The Chechahcos
Encyclopedia
The Chechahcos is a 1924
silent film
about the gold rush
days in the Klondike
. Chechahco, more commonly spelled cheechako, is a Chinook Jargon
word for "newcomer", and the film focuses on a group of would-be prospector
s sailing for Alaska
.
The film was directed by Lewis H. Moomaw and produced by Austin E. Lathrop
, who himself was once a prospector.
1924 in film
-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
about the gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
days in the Klondike
Klondike, Yukon
The Klondike is a region of the Yukon in northwest Canada, east of the Alaska border. It lies around the Klondike River, a small river that enters the Yukon from the east at Dawson....
. Chechahco, more commonly spelled cheechako, is a Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
word for "newcomer", and the film focuses on a group of would-be prospector
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
s sailing for 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...
.
The film was directed by Lewis H. Moomaw and produced by Austin E. Lathrop
Austin E. Lathrop
Austin Eugene "Cap" Lathrop was an industrialist and outspoken opponent of Alaska statehood. He has been called "Alaska's first home-grown millionaire."-Early life:...
, who himself was once a prospector.
See also
- List of Allied propaganda films of World War II
- Treasures from American Film ArchivesTreasures from American Film ArchivesThe Treasures From American Film Archives series of DVDs is produced by the National Film Preservation Foundation , a nonprofit organization created by the U.S. Congress in 1997...