These twelve poems are taken from Ballads of a Cheechako, Robert W. Service's third book of Yukon poems, published in 1909. The word Cheechako, from Chinook Jargon, originated in the United States (Alaska) and Canada (Yukon) and was imported into local English during the Yukon gold rush that began in 1896. Cheechako, is a non derogatory word meaning "newcomer" or "tenderfoot." The derivation looks something like this: "chee" new "cha" come "ko" home. (summary by Heidi Preuss)
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