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Keele Peak in Mackenzie range
Breeds snow 12 months a year
To get to the top takes grit and mean
And nightly bouts of prayer

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

A man named Ringo traveled there
From North Dakota way
He’d heard ‘bout Keele since was wee
That gold at its feet might pay.

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

He set up camp one late fall day
On the south side, in a cave
Traded snores with a sleepy mama bear
They were right when they said he was brave.

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

That spring when mama bear awoke
Ringo left to the trading post
Mama left with her cubs to the salmon run
Prayer answered what he’d prayed for most

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

The post had a summer courtin’ dance
Ringo dressed in his cleanest clothes
He danced all eve with a sturdy lass
By the name of Xena Rose

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

At summer’s end they said their vows
All fall they built a sturdy home
As the 2nd spring was in full swing
Xena wove with the finest down

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

One morn in June, with the midwife there
Two babes from Xena Rose
One name John, one Cornelius
How healthy their cheeks glowed

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

Robust young sons, they grew by leaps:
Mined gold at the age of two,
Swam with the salmon, climbed trees with cubs,
And grew strong as the sky was blue.

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

The years went by, they grew to men
They made their parents proud
Where John was mum and kept the books
Cornelius, wild and loud

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

One day a drifter came to the post
Claimed North Pole was the place to go
To strike it rich for the gold was such
That there was gold-covered snow!

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

Cornelius told Ringo and Xena Rose
He needed to see for himself
He promised to bring back vast sums
And maybe one of Santa’s Elfs.

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

At end of fall he took the train
As far North as it went,
Then outfitted himself with sled and dogs
Pickaxe, pliers, and tent.

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

His retractable skates, fashioned with love
Were his parting gift from his Pa
A thick wool cap of the finest down
Crowned his head, a gift from his Ma

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

A knife, hatchet, and canteen
Rounded out Cornelius’ gear;
Yet his biggest assets were his laugh,
his fearlessness and good cheer.

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

Whome’er he passed on his Polar Plunge
Asked where he was from and his name
Came a hearty laugh, a bright-eyed smile, and,
“Yukon Cornelius is my name!”

Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find Santa’s gold if you can

Adding a P.S. in here. Since I learned from Max at his blog that Yukon was really looking for a peppermint mine, please feel free to substitute “Santa’s gold” with “peppermint.”