The Klondike Visitors Association represents a number of tourism organizations in and around the Yukon. One of those organizations is hoping to get Canadians to visit by literally dumping their money into the river.

By donating to the “Gold Rush 2” IndieGoGo campaign set up by DawsonCity.ca, donors can get access to a range of perks, some of which are typical for a tourism organization – such as evenings out, entertainment packages and hotel deals – and others that are not – getting your name printed in a history book, gold panning kits and becoming the star of your own reality TV series. All of the money raised through the campaign will be converted into gold, which will then be dumped into the nearby Bonanza Creek, in the hopes that it will get people to flock to the city as they did during the first Gold Rush in 1896. The campaign was created by Cossette.

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Many of the perks of the campaign are what might typically be seen from tourism marketing efforts from a place as steeped in history as Dawson City is, like museum tours and long-running shows themed around the past of the Klondike. But the crowdfunding angle aims to give it a modern twist and a new entry point for would-be travelers.

“We wanted to celebrate the rich history of the Klondike Gold Rush and create a fun and modern way for people to experience what it was like back then,” says Paul Robitaille, marketing and events manager at DawsonCity.ca. “We’re looking to excite a new generation of gold-seekers to adventure to Dawson City, where they can experience the rich living-history of our beautiful territory and, hopefully, find some gold while taking it all in.”

The crowdfunding campaign runs until Aug. 20, at which point DawsonCity.ca will hold an event open to the public in which they can pan for the gold fundraised via the IndieGoGo campaign themselves.