Book report post #3 Descibe the Setting

Jason’s Gold takes place way back in 1897, around the time of the Civil War. The book is written over a period of a year. It starts out with Jason in New York City, and then he travels by train to Seattle, Washington. From Seattle, he takes a boat up to Skagway, near the Alaska-Canada border. From there, he travels over the Chilkoot Pass, up the Yukon River, and into Dawson City, Alaska. Most of the story takes place in the cold, mountainous region of Alaska, but some takes place in different cities across America.

The time setting contributes to the novel because with advances made in technology in the present would guarantee that many more people would have made it, and far less would have died. Back then, they didn’t have all the right foods to keep you healthy, the right clothes to keep you dry and warm, or the right means of travel. For example, in the present, we have developed food to give you the right nutrients, clothes designed for a specific function, and people could have just flown in to Alaska in a plane. We also have made weapons better to make hunting faster and easier, better boats to move fast in the river, better heating units to stay warm, emergency contact units to call for help, and guides for people to learn what to do on a trip like this.


The place setting contributes a lot to the novel because if it wasn’t cold and mountainous, then it would make the trip easier. Because of the cold, the “Klondikers” had to pay for lots of extra supplies and food to stay warm and healthy. The long winter made it hard for lots of people to survive, and many didn’t. Out of the 100,000 people who left for Dawson City, 30,000 made it. Some died, some quit, and others didn’t even start. If it was traveling to a warm place, however, many more people would come, and the trip would have been far easier, as you wouldn’t have to dress warm and carry your supplies.

If you knew you would be safe with all the updated gear you need, and be able to get there fast, would you go on a gold hunting trip? What new tool or gear do you think would be the most helpful on the trip? And this sentence that makes no sense to the book puts me over 400 words.