Why Are Alaskans Called Sourdoughs?

Sourdough is an Alaskan term that refers to someone who has lived in Alaska for several winters. The term likely originated in the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th Century. It was used as the opposite of the term Cheechako, which refers to those who were newly arrived at the mining camps.

Why are people called sourdoughs?

Sourdough has long been associated with the 1849 gold prospectors, though they were more likely to make bread with commercial yeast or baking soda.” ... Old hands came to be called “sourdoughs”, a term that is still applied to any Alaskan old-timer.”

How long do you have to live in Alaska to be considered a sourdough?

Cheechako 2 Sourdough

Sourdough = “A person who has survived at least one winter in Alaska.