In 1897, Ross Livengood and his first cousin Jay were chosen by the directors of a newly formed mining co-operative to join a group of men that they were sending to the Klondike region of Canada to prospect for gold. The company, headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio, was organized by five local businessmen who agreed to direct and invest in the venture. The company's goal was to profit from the recent gold discoveries in Canada that were being chronicled in newspapers across the nation.

The ensuing saga of the "Sandusky Klondikers", as they were called is based upon letters that the prospectors sent home to their friends and families. The letters, which were reprinted in the local newspapers, related details of their daily activities as they searched for gold in the wilderness of Alaska.