The next time you think you have it tough, spend a few minutes looking at historical pictures available on-line courtesy of your local library or historical society. Forget the romance of the past; look at the reality. Take this photograph from the Alaska Gold Rush as an example. It is clearly a staged shot because the dogsled is not loaded and there are no dogs. Now, look at the background. Where you live may not be all that photogenic, but can you imagine living in a place where the background was all you saw? If you live in a place where it gets hot during the summer, consider that it might have been 60 below zero when this photograph was taken. These men were living in a place at a time where the temperature inside was blazing hot and smoke-filled because a fire had to be kept burning 24/7 and cold enough outside to freeze a can of oil. If they were miners, they could only work about four months out the year and very, very few miners made enough to retire.  Now, next time you think about how tough your life is, remember these guys.