Doorway To The Gold Rush

It's So Much More Than Just A General Store

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I spent two days in Dawson City in the northern Yukon in late August last year and to my good fortune the weather was brilliant. Of the many things that captivated me about the historic frontier town was the brightly coloured facades of each timber building and home.

This was one of a sequence of about 150 images shot in the first hour I spent in Dawson, soaking up the unique atmosphere late on an autumn evening.

The main street has so many interesting sights that I reckon I could have spent a couple more days just walking into each store and talking to the owner about their niche in the history of the gold-rush town.

The general store looks like something out of the Wild West, but like most other structures on the main street, it has been immaculately maintained. The outwards-opening double doorway, seen in the centre of this frame, is obviously not used any longer.

But it's a literal and metaphorical doorway to a unique chapter in the region's heritage.

For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.

Rodeo Derive

Sounds Like A Squadron Of Beef-52s

In Zala county in western Hungary, locals hired a team of rodeo cowboys to round up a 50-strong herd of cattle that had roamed free for years. Authorities said they could not shoot the animals as they were a rare breed and had protected species status. Then Zsolt Kossuth said, "The cowboys came in (and) it was like something out of the Wild West."

FOOTNOTE: Zane graze.