The Klondike Big Inch

Klondike Big Inch – The Yukon Promotion That Sold One Square Inch of Land to Millions

In 1955, the breakfast-cereal company Quaker Oats launched one of the most memorable marketing stunts in North American history: they purchased about 19.11 acres of land near Dawson City, Yukon, then issued millions of “deeds” claiming ownership of one square inch of that land.

What Happened

• The land parcel, known officially as Lot 243, Group 2, was purchased for around US$1,000.
  
• The company created a subsidiary, the Klondike Big Inch Land Co., to make the promotion look legitimate.
  
• Starting January 27, 1955, the campaign was tied to the radio show “Sergeant Preston of the Yukon” and ran through boxes of Quaker cereals. Over 21 million deeds were printed and distributed.
  
• The promotion thrilled children and families who believed they “owned” a piece of the Yukon wilderness.
  

Why It Matters

• The story blends Yukon Gold Rush myth, advertising creativity and the mid-20th-century consumer age.
  
• It shows how the romantic aura of the Klondike was used to sell everyday products thousands of miles from the North.
  
• Though the deeds looked real, legally none of the square-inch owners ever acquired full registered titles. The land reverted to the Canadian government in 1965 due to back taxes of $37.20.
  
• Even decades later, the Yukon land-titles office receives letters from people who found their deed and wonder if it still counts.
  

What You Can See or Do

• While you cannot visit a marked “square-inch” plot or trace your specific deed, the original land parcel lies near Dawson City on the Yukon River’s west bank.
  
• The story itself makes a fun stop for Gold Rush enthusiasts — imagine a cereal box in the 1950s promising “Your very own inch of the Klondike”.
  
• Visit local heritage sites in Dawson, talk to locals about the quirky promotion and reflect on how marketing and myth intertwine in Yukon history.
  

Visitor Notes

• This tale is far more about the idea of ownership and nostalgia than about a serious land claim.
  
• If you ever uncover one of those old deeds in a drawer, know that it holds historical and collectible value — not legal land title.
  
• The Klondike remains an evocative place to visit, where so many real dreams and promotional ones were born.