JF Ptak Science Books   Quick Post

Apologies for the quality of this reproduction, but the original is quite small, about an inch square, an wasn’t meant for a marquee display.  The idea, though, is a large one, and probably an uncomfortable one at that for the thousands of people who were considering a march to the relatively-newly-found goldfields in the Klondike region of the Canadian northwest territory. The gold was discovered in the summer of ’96, and there were soon dozens of thousands of hopefuls crowded narrow pathways through prospector-choked passes over snow-covered mountains to the gold fields.  Of the 100,000+ prospectors that tempted fate over the next few years, only about 4% actually struck gold. That made for 96% of the gold-seekers with the dangerous and expensive ‘seeking” part accomplished but without any gold to shpw for it.  Gold fever or not, revenge or not, unresponded sweat equity or not, many were no doubt tempted to find their gold in someone else’s pockets.  And so the insurance policy filled by Misters Smith & Wesson.  

And even though quite a small ad on a big page, it packed some punch.  

Found in the ad pages of the Scientific American, September 24, 1898.