ordova (which was called "Orca" in its early days) was important throughout the United States a century ago.

Cordova was a supplier of canned salmon, a major source of cheap protein. In 1898, salmon was shipped south from Orca, but the boats coming north were empty.

So, based on military maps that weren't completely accurate, the unscrupulous ship owners invented a gold rush to the Copper Valley to fill their empty ships with gullible human cargo on the way north.

They made up phony newspaper stories claiming that there was gold for the taking. As if that weren't good enough, they also promoted what was known as the "All Alaska Route" to the Klondike Gold Rush (where there actually was gold).