Generations of prospectors and miners have sought to unlock the mineral treasures from the craggy hills of Dublin Gulch, in the heart of the Yukon wilderness. On this tiny tributary located an hour north of the village of Mayo, families were raised and lives lived, dreaming of finding the motherlode.

For a century, miners and their families sifted gold from Dublin gravels while prospectors with grit, drive and determination burrowed into the granite below, seeking elusive veins of gold. Yet it was there all along, invisible to the eye, waiting for the right people to find it and the right technology to release it from the bedrock.

This story begins with these dreamers and ends with the opening of the Yukon’s biggest gold mine: the Eagle. It is the story of the little company that could, Victoria Gold; of a veteran miner, John McConnell; and of his committed team of determined men and women who beat the odds and turned the dream into a reality.

With insight into both the natural and human forces at play, author Michael Gates illuminates the important history of a profoundly significant industry in the Yukon—and in doing so, illuminates the landscape of the North with verve, detail and affection.