Jerry Bryde (d. 2009)
Jerry Bryde started working his Klondike placer claim about 1983, and he mined it for twenty-seven years.1) In 2002, he regretted not collecting more old iron machinery thirty years before when it was plentiful in the Klondike goldfields. That summer was cold, and he only managed to get thirty days of sluicing with ongoing breakdowns to his antique D73T and Insley dragline. The road to his claim, Bonanza Road, was not ploughed during the winter so he used a snow machine once a month to go to Dawson for groceries. His little shop provided sanity during very cold weather as he worked on restoring old mining and other equipment. His favourite reading material was Gas Engine Magazine: Preserving the History of Internal Combustion Engines.2)
Jerry showed his dedication to mining history by using his restored antique steam equipment. He was considered the ambassador of small-scale placer miners. Bryde bought the tourist business Claim 33 on Bonanza Creek in 2005 and he displayed his antique equipment there.3) He was awarded the Seasonal Business of the Year award in 2006. Claim 33 was part museum, part café, and part souvenir shop.4)
Jerry Bryde drowned in Bonanza Creek after his ATV was swamped during the spring flood.5) He was posthumously honoured as the Klondike Placer Miners' Miner of the Year 2009. He was chosen for his dedication to mining history, his preservation of antique steam equipment and other curios, and his own reliving of historic techniques such as winter steam-aided shafting.6)