Background
He was born close to Bennett Lake on what is now the British Columbia/Yukon border, to a Tahltan woman (which under the conventions of a matrilineal society made him Tahltan) He lived in Carcross, Yukon, Canada.
He was born close to Bennett Lake on what is now the British Columbia/Yukon border, to a Tahltan woman (which under the conventions of a matrilineal society made him Tahltan) He lived in Carcross, Yukon, Canada.
In the mid-1880s, he worked as a packer over the Chilkoot Pass carrying supplies for miners, where he earned his Skookum nickname because of his extraordinary strength. Skookum means "strong", "big" and "reliable" in the Chinook Jargon and regional English as used in the Pacific Northwest. He assisted William Ogilvie in his explorations of the upper Yukon.
Keish is today co-credited with making the gold discovery at Discovery Claim that led to the Klondike Gold Rush, although it was originally attributed solely to George Carmack, his brother-in-law.
lieutenant is also possible that the discovery was made by Keish"s sister Shaaw Tláa (Kate Carmack). Carmack described Skookum Jim as:.
He also showed members of the expedition the way over the White Pass.