The Klondike Miner Who Became a Wrestling King
From farm work to the gold fields, Frank Gotch finds his fortune and fame on the mat, with a championship match pending in Washington state.
The story, cleaned up
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Frank A. Gotch, who six or seven years ago was hardly known outside his own neighborhood, is today noted all over the United States for his great wrestling skill. He is to meet Tom Jenkins of Cleveland some time this month for the championship of America. About four years ago, Gotch gave up farm work and went into wrestling exclusively. He eventually departed for the gold fields of the Klondike, where he found his fame was unknown. Taking the name Frank Kennedy, he set out from Dawson as a young miner. One day while in camp, he wrestled and defeated a bully, eventually clearing $3,000 in two matches. In a match for the championship of Alaska, he defeated Silas Archer and won $18,254. He returned home with $30,000 from a six-month trip. Now, the match between Gotch and Jenkins—the greatest wrestling match America has seen for years—may be held in Whatcom, Washington, where Gotch has been for some time past.
“The match between Gotch and Jenkins will be the greatest wrestling match that America has seen for many years.”
Wrestling has a storied history in the Pacific Northwest, long before the modern era of televised entertainment. The mention of Whatcom (modern Bellingham) as a potential host site highlights how Washington was already a draw for major touring athletic events in the early 1900s.
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