Skagway - 16th August

Skagway is the “end of the line” for the marine ferries. However, unlike the other towns we had seen, it is connected by road to the outside, with a highway going inland to meet the Alaska Highway in Canada.

Skagway’s zenith was 1887 to 1888, when it was the primary jumping off point for miners in the rush to the Klondike gold fields in the Yukon. The town sprang from nothing to a lawless community of over 20000. Miners struggled to get to the Klondike fields 700 miles inland. Initially this meant a torturous climb over While Pass from Skagway, or the alternative, steeper, Chilkoot Trail from nearby Dye, to reach Lake Bennett. Once there, you built a boat and sailed via lakes and rivers to Dawson. Both trails crossed into Canada within 20 miles and the Northwest Police were there to ensure that you had 2000 lbs. of gear per person before you could proceed (about that required to live for a year in the remote wilderness). So, many trips were necessary for a person to cart their 2000 lbs. of possessions from Skagway to the lake. Unsurprisingly, about half the people who set out didn’t make it to Dawson City, but many thousands did.

Today Skagway is a town of under 1000, existing on tourism – they get about one million visitors a year (750,000 by cruise ship, the rest by the RVs that stream from the highway).

White Pass & Yukon Railway

The key attractions are the town itself, particularly the main street which retains many buildings from the early days, and the narrow gauge railway that runs over White Pass to Whitehorse in Canada.

The railway was built around 1900, to service the miners. Of course, by then much of the rush had ended. Nonetheless, the railway soldiered on, even paying dividends to 1912. Like the railway, the town fell away dramatically in the early 1900’s, but the deep-water ice-free port and the railway meant that it survived as a very small transport hub and as a limited tourist destination.

Skagway main street

A major revival in the town’s fortunes occurred in 1941, when the Army came to town. They set up a major operation to use the port and railway to support the rapid construction of the Alaska-Canada Highway, so that the north could be strengthened against the threat of Japanese attack. The war ended and the railway went from 30 trains a day to less than one.  The railway died out in the 1980’s but was revived as a tourist attraction in the summer months.

Our ship docked about 7am. Following a leisurely breakfast, we headed into town. The day was colder and rain was threatening, so we had lost our sunny days. Nonetheless, this was a good day for this part of Alaska.

Red Onion Saloon (and formerly a brothel)

The main street is attractive, with wooden buildings from the 1900’s and wooden boardwalks. Six blocks of the town are a Historic District that forms part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. There is a walking trail around the town, describing the old buildings and the history of the town. It also wanders by Pullen Creek, when we again saw salmon spawning.

Of course, most of the shops are the ubiquitous jewellery, shirt or curio shops, but the old buildings themselves are of interest. We wandered around for a few hours, including spending time at the excellent local museum and the local library to use the Internet. We then headed back to the ship.

The restaurant we had booked for that night was Teppanyaki. This is a small space, for about 12 people, but provided an excellent meal. As we ate, our ship slipped its mooring and headed out to sea, toward Glacier Bay.