In 1896 gold was discovered on the banks of the Klondike River in Canada's Yukon Territory, triggering a stampede of prospectors into Seattle and an era of prosperity that lasted for more than a decade.

In this diary of his gold rush travels, Harry V. McComb (1866-1947) of Seattle describes trips between Seattle and Alaska, and writes about stops in Nanaimo and Dyea, working on the Skagway trail, crossing White Pass, setting up camp at Lake Bennett and Miles Canyon, and other perilous adventures in freezing weather.

A letter written by Mr. McComb's daughter, Ella McComb Karr, was included inside a pocket in the diary. It reads, in part, "This is a partial diary kept by my father Harry V. McComb on his trips into the Klondike from 1897 to 1900. His companions were Mr. M.V. Kellogg, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. William Lake and Mr. Willis, who had a son Bryant Willis who did live in Seattle [....] Mr. McComb came to Seattle at age of 13, attended the old University where it was at its original site. He was a member of the National Guard. Volunteered as a fireman during the Seattle fire. Saw the town grow from a few muddy streets to the city it became. He left to live in California in 1927 and passed away at the age of 81 in 1947."