| Summary: | This photo depicts members of the Seattle No. 2 Lodge of the Yukon Order of Pioneers wearing the YOOP sash, with the lodge banner in the center. Seated to the left of the banner is George W. Carmack, and to the right, George T. Snow. The Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP) fraternal organization was formed on December 1, 1894 at Forty Mile, Yukon Territory, Canada. With the motto "Do unto others as you would be done by" as its abiding rule, the organization helped maintain law and order and settle disagreements among early prospectors and residents. In order to qualify for membership, pioneers were required to have been in the Yukon Territory on or before 1888. In 1912, many of the miners had moved to Seattle and applied to form a lodge there; the Yukon Order of Pioneers Seattle Lodge No. 2 was founded that year by George T. Snow and Thomas W. O'Brien. George W. Carmack was a gold miner in the Yukon Territory. With Tagish Indian partners Skookum Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie; and prospector Robert Henderson of Nova Scotia, Carmack is discovered rich gold deposits on Rabbit Creek; Carmack was given official credit for the discovery, though some accounts give actual credit to Skookum Jim. The discovery, later named Bonanza Creek, launched the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896. George Snow, born James Fink, changed his named when he became active in the theater. Snow and his family performed in Port Townsend, Washington, and Victoria, British Columbia, from 1884 to 1886 before moving to Juneau, Alaska in 1887 to run the Opera House. In 1894, Snow took his family over the Chilkoot Pass into the Yukon Territory, living at Circle City and Forty Mile, where he founded the Yukon Order of Pioneers on December 1, 1894. After several meetings throughout 1894, the group's charter was signed by 68 founding members at the Snow opera house. 1 photographic print: b&w; 10 x 12.5 in.
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