Leo Healy

Quest For Gold Leo Healy

Circa 1991 my father sent me a journal written by his great Uncle Leo, who at the tender age of 19 left home with his brother George to seek their fortune in the goldfields of the Yukon Territory. The 40-page journal chronicled their 1898 trek and was an honest account of their daily grind. I found the story so compelling that I fleshed out the journal and brought to life the people and places the boys encountered along the way. The story is about family, friendship and the bond created through adversity and misfortune. This narrative also brings to life the last great adventure of the 19th century. A time where the Wild West gave birth to the dawn of the modern age. It is a historical piece which speaks to the heart of the reader through it's two main characters. The novel follows the Healy boy's extraordinary 10,000-mile journey west across the northern states to Seattle and then northward on their boat ride to Skagway Alaska. Their hardship truly begins on their climb up the Chilkoot Pass where 70 men are killed on Palm Sunday morning by a series of avalanches. The push over the pass is halted while 2,000 stampeders look for survivors. After carrying 4,000 lbs. of supplies over the pass, the Healy's spend the next few months at the source of the Yukon River building a boat before sailing the next 500 miles down the Yukon River towards Dawson City in search of gold.