In the mid 1880s, he worked as a packer over the Chilkoot Pass carrying supplies for miners, where he earned his Skookum nickname because of his extraordinary strength. Skookum means "strong" in the Chinook Jargon used on the Pacific coast.
He assisted William Ogilvie in his explorations of the upper Yukon. He also showed members of the expedition the way over the White Pass. Keish is today credited with making the gold discovery that led to the Klondike Gold Rush, although, in keeping with the prejudices of the time, it was originally attributed to George Carmack, his brother-in-law. It is also possible that the discovery was made by Keish's sister Shaaw Tláa.
Carmack described Keish as:
“straight as a gun barrel, powerfully built with strong sloping shoulders, tapering…downwards to the waist, like a keystone. He was known as the best hunter and trapper on the river, in fact he was a super-specimen of the northern Indian” (Skookum Jim Oral History Project- Archives)
He died in Whitehorse, Yukon in 1916, survived by a daughter, Daisy Mason, sister, Kate Carmack, and cousin, Tagish John.
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Last updated on Thursday June 05, 2008 at 10:27:56 PDT (GMT -0700)
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