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It is currently Thu Apr 18, 2024 6:27 pm
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Food Supply Lessons of the Klondike Gold Rush
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kf7mjf
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Location: Olympia Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 Posts: 16044
Real Name: Steve
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It is pretty well known that to gain entry into Canada during the Klondike Gold Rush, a miner had to have a year supply of food. This, combined with other needed supplies, lead to the famous "ton of goods" each miner would need. One commonly distributed list prepared by the Northern Pacific Railroad suggested the following food Quote: 150 lbs. bacon 400 lbs. flour 25 lbs. rolled oats 125 lbs. beans 10 lbs. tea 10 lbs. coffee 25 lbs. sugar 25 lbs. dried potatoes 2 lbs. dried onions 15 lbs. salt 1 lb. pepper 75 lbs. dried fruits 8 lbs. baking powder 2 lbs. soda 1/2 lb. evaporated vinegar 12 oz. compressed soup 1 can mustard Another list suggested Quote: 200 pounds of bacon 400 pounds of flour 85 pounds assorted dried fruit 50 pounds cornmeal 35 pounds rice 24 pounds coffee 5 pounds tea 100 pounds sugar 25 pounds fish 15 pounds soup vegetables 50 pounds oatmeal 50 pounds dried potatoes 50 pounds dried onions 25 cans butter 100 pounds beans 4 dozen tins condensed milk 15 pounds salt 1 pound pepper 8 pounds baking powder 2 pounds baking soda 1/2 pound mustard 3/4 pound ginger 36 pounds yeast cakes As you can see there is some considerable overlap. The second list with it's "36 pounds of yeast cake" appears to be twice the amount of yeast cake needed for leavening 400 pounds of flour, but it is possible they used more yeast back then, or 1896 yeast cakes weren't as potent. Anyway, I like the second list better because it seems more well rounded. Now ignoring spices and leavening agents (make your own judgement there) it is an interesting exercise to see the cost of putting this same list away today. Some things, like canned butter are far more expensive and esoteric today, and bacon isn't the no refrigeration product it used to be. 15 pounds of "soup vegetables" is somewhat vague, and almost assuredly refers to dehydrated mixed vegetables of some sort. Since Wal-Mart sells a 2 pound can of dried vegetable stew mix, we'll work with those. So let's shop this list on Wal Mart 200 pounds bacon. This is a tough one. If you have a freezer, that's fine but bacon back then could be preserved for long unrefrigerated shelf life. Yuck. Let's try canned spam or similar. You'll need 267 of these bad boys for $528.66. Mix it up with other canned or prepared meats that you like. Maybe stews. Or eat a fuckton of Spam or knockoffs thereof. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value- ... z/10532843400 pounds flour. 8 50 pound sacks $471.16 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bulk-Flou-Ro ... /157695978 85 pounds assorted dried fruit. This is messy no matter how you look at it. However it appears you can put together some sort of mix of dried fruits for about $7-9 a pound depending on how you shop. $680 or so for your dried fruit, there have to be some cheaper bulk options out there. https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=d ... _id=97675950 pounds cornmeal. 10 5 pound bags $28.40 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aunt-Jemima- ... b/1031246735 pounds rice. Well how about 2 20 pound bags $20.88 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value- ... b/1031588324 pounds coffee. Let's get 13 of these for $110.11 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Folgers-Clas ... z/457962735 pounds tea. 10 8 ounce packs for $32.80 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lipton-Tea-B ... t/10307788100 pounds sugar. 4 25 pound bags for $62.04 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value- ... b/1031530525 pounds fish. Let's use canned salmon and tuna 13 canned salmon for $32.24 https://www.walmart.com/ip/StarKist-Ala ... z/47044520 and And ten of these tuna packages for $29.60 close enough to 25 pounds total 15 pounds dried vegetables. 8 2 pound cans for $95.04 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Farm ... b/2177715250 pounds oats $119.35 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Grain-Miller ... B/3629881650 pounds dried potatoes. That's a tough one, since modern freeze drying is superior. Judge for yourself, I'd consider 3 of these buckets a good start for $239.97 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lindon-Farms ... o/3505398550 pounds dried onions. Another toughy. Likely used as an antiscorbutic. Pack some vitamin C with your supplies and call it good. Buy preserved onion to taste. Three of these for $57.66 is a good start https://www.walmart.com/ip/Emergency-Es ... z/4754822125 pounds butter. Likely used as a cooking fat, as well as a food. I'll leave you to figure out how you want to store a year supply. Mix it up with butter, cooking oil and lard or shortening. 100 pounds beans. 5 20 pound bags for $99.90 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value- ... z/103157414 dozen tins condensed milk. Also known as evaporated milk if unsweetened, 48 cans $48 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Carnation-Vi ... z/1029186315 pounds salt eh close enough. Get 9 of these for $17.64 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hain-Sea-Salt-26-oz/103184761 pound pepper $8.46 https://www.walmart.com/ip/McCormick-Ta ... z/49656101This of course is a minimum, but it is a good representation of a modern trip to shop a recommended year of supplies for the Klondike region. If I were to buy this in real life, I'd get it all at Costco or similar. I'd add some sort of candy sweet to it as well, and sub out canned soups and stews for some of the 200 pounds of preserved meat.
_________________ "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said." - William Buckley, Jr.
"...steam, artillery and revolvers give to civilized man an irresistible power." -Perry Collins
Last edited by kf7mjf on Wed Mar 29, 2017 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:59 pm |
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chevytruckman
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Location: Puyallup Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 Posts: 4996
Real Name: Sean
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They don't have uber eats up there?
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:30 pm |
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Selador
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Location: Index Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 Posts: 12963
Real Name: Jeff
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Well done!!! I like the second list better for the same reasons. I'd be substituting some dry soup mixes for some of the vegetables and meats. Lots of different varieties available now, in various size envelopes that will keep pretty much forever. Actually maybe a good substitution almost straight across, for the 'soup vegetables'. I'm thinking that for a year, though, I'd probably prefer more then 4 times as much as they recommend. The vegetable stew mix is an excellent choice! As for the bacon... I wonder what they did to it to make it storable for a long time? Couldn't we do the same? Spam is a good recommendation, though. And I believe you can get bacon spam! As well as other varieties, so you wouldn't get bored. I don't think any of us would make it without candies or other sweets, any more. Maybe honey? Molasses. Gathered berries, edible plants, and hunting, could round it all out.
_________________ -Jeff
How can I help you, and/or make you smile, today?
You are entitled to your opinion. You are not entitled to tell me what mine must be.
Do justice. Love mercy.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ~ Richard P. Feynman
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:58 pm |
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kf7mjf
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Location: Olympia Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 Posts: 16044
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Selador wrote: I don't think any of us would make it without candies or other sweets, any more. Maybe honey? Molasses.
Gathered berries, edible plants, and hunting, could round it all out. I'd personally go with the sweets you mentioned, along with cocoa powder, dark chocolate bars, and some jams, jellies and syrups. Remember, this list was designed to be portable as well as sustaining. For home use it can be expanded on/modified with more variety and fresh supplies. In the Klondike hunting and gathering was hard. The sudden influx of 125,000 people in four years devastated the immediate ecosystem around Dawson city, destroyed the forests and streams around it, and left little opportunity to hunt and gather without going far afield and neglecting mining.
_________________ "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said." - William Buckley, Jr.
"...steam, artillery and revolvers give to civilized man an irresistible power." -Perry Collins
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:01 pm |
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kf7mjf
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Location: Olympia Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 Posts: 16044
Real Name: Steve
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Selador wrote: As for the bacon... I wonder what they did to it to make it storable for a long time? Couldn't we do the same?
Heavily salted and smoked, wrapped and stored dry. You could do the same today, but it would probably be unpleasant compared to modern refrigerated bacon. I'd prefer to stick with canned stuff.
_________________ "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said." - William Buckley, Jr.
"...steam, artillery and revolvers give to civilized man an irresistible power." -Perry Collins
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:09 pm |
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quantsuff
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Location: central wa Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 Posts: 3554
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What is evaporated vinegar in list 1?
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:13 pm |
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Selador
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Location: Index Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 Posts: 12963
Real Name: Jeff
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kf7mjf wrote: Selador wrote: I don't think any of us would make it without candies or other sweets, any more. Maybe honey? Molasses.
Gathered berries, edible plants, and hunting, could round it all out. I'd personally go with the sweets you mentioned, along with cocoa powder, dark chocolate bars, and some jams, jellies and syrups. Remember, this list was designed to be portable as well as sustaining. For home use it can be expanded on/modified with more variety and fresh supplies. In the Klondike hunting and gathering was hard. The sudden influx of 125,000 people in four years devastated the immediate ecosystem around Dawson city, destroyed the forests and streams around it, and left little opportunity to hunt and gather without going far afield and neglecting mining. True. I was thinking more along the lines of what it would take should the grid go down, and all of us be on our own. Of course in that situation we have plenty of other options to think about as well. Kerosene lamps. Root cellars. Running water. Heat. All of these are things that many rural dwellers already have covered, or could do so fairly quickly. Urban dwellers, however... What? 3 days from disaster? I do think I'd like to do at least SOME of the bacon the way they did it. And yeah, never heard of evaporated vinegar! Is that like dehydrated water?
_________________ -Jeff
How can I help you, and/or make you smile, today?
You are entitled to your opinion. You are not entitled to tell me what mine must be.
Do justice. Love mercy.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ~ Richard P. Feynman
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:15 pm |
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kf7mjf
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Location: Olympia Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 Posts: 16044
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quantsuff wrote: What is evaporated vinegar in list 1? I suspect it is like evaporated milk, only as vinegar.
_________________ "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said." - William Buckley, Jr.
"...steam, artillery and revolvers give to civilized man an irresistible power." -Perry Collins
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:33 pm |
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Selador
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Location: Index Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 Posts: 12963
Real Name: Jeff
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kf7mjf wrote: quantsuff wrote: What is evaporated vinegar in list 1? I suspect it is like evaporated milk, only as vinegar. Evaporated milk was one thing I forgot to mention. Their evaporated milk was based on whole milk. Modern day fat free stuff goes bad faster than the whole milk stuff. "Viking Preparedness" on youtube showed some that turned brown and quite yucky. I remember evaporated milk in my youth that was still good, after ten years.
_________________ -Jeff
How can I help you, and/or make you smile, today?
You are entitled to your opinion. You are not entitled to tell me what mine must be.
Do justice. Love mercy.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ~ Richard P. Feynman
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:37 pm |
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kf7mjf
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Location: Olympia Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 Posts: 16044
Real Name: Steve
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That's the nice thing about this list, it's good for whatever "grid down" scenario you might want to play out, as long as you are relatively static or have the ability to move it. Being able to cook is the hard part, but one could lay in a supply of cooking equipment and fuel, or substitute canned beans for dry, switch out to instant rice, etc... to reduce the cooking time.
My own supplies are loosely based around this list, and since I have a fondness for beans, rice and cornbread it's not a bad thing to contemplate.
As for evaporated milk, they had canned stuff like we do now. The precursor to Carnation started in Kent in 1899, and I'm pretty sure they were using existing tech.
"Carnation milk, best in the land. Comes to the table in a little red can. No teats to pull, no hay to pitch, just punch a hole in the sonuvabitch."
_________________ "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said." - William Buckley, Jr.
"...steam, artillery and revolvers give to civilized man an irresistible power." -Perry Collins
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:42 pm |
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Guntrader
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Location: Mukilteoish Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 Posts: 11595
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Evaporated vinegar is acetic acid. Household white vinegar is 95% water/5% acetic acid.
_________________ NRA Endowment Member. How did they know my member was well endowed?
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:52 pm |
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golddigger14s
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Location: Faxon, OK Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 Posts: 17818
Real Name: Chuck
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What you need is Yoders canned bacon, and Thrive.
_________________ "The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it." Thomas Jefferson "Evil often triumphs, but never conquers." Joseph Roux
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Tue Mar 28, 2017 9:43 pm |
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Col_Temp
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Location: Lake Stevens Joined: Fri Jan 3, 2014 Posts: 6213
Real Name: Paris
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Or better Yoder's for the canned bacon, Beprepared, Mountain house, Provident freeze dried.
Would have weighed a lot less. Thanks for taking the time to calculate it out. Most people never quite figure out just how much it costs to be even a little bit prepared.
_________________Paris You can never be too prepared. Consider the ant thou sluggard. Proverbs 27:12 -- “A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”Need Long term Food or Survival Supplies, I have extras, Grab the Supplies_Available.pdf. Prices Quoted are close to my actual cost: https://backupcomputing.workplace.datto.com/filelink/6af06-883bf7e-31d469c0e1-2Link corrected 1/30/2021. The prudent Wagunner trains and prepares to defend themselves and their families, friends, and neighbors. They also are prepared to feed, shelter, and provide aid as well. Danger is coming and may already be here, how prepared are you? Click the link above for lots of good info to get started.
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Wed Mar 29, 2017 1:03 pm |
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mislabeled
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Location: N-Sno Joined: Thu Oct 3, 2013 Posts: 4015
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I'm surprised pemmican isn't on this list. Or did I miss it? Seems like that was a staple for a long time and performed pretty well both in nutritional value and staying power.
_________________ "Hmmm. I've been looking for a way to serve the community that incorporates my violence." -- Leela
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Wed Mar 29, 2017 1:10 pm |
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kf7mjf
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Location: Olympia Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 Posts: 16044
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Col_Temp wrote: Or better Yoder's for the canned bacon, Beprepared, Mountain house, Provident freeze dried.
Would have weighed a lot less. Thanks for taking the time to calculate it out. Most people never quite figure out just how much it costs to be even a little bit prepared. Yoder's is $$$ shit. In 1890's speak, bacon was more like a flavorful salt pork. As for the freeze dried, I'm not trying to provide modern substitutes for the list. And really, the main bulk of the food is beans, flour, rice, cornmeal, and bacon. Putting it in cans just makes it heavier.
_________________ "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said." - William Buckley, Jr.
"...steam, artillery and revolvers give to civilized man an irresistible power." -Perry Collins
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Wed Mar 29, 2017 1:47 pm |
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