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This view is near the entrance to the Gold Rush Cemetery in Skagway, Alaska. Among the tens of thousands of Stampeders who arrived in Skagway in 1898 was German Martin Itjen. Failing at prospecting, he worked on the WP&YR but didn't profit much from that either, ending up as an undertaker. As business was slow (the Klondike Gold Rush had long since died down), in the 1910s he began giving tours of Skagway, which soon became highly successful. His vehicles included mechanical bears that growled, and Soapy Smith, who saluted passers-by as Martin related colorful stories of Skagway's past. In 1935 as a publicity stunt, Martin took his vehicles to Hollywood, where he promoted Skagway alongside stars such as Mae West. Thanks to the efforts of Martin Itjen, Skagway became a tourist attraction for visitor's to Alaska. Martin also took up efforts to restore Skagway's old Gold Rush Cemetery, promoting it with the "world's largest gold nugget" protected by a chain (actually just a painted boulder), as well as the legacy of Soapy Smith, which changed from terrible crime lord to lovable anti-hero. Itjen passed away in 1942, and with his wife are the last people buried in Skagway's Gold Rush Cemetery, under the "World's Largest Gold Nugget" still chained to a tree.
The world's largest actual gold nugget, the Pepita Canaã, was found in 1983 in Serra Pelada Brazil, weighing in at nearly 134 pounds.
From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/whsieh78/9355844400
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The capital of Canada is Ottawa, in the province of Ontario. There are offically ten provinces and three territories in Canada, which is the second largest country in the world in terms of land area.While politically and legally an independant nation, the titular head of state for Canada is still Queen Elizabeth.On the east end of Canada, you have Montreal as the bastion of activity. Montreal is famous for two things, VICE magazine and the Montreal Jazz Festival. One is the bible of hipster life (disposable, of course) and the other is a world-famous event that draws more than two million people every summer. Quebec is a French speaking province that has almost seceded from Canada on several occasions, by the way..When you think of Canada, you think of . . . snow, right?But not on the West Coast. In Vancouver, it rains. And you'll find more of the population speaking Mandarin than French (but also Punjabi, Tagalog, Korean, Farsi, German, and much more).Like the other big cities in Canada, Vancouver is vividly multicultural and Vancouverites are very, very serious about their coffee.Your standard Vancouverite can be found attired head-to-toe in Lululemon gear, mainlining Cafe Artigiano Americanos (spot the irony for ten points).But here's a Vancouver secret only the coolest kids know: the best sandwiches in the city aren't found downtown. Actually, they're hidden in Edgemont Village at the foot of Grouse Mountain on the North Shore."It's actually worth coming to Canada for these sandwiches alone." -- Michelle Superle, VancouverText by Steve Smith.
