Alex McDonald (prospector) Alex McDonald (prospector) Alexander "Big Alex" McDonald (1859–1909) was a Canadian gold prospector who made (and lost) a fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush, earning himself the title "King of the Klondike". The son of Scottish immigrants, McDonald was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He was an unsuccessful prospector, having tried his luck in the Colorado gold fields, before heading to the gold rush in Juneau, Alaska, in the late 1880s. In 1895 or 1896, he was in the Yukon, employed by the Alaska Commercial Company at Forty-Mile to buy mining properties. Gold was discovered in the region in 1897.
William Ford (prospector) built a sandstone Federation house called 'Wyckliffe' in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood. Built predominantly of stone, the house is single-storeyed with a turret. It has elaborate wrought iron balconies as well as floral detailing around the turret. Ford and his wife had a baby girl in 1906; a son followed not long after. Ford lived quietly at 'Wyckliffe' until his death, which was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald; the paper described him as the discoverer of Coolgardie. 'Wyckliffe' is listed by Willoughby Council as a heritage item of local significance under Willoughby LEP 2012 (edocs.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/DocumentViewer.ashx?dsi=3539298). William Ford (prospector)