Blog Tour: WALKS BY BIG ALEX'S POND by Henry Van Berkel

 

Walks by Big Alex's Pond

by Henry Van Berkel

 

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GENRE: Autobiography (Nature)

 

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BLURB:

 

Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880's to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as "the King of the Klondike". At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex's departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases "Big Alex's" family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.

 

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EXCERPT

 

Now, less than three years after the beginning of the mad stampede to the rich Klondike goldfields, conditions had begun to change. That summer a fire in Dawson burned 117 buildings, including many owned by Big Alex. The claims were yielding less, and gold had been discovered in Nome, Alaska. Thousands pulled out of Dawson City—six thousand in August of 1899— and headed to the new El Dorado. Taverns closed their doors. Big Alex experienced a change of fortune. Various newspaper stories (Lawrence Daily Journal, August 12, 1899; Aberdeen Daily News, August 12, 1899; Jackson Citizen, August 15, 1899) reported that Alex filed a declaration of insolvency in Dawson on July 29, in which he acknowledged, “There is not enough to go around.”

 

Some said he had left his affairs in the hands of incompetent and perhaps corrupt agents while he was on his grand tour. The news articles repeated Alex’s alleged assertions that he had liabilities of approximately six million dollars and indeterminate assets deemed insufficient to satisfy his creditors’ demands. However, according to a news article in the Idaho Statesman, August 17, Ferguson, a business partner of Big Alex, denied the bankruptcy. It would seem that Ferguson had a point, for back in Dawson, to all appearances, Alex remained a man of substantial means.

 

In 100 news arrived that Queen Victoria’s regal representative, the Governor General of Canada, the Earl of Minto, and his wife were to visit the City of Dawson. The city went all out to entertain the distinguished guests with banquets, visits to the goldfields— including a tour of Big Alex’s fabulously rich claim Number 30 on Eldorado Creek—and long speeches. The local authorities wanted to present the couple with a significant memento of the visit and decided that the Klondike King himself should make the presentation accompanied by some appropriate words. A local jeweller was commissioned to create an ornate brooch fashioned out of mastodon ivory shaped into the form of a miner’s hoisting bucket filled with gold nuggets. Local intellectuals coached Alex for several days to hone the speech he would deliver. It contained eloquent words and quotes from recognized Canadian poets. The stage was set. The crowd assembled. The dignitaries were in place. When it came Alex’s turn to speak andmake the presentation, he lumbered over to Lady Minto, stuck out his huge hand holding the brooch and said, “Here, take it. It’s trash.” The local paper reported that Alex had made “a short and eloquent speech.”

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880's to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as "the King of the Klondike". At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex's departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases "Big Alex's" family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.

 

 

Connect with Henry Van Berkel

 

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/walksbybigalexspond/

 

GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50277404-walks-by-big-alex-s-pond

 

 

Get a copy of Walk by Big Alex's Pond         

 

AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/0228816947

 

AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/0228816947

 

BOOKSHOP https://bookshop.org/books/walks-by-big-alex-s-pond/9780228816942

 

INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/walks-by-big-alexs-pond/9780228816966-item.html

 

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/walks-by-big-alexs-pond-henry-van-berkel/1136006616

 

BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/Walks-by-Big-Alexs-Pond-Henry-van-Berkel/9780228816942

 

KINDLE https://amazon.com/dp/B082FSK87N

 

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GIVEAWAY

 

Henry Van Berkel will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour

a Rafflecopter giveaway