Survival Lessons From the Klondike Gold Rush

[Open_Wire]

Something I recently wrote. Had a lot of fun doing this, partly because I did a paper on the historical political economy of the Klondike Gold Rush once, and a lot of it stuck with me.

Survival Lessons of the Klondike Gold Rush

Read More

 

[Caveman Jim]

Filson & other top rated outfitters made a killing during that time.
Another point that most miners did not consider was the type of edible plants that were available in the region.
I had a reading assignment that required a detailed presentation paired with another student. We chose "edible plants in Alaska" as our topic from a book about a man that traveled up to Alaska and tried to go at it alone. He died because he thought he was eating one plant and it had actually been the other poisonous one that looks almost identical.

Good survival stuff Sir!!!

 

[Geardo]

Is this website now just a place for you to advertise your articles for the traffic?

@Joe Link

He had a lot of replies in his intro thread, and a sweet lower reciever, so obviousky a gun guy. Maybe cut him some slack?

 

[Geardo]

I specifically asked one of the mods, after several people had encouraged me to share some of my content.

@DB Wesner cleared it for me, and at a volume greater than I felt was appropriate even.

Even if you were just advertising, we need more content then:

Ahhh grabbers grabbing!

What caliber/bullet for HD or SHTF

Why do modern guns suck?

Why do old guns suck?

More grabbers grabbing

 

[Open_Wire]

Why do modern guns suck?

Because people get confused if it isn't the latest high speed, low drag tacticool thing.

As long as you have operator beard, you can't use anything unless SOCOM issues it.

 

[DB is Here]

Is this website now just a place for you to advertise your articles for the traffic?

@Joe Link

Joe's been advised and he'll make the final call, until then it's the shopping cart method. Don't like it, don't put it in your cart.

 

[11Charlie]

Seems to me to be a normal thread in the proper category. Back to your regular scheduled program.

 

[Siglvr]

Excellent article! Folks forget that although the first settlers who came out had abundant food and wildlife, those who came out after all but starved. The Indians in particular were shocked that a 50 mile wide swatch was barren of game in short order. 25 miles each side of the Oregon trail was barren, everything haven been hunted or moved out.

Folks forget that any game in their area now will be gone withing days in a SHTF scenario. Let say you have a large herd of 20 deer, 10 squirrels, a small creek with fish in it you are planning on accessing. SHFT, WHAM, the other 200 folks nearby have eaten all of that in week 1. And it wasn't enough. Week 2, you're all hungry.

 

[Open_Wire]

Excellent article! Folks forget that although the first settlers who came out had abundant food and wildlife, those who came out after all but starved. The Indians in particular were shocked that a 50 mile wide swatch was barren of game in short order. 25 miles each side of the Oregon trail was barren, everything haven been hunted or moved out.

Folks forget that any game in their area now will be gone withing days in a SHTF scenario. Let say you have a large herd of 20 deer, 10 squirrels, a small creek with fish in it you are planning on accessing. SHFT, WHAM, the other 200 folks nearby have eaten all of that in week 1. And it wasn't enough. Week 2, you're all hungry.

Good point, I never thought to look at the environmental impacts of the Oregon trail in that fashion. Ugh. Now I'm going to have to see if anyone has done any formal studies of that. I have the feeling it would make for a good article to drive home the point of the "live off the land" fallacy for people who think all they won't need to stock up on supplies.

 

[Geardo]

Folks forget that any game in their area now will be gone withing days in a SHTF scenario. Let say you have a large herd of 20 deer, 10 squirrels, a small creek with fish in it you are planning on accessing. SHFT, WHAM, the other 200 folks nearby have eaten all of that in week 1. And it wasn't enough. Week 2, you're all hungry.

This rarely gets discussed, and is the most important aspect. Hunting wildlife to survive would be exactly the same as having cattle or other livestock. You would need enough people to guard the resource, but then you need to deplete it faster, it is a very tough scenario.

 

[DB is Here]

This rarely gets discussed, and is the most important aspect. Hunting wildlife to survive would be exactly the same as having cattle or other livestock. You would need enough people to guard the resource, but then you need to deplete it faster, it is a very tough scenario.

True, I've often thought about setting up an hydroponic food source. Done some research and it's interesting for sure.

 

[Geardo]

True, I've often thought about setting up an hydroponic food source. Done some research and it's interesting for sure.

I hated the show "preppers" but the singular episode I found interesting was a couple that set up a hydroponic ecosystem involving fish, and maybe chickens too if I recall correctly. The whole thing was nearly self sustaining, produced a ton of varied food, and was contained in an old swimming pool. Great setup. I doubt it was 4000 calries a day, but a great supplement to stored rations.

 

[Open_Wire]

True, I've often thought about setting up an hydroponic food source. Done some research and it's interesting for sure.

Bonus points, you can grow umm... never mind. Great food source.

 

[DB is Here]

I hated the show "preppers" but the singular episode I found interesting was a couple that set up a hydroponic ecosystem involving fish, and maybe chickens too if I recall correctly. The whole thing was nearly self sustaining, produced a ton of varied food, and was contained in an old swimming pool. Great setup. I doubt it was 4000 calries a day, but a great supplement to stored rations.

I just started a thread on it in Off Topic...I'm curious if any of our members have any real life experience on this. If it worked it'd be pretty cool.

 

[11Charlie]

True, I've often thought about setting up an hydroponic food source. Done some research and it's interesting for sure.

@Dyjital has one set up if I am not mistaken. He might be able to shed some light on it.

 

[DB is Here]

Sorry about the thread drift @Open_Wire...I should know better.

 

[Open_Wire]

Sorry about the thread drift @Open_Wire...I should know better.

Thread drift happens LOL.

 

[Open_Wire]

He died because he thought he was eating one plant and it had actually been the other poisonous one that looks almost identical.

"Into The Wild" about that idiot Chris McCandless. What amazes me is how many people romanticize him and his failure. He was setting himself up for inevitable death, and got it. I'd call it piss poor planning, but that would give him the credit for actually having thought ahead at some level.

 

[DB is Here]

"Into The Wild" about that idiot Chris McCandless. What amazes me is how many people romanticize him and his failure. He was setting himself up for inevitable death, and got it. I'd call it piss poor planning, but that would give him the credit for actually having thought ahead at some level.

Read the book and saw the movie...I agree w/ your take on Chris.
Book was better for what's its worth.

 

[Member 5605]

True, I've often thought about setting up an hydroponic food source. Done some research and it's interesting for sure.

I have some experience with two different types of hydroponic setups along with growing in soil indoors. The preferred method is through Hydro.

A couple examples: two different setups.

This is a DWC (Deep Water Culture), used as a single use water source. You supply the nutrients in a tank and the roots grow into it.


Another method is the NFT (Nutrient Film Technique):

You see this a lot where the water runs through in a circulation system. Easy to manage. These lettuces aren't looking good because I transplanted from the DWC into the NFT so there was a little transplant shock. They look a lot better today.

The production of these systems is good:


here was a bunch that I grew using the DWC under grow lights:


I have a lot of it chronicled on my instagram page as I go through. I do enjoy as well growing microgreens, they are a super dense and nutritionally dense food source. Quick turnaround as well.

I think one of my favorite things to grow is herbs. You can grow them year round and I had basil plants months ago that were old and would produce about 1.5# every 7 days of new growth. There was more root mass on those plants than green material. I'm working now on regrowing the basil as I tossed the plants when the stems got as big as my thumb (yeah they were that old).