On mobile so sources could be better, but long story short they didn't. The Alaska gold rush of 1897 bailed out the country, as well as the Spanish American war. The huge in flux of capitol and the economic boon from millions traveling and spending money revitalized the economy. Pierre Burton does some decent lip service to this in the book Yukon quest. I believe that the laise a fair attitude in the early days of the great depression in 29-30 was in part because of the economy "fixing" it's self during this period.