18 - it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...
OKAY ALSO IN HONOR OF YOU LIKE? Klondike everything???
Maybe this is me, but I grew up in a city made from like, THEE biggest gold rush in North American history, so as a kid I DEEPLY hyperfixated on gold rushes and there's SO MUCH FUN STUFF TO PLAY WITH FANDOM-WISE.
YALL. THE KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH WAS SO INTERESTING AND COMPLICATED. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD A PERSON HAD TO WORK TO GET THERE?
33 miles of BRUTAL trail, lugging a LITERAL METRIC TON OF SUPPLIES. LIKE. THEY LITERALLY DIDN'T LET YOU INTO CANADA IF YOU WEREN'T CARRYING A METRIC TON. So a journey people thought would take days took MONTHS, because you had to go one load at time, put it down after a few miles, and go back for the next load.
And the last stretch before hitting the Canadian border? THE GOLDEN STAIRCASE
BRUTAL 45 DEGREE ANGLE CLIMB. GET FUCKED.
Finish lugging your stuff up the top? Congrats, pay duties on your METRIC TON OF SHIT YOU HAULED, and then CUT AND STRIP LOGS TO BUILD A BOAT AND RAFT DAYS TO DAWSON, AS WINTER CLOSED IN AND ICE FILLED THE RIVER.
Goldie got to Dawson before Scrooge, who hiked the trail. Assuming Scrooge hit the road as soon as possible, unless you were very wealthy, this (and other much worse paths) was the only real way at the time. Women hiked it too, in short skirts with leather leggings underneath, or in mens' trousers.
Anyway, Goldie hiked the Chilkoot Pass. I've decided.
And once you got there? GOD there's so much cool history.
GOLDIE WAS A DANCE HALL GIRL.
Once the shows were done, they'd push all the chairs aside and the men would pay to dance with the women, waltzes and square dances and such. Of COURSE Scrooge would look down on that! It's not just a waste of money to pay to see a show, but to pay for a dance! Come on! He does go in when he strikes it rich, so like...
Idk, I've got a fic brewing in my docs somewhere of Scrooge and Goldie having to go to a miner's meeting, which was a little unofficial court held by the miners to deal with petty issues, (you wanted to go for other people, so they'd be there for you), and all the men get jumpscared by Glittering Goldie showing up next to the Scottish Reclusive Asshole, filthy and wearing his pants. Someday that'll happen.
ANYWAY I JUST REALLY LIKE DAWSON'S HISTORY ITS AND KLONDIKE SCROLDIE COULD BE SO MUCH MORE THAN A CABIN IN THE MOUNTAINS.