This Day in California History (August 16) Cal Wire Archives By Cal Wire Archives Share: Follow CALWIRE: 1896 — Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.1927 — The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.1942 — World War II: US Navy L-class blimp L-8 drifts in from the Pacific and eventually crashes in Daly City, California. The two-man crew cannot be found.2020 — The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.
