From the exhibition
In the Shadow of the Pole
· 1909 (2nd ed.)
In the Shadow of the Pole (second edition, 1909) is a Yukon souvenir collection by Morte H. Craig, dedicated to Klondike Gold Rush prospectors who arrived in 1897. The volume comprises poetry and commemorative verse celebrating the frontier community of Dawson.
Contents include romantic and reflective poems: "A Klondyke Valentine" depicts longing for a distant beloved through tobacco-smoke reverie; "Ode to the Yukon" presents the territory as a newly awakened land bringing wealth to the world; "Knowest Thou the Land" contrasts the luxurious South with the polar North and alludes to a catastrophic ancient shift relocating tropics and poles; "A Tribute to the Ladies of St. Andrew's Ball" praises attendees at a Dawson social event; and "Life" presents vignettes of separated lovers and fallen prospectors. "Revenge Will Be Sweet" depicts a moose reclaiming the northern wilderness after human settlement fades. The dedicatory prose celebrates prospectors as honest, spiritually authentic men guided by natural piety rather than institutional religion, contrasting them favorably with urban hypocrites.
Public domain (pre-1929), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain
