14 Facts About Keish

Keish was born around 1855 near Lake Bennett into the Dakl'aweidi clan of Tagish.

Keish's family was involved in trade between the coastal Tlingit and the inland Tagish.

Keish assisted the government surveyor William Ogilvie in his explorations of the upper Yukon River.

Keish reportedly packed 70 kilos of bacon over the Chilkoot Pass for the surveyor, which was more than double the regular load.

Keish met George Washington Carmack, an American trader and prospector, while working on the Trail at Dyea.

In 1887, Keish helped Captain William Moore with a survey of the White Pass, a low lying pass to the east of the Chilkoot Trail.

Keish remained in Tagish, and in the early 1890s he married Daakuxda.

Keish lived there in the winters before returning each spring to the Klondike, where he continued hunting, trapping and prospecting for gold.

In 1904, Keish sold his claims in the Klondike for $65,000.

Keish developed a drinking problem, and as a result in 1905 he created the Daisy Mason Trust to protect his fortune from being spent on alcohol or gifts to others, because it was meant to provide for his daughter's education.

Keish's marriage suffered, and following several attempts at reconciliation, in 1905 they separated and Daakuxda.

Keish was known for his generosity to his family and others.

When Carmack abandoned his wife Kate, leaving her virtually penniless, Keish built his sister a cabin in Carcross.

Keish died in Whitehorse, Yukon on July 11,1916, after a long illness.