died down, McDonald continued to buy land claims, now mostly worthless, squandering his money. Living alone in a cabin on Clearwater Creek, he died of a heart attack in 1909. His remaining assets of $30,000 did not cover his debts. Fortunately, his widow benefited from a life insurance policy urged upon him by another Klondike tycoon, Belinda Mulrooney
Belinda Mulrooney
Belinda Mulrooney was an entrepreneur and purportedly the "richest woman in the Klondike". She made one fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush, lost it, and amassed a second, which lasted most of her life.Mulrooney was born in Ireland...
.
McDonald's legend was retold in an anonymous poem called "King of the Klondike" (ca. 1910).