It’s not a park; it’s a museum dedicated to a pivotal event in Seattle’s history and housed in a historic building in the city’s most historic neighborhood (Pioneer Square). In 1897, when word got out that gold had been discovered in Alaska, tens of thousands of wannabe prospectors from around the world, both men and women, descended on Seattle to outfit themselves for the arduous trip north to the Klondike gold fields. A few made their fortunes, but most did not. Seattle had burnt to the ground just a few years earlier, but the gold rush put it on the map and filled the city’s coffers. As the closest departure point where prospectors could buy all the provisions and equipment necessary to dig for gold, Seattle had the market cornered. This museum recounts the city’s gold-rush rush in an entertaining and informative way, focusing on individuals, their preparations for the journey, and the rough-and-tumble adventures and living conditions they encountered. The museum distributes a “Trails to Treasure” self-guided tour map of the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood that dates from the gold rush days.