Based on what you know about the Alaska gold rush,
why did miners want dogs?
Highlight details in the paragraph that reveal the story's
historical context.
Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had found a
yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation
companies were booming the find, thousands of men
were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted
dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with
strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect
them from the frost.
- The Call of the Wild,
Jack London
O Dogs could be used to sniff out gold.
O Dogs made good companions in places where
people could not take their families.
O Dogs were used to keep wild animals such as
wolves and bears away from the miners.
O Dogs were used as a method of transportation over
snow and ice.