The A. J. Goddard, was a Gold Rush

Klondike Gold Rush

The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...

 era sternwheeler that transported men and supplies on the Yukon River

Yukon River

The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...

. She was assembled from pieces which were manufactured in San Francisco, shipped up to Skagway, Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

, hauled over the Coast Mountains

Coast Mountains

The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...

, and finally assembled at Lake Bennett

Lake Bennett

Lake Bennett may refer to:In Australia*Lake Bennett , AustraliaIn Canada*Bennett Lake, British Columbia and Yukon*In Ontario**Bennett Lake in Hastings County at 45° 21′ 07″ North 77° 40′ 06″ West...

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History

The ship sank in a storm on Lake Laberge

Lake Laberge

Lake Laberge is a widening of the Yukon River north of Whitehorse, Yukon in Canada. It is fifty kilometres long and ranges from two to five kilometres wide. Its water is always very cold, and its weather often harsh and suddenly variable....

 on 22 Oct. 1901, going down in 40 ft (12.2 m) of water about 40 miles (64.4 km) north of Whitehorse

Whitehorse, Yukon

Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...

. Three of her crew, Capt. Charles McDonald, cook Fay Ransome and fireman John Thompson, died in the sinking. The remaining two crewman managed to survive by clinging to the pilothouse

Pilothouse

A pilothouse or pilot-house is a glass-enclosed room from which a ship is controlled by the ship's pilot. The pilothouse also is known as the wheelhouse....

 which had become detached during the storm.

The wreck site was discovered during the course of a survey of Klondike Gold Rush era wrecks resting at the bottom of the lake in July 2008. Underwater archaeologists

Underwater archaeology

Underwater archaeology is archaeology practised underwater. As with all other branches of archaeology it evolved from its roots in pre-history and in the classical era to include sites from the historical and industrial eras...

 examined the ship in 2009 and found many objects preserved as they were when the ship went down. Among the artifacts was a phonograph

Phonograph

The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...

 with three records, including Rendezvous Waltz and a 1896 recording of Ma Onliest One. The finds gave valuable insight into songs being listened to during the Gold Rush. The Yukon government has designated the shipwreck a historic site.