Skookum Jim (Keish) - The largely unsung hero of the great gold rush. It was Jim (known to natives as Keish), not his brother-in-law George Carmack, who discovered the gold in Rabbit Creek. A member of the Stick Indian tribe from Interior Alaska, Jim and his sister Kate grew up not far from where the gold would be found. Carmack had moved north in the late 1880's, and befriended some of the natives, including Jim and his family. In the summer of 1896, Jim, Kate, their nephew Tagish Charlie and George Carmack were prospecting and hunting around the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers.

   In July, Jim climbed up a small valley along a stream named Rabbit Creek looking for timber. He noticed a great deal of gold on the stream bottom. He hurried to inform George and Charlie, but they were not impressed enough to make the hike back up and delayed the trip for several weeks. While making the hike, the threesome came across the camp of Robert Henderson, a prospector known to them. The three asked for a meal and some tobacco, but Henderson refused to share with any natives. Jim, George and Charlie quit his camp angrily to hunt on their own. Back in the valley of Rabbit Creek, Jim shot a moose and called to the others to help. While waiting for them to arrive, Jim spent some time panning the creek and pulled out more gold in a few pans than he had ever seen in his life.

   Jim wanted to make the discovery claim (a 500 ft stretch of stream) as his own, filing the papers to register it officially, but George convinced him not to. George persuaded Jim to let him make the claim, because it was doubtful whether a native non-white miner would be allowed to make a discovery claim. George Carmack took the discovery claim, Tagish Charlie took the claim downstream from him, and Skookum Jim took the claim upstream. Skookum Jim became a wealthy man quickly and made a few trips to Seattle, but settled comfortably in his hometown of Carcross, Alaska by 1900. His sister Kate, divorced from George, moved back home with him soon afterward.