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109-505: It's historic and beautiful, and is the only cantilevered cable-stayed bridge in Alaska... Designed in 1974 by the engineers in the State of Alaska Department of Transportation Bridge Design Section, the cable-stayed bridge features a single H-shaped pylon anchored on the south bank, with two pairs of back stays to stabilize the forward-inclined 106-foot (32 m) tall pylon at 15 degrees from

218-487: A mediterranean climate due to the summer precipitation minimum. The highest temperature recorded in Skagway is 92 °F or 33.3 °C in three separate years, most recently in 2019, and the lowest is −24 °F or −31.1 °C on February 2, 1947. North winds prevail at Skagway from November to March. South winds prevail from April to October. Skagway first appeared on the 1900 U.S. Census, having incorporated as

327-572: A cabin. Premiums of $ 100 ($ 2,700), however, were soon paid and the steamship companies hesitated to post their rates in advance since they could increase on a daily basis. Those who landed at Skagway made their way over the White Pass before cutting across to Bennett Lake . Although the trail began gently, it progressed over several mountains with paths as narrow as 2 feet (0.61 m) and in wider parts covered with boulders and sharp rocks. Under these conditions horses died in huge numbers, giving

436-541: A census-designated place (CDP). As of 2010, it is the 71st largest community in Alaska. As of the census of 2000, there were 862 people, 401 households, and 214 families residing in the city. The population density was 1.9 people per square mile (0.73 people/km ). There were 502 housing units at an average density of 1.1 per square mile (0.42/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 92.3% White , 3.0% Native American , 0.6% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 0.8% from other races , and 3.0% from two or more races. 2.1% of

545-577: A city that same year. It was the 2nd largest city in Alaska, behind fellow Gold Rush boomtown Nome. It reported 3,117 residents, of which 2,845 were White, 113 were Native Americans, 98 were Black and 61 were Asian. It rapidly declined to 872 residents by 1910, falling to the 8th largest city. It reported 802 Whites, 61 Native Americans and 9 Others. It would be 90 years (until 2000) before it would almost reach that population again (862). It fell to 15th largest community overall in 1920. By 1930, it bottomed out at 492 residents, although it rose to 13th largest in

654-542: A day. From Seattle or San Francisco, prospectors could travel by sea up the coast to the ports of Alaska. The route following the coast is now referred to as the Inside Passage . It led to the ports of Dyea and Skagway plus ports of nearby trails. The sudden increase in demand encouraged a range of vessels to be pressed into service including old paddle wheelers , fishing boats, barges, and coal ships still full of coal dust. All were overloaded and many sank. It

763-452: A historical district of about 100 buildings from the gold rush era. It receives about a million tourists annually, most of whom (about three quarters) come on cruise ships . The White Pass and Yukon Route operates its narrow-gauge train around Skagway during the summer months, primarily for tourists. The WPYR also ships copper ore from the interior. The Days of '98 Show is performed in Skagway's Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall. Skagway

872-542: A humid continental climate ( Köppen Dsb ). It is in the rain shadow of the coastal mountains, and though not as pronounced as the rain shadow in Southcentral Alaska in the valley of the Susitna River , this still allows it to receive only half as much precipitation as Juneau and only a sixth as much as Yakutat . Although winters are too cold for the classification, precipitation patterns resemble

981-578: A location in the Municipality of Skagway Borough, Alaska is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Skagway, Alaska The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle . As of the 2020 census , the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with

1090-516: A log cabin, a sawmill, and a wharf in anticipation of future gold prospectors passing through. The boundary between Canada and the United States along the Alaska Panhandle was only vaguely defined then (see Alaska boundary dispute ). There were overlapping land claims from the United States' purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 and British claims along the coast. Canada requested a survey after British Columbia united with it in 1871, but

1199-823: A remote area, made the control of the borders a sensitive issue. Early on in the gold rush, the US Army sent a small detachment to Circle City, in case intervention was required in the Klondike, while the Canadian government considered excluding all American prospectors from the Yukon Territory. Neither eventuality took place and instead the US agreed to make Dyea a sub-port of entry for Canadians, allowing British ships to land Canadian passengers and goods freely there, while Canada agreed to permit American miners to operate in

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1308-400: A ring of thieves who swindled prospectors with cards, dice, and the shell game . His telegraph office charged five dollars to send a message anywhere in the world. Consequently, unknowing prospectors sent news to their families back home without realizing there was no telegraph service to or from Skagway until 1901. Smith also controlled a comprehensive spy network, a private militia called

1417-402: A ton, which most carried themselves in stages. Performing this task and contending with the mountainous terrain and cold climate meant that most of those who persisted did not arrive until the summer of 1898. Once there, they found few opportunities, and many left disappointed. To accommodate the prospectors, boom towns sprang up along the routes. At their terminus, Dawson City was founded at

1526-502: A town featured in the computer game The Yukon Trail . Skagway and the surrounding region is a campaign available in a modification of the helicopter combat simulator "Enemy Engaged: Comanche vs. Hokum" (version 1.16.0) In an episode of Homeland Security USA , the border crossing in Skagway was featured as being the least-used crossing in the United States. Chief Inspector Fenwick often dryly referred to nearby "big city" "Skagway" when sending his mounty, Dudley Do-Right , to capture

1635-574: A well-known American scout and explorer, arrived from Africa, only to be called back to take part in the Second Boer War . Among those who documented the rush was the Swedish-born photographer Eric Hegg , who took some of the iconic pictures of Chilkoot Pass, and reporter Tappan Adney , who afterwards wrote a first-hand history of the stampede. Jack London , later a famous American writer, left to seek for gold but made his money during

1744-460: A wheel, which pulled a rope running to the top and back; freight was loaded on sledges pulled by the rope. Five more tramways soon followed, one powered by a steam engine , charging between 8 and 30 cents ($ 2 and $ 8) per 1 pound (0.45 kg). An aerial tramway was built in the spring of 1898, able to move 9 tonnes of goods an hour up to the summit. At Lakes Bennett and Lindeman, the prospectors camped to build rafts or boats that would take them

1853-477: A woman, to be pretty . The story behind the name is that Sha-ka-ԍéi or Skagway ["Pretty Woman"] was the nickname of Kanagoo, a mythical woman who transformed herself into stone at Skagway bay and who (according to the story) now causes the strong, channeled winds which blow toward Haines, Alaska . The rough seas caused by these winds have therefore been referred to by the use of Kanagoo's nickname, Sha-ka-ԍéi or Skagway . The Kanagoo stone formation

1962-400: Is a featured setting in the 1946 film Road to Utopia , starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby . In Jack London's short story "The Unexpected," the main characters spend the winter of 1897–98 in "the mushroom outfitting-town of Skaguay" before moving on to stake a gold-mining claim elsewhere. Skagway is featured in the 1955 Western The Far Country , directed by Anthony Mann . Skagway is

2071-531: Is also served 24/7 by local EMS. Individuals in need of dire medical attention are transported by air via helicopter or air ambulance to Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau (an approximately 45-minute flight). Whitehorse General Hospital in Whitehorse, Yukon is the nearest hospital to Skagway that is accessible by road (approximately a two-hour drive). Klondike Gold Rush The Klondike Gold Rush

2180-638: Is also the setting for part of Jack London 's book The Call of the Wild , Will Hobbs 's book Jason's Gold , and Joe Haldeman 's novel, Guardian . The John Wayne film North to Alaska (1960) was filmed nearby. The name Skagway (historically also spelled Skaguay ) is the English divergent of sha-ka-ԍéi , a Tlingit idiom which figuratively refers to rough seas in the Taiya Inlet , which are caused by strong north winds. ( See , " Etymology and

2289-496: Is believed by some to be responsible for killing Smith, but the official coroner's inquest ruled "that said Smith [died] by reason of pistol wound piercing the heart. The said wound was the result of a pistol shot fired by one Frank H. Reid." Smith and Reid are now interred at the Klondike Gold Rush Cemetery, also known as "Skagway's Boot Hill ." The prospectors' journey began for many when they climbed

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2398-429: Is in the Alaska panhandle 90 miles northwest of Juneau , Alaska's capital city. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 464 square miles (1,200 km ), of which 452 square miles (1,170 km ) is land and 12 square miles (31 km ) (2.5%) is water. It is currently the smallest borough in Alaska, having taken the title away from Bristol Bay Borough at its creation. Skagway has

2507-513: Is now known as Face Mountain , which is seen from Skagway bay. The Tlingit name for Face Mountain is Kanagoo Yahaayí [Kanagoo's Image/Soul]. One prominent resident of early Skagway was William "Billy" Moore , a former steamboat captain. As a member of an 1887 boundary survey expedition, he had made the first recorded investigation of the pass over the Coast Mountains , which later became known as White Pass. He believed that gold lay in

2616-608: Is one of three Southeast Alaskan communities that are connected to the road system; Skagway's connection is via the Klondike Highway , completed in 1978. This allows access to the lower 48 , Whitehorse , Yukon , northern British Columbia , and the Alaska Highway . This also makes Skagway an important port-of-call for the Alaska Marine Highway — Alaska's ferry system — and serves as

2725-411: Is served by its local semimonthly newspaper, The Skagway News , as well as regional public radio station KHNS , which has its principal studios in nearby Haines but also has studios and programs based in Skagway. Juneau radio station KINY operates a translator in Skagway which serves the entire town. Skagway also receives copies of the free regional newspaper Capital City Weekly . Skagway and

2834-623: The Chilkat Pass some miles west of Chilkoot and turned north to the Yukon River, a distance of about 350 miles (560 km). This was created by Jack Dalton as a summer route, intended for cattle and horses, and Dalton charged a toll of $ 250 ($ 6,800) for its use. The Takou route started from Juneau and went north-east to Teslin Lake. From here, it followed a river to the Yukon, where it met

2943-507: The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) introduced safety rules, vetting the boats carefully and forbidding women and children to travel through the rapids. Additional rules stated that any boat carrying passengers required a licensed pilot , typically costing $ 25 ($ 680), although some prospectors simply unpacked their boats and let them drift unmanned through the rapids with the intent of walking down to collect them on

3052-445: The North-West Mounted Police as "little better than a hell on earth." Fights, prostitutes and liquor were ever-present on Skagway's streets, and con man "Soapy" Smith, who had risen to considerable power, did little to stop it. Smith was a sophisticated swindler who liked to think of himself as a kind and generous benefactor to the needy. He was gracious to some, giving money to widows and halting lynchings, while simultaneously operating

3161-502: The Panic of 1893 and Panic of 1896 , which caused unemployment and financial uncertainty. There was a huge, unresolved demand for gold across the developed world that the Klondike promised to fulfil and, for individuals, the region promised higher wages or financial security. Psychologically, the Klondike, as historian Pierre Berton describes, was "just far enough away to be romantic and just close enough to be accessible". Furthermore,

3270-498: The Taiya Inlet , was an important saltwater port during the Klondike Gold Rush . The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad , part of the area's mining past, now in operation purely for the tourist trade and running throughout the summer months, has its starting point at the port of Skagway. Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships , and the tourist trade is a big part of the business of Skagway. Skagway

3379-580: The "back door to the Klondike". One, the "overland route", headed north-west from Edmonton, ultimately meeting the Peace River and then continuing on overland to the Klondike, crossing the Liard River en route. To encourage travel via Edmonton, the government hired T.W. Chalmers to build a trail, which became known as the Klondike Trail or Chalmers Trail. The other two trails, known as

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3488-609: The "water routes", involved more river travel. One went by boat along rivers and overland to the Yukon River system at Pelly River and from there to Dawson. Another went north of Dawson by the Mackenzie River to Fort McPherson , before entering Alaska and meeting the Yukon River at Fort Yukon , downstream to the Klondike. From here, the boat and equipment had to be pulled up the Yukon about 400 miles (640 km). An estimated 1,660 travellers took these three routes, of whom only 685 arrived, some taking up to 18 months to make

3597-613: The Alaskan side of the border, Circle City , a logtown , was established in 1893 on the Yukon River. In three years it grew to become "the Paris of Alaska", with about 1,200 inhabitants, saloons, opera houses, schools, and libraries. In 1896, it was so well-known that a correspondent from the Chicago Daily Record came to visit. At the end of the year, it became a ghost town , when large gold deposits were found upstream on

3706-488: The Chilkoot and White Passes. These units were armed with Maxim guns . Their tasks included enforcing the rules requiring that travellers bring a year's supply of food with them to be allowed into the Yukon Territory, checking for illegal weapons, preventing the entry of criminals and enforcing customs duties. This last task was particularly unpopular with American prospectors, who faced paying an average of 25 percent of

3815-614: The Dyea and Skagway route at a point halfway to the Klondike. It meant dragging and poling canoes up-river and through mud together with crossing a 5,000 feet (1,500 m) mountain along a narrow trail. Finally, there was the Stikine route starting from the port of Wrangell further south-east of Skagway. This route went up the uneasy Stikine River to Glenora, the head of navigation . From Glenora, prospectors would have to carry their supplies 150 miles (240 km) to Teslin Lake where it, like

3924-523: The Klondike because it had been found in similar mountain ranges in South America , Mexico , California , and British Columbia . In 1887, he and his son, J. Bernard "Ben" Moore, claimed a 160-acre (650,000 m ) homestead at the mouth of the Skagway River in Alaska. Moore settled in this area because he believed it provided the most direct route to the potential goldfields . They built

4033-425: The Klondike before winter and of those 35 had to return, having thrown away their equipment en route to reach their destination in time. The remainder mostly found themselves stranded in isolated camps and settlements along the ice-covered river often in desperate circumstances. Most of the prospectors landed at the southeast Alaskan towns of Dyea and Skagway, both located at the head of the natural Lynn Canal at

4142-524: The Klondike during the gold rush. Instead, the miners relied on wood fires to soften the ground to a depth of about 14 inches (360 mm) and then remove the resulting gravel. The process was repeated until the gold was reached. In theory, no support of the shaft was necessary because of the permafrost although in practice sometimes the fire melted the permafrost and caused collapses. Fires could also produce harmful gases, which had to be removed by bellows or other tools. The resulting "dirt" brought out of

4251-450: The Klondike, a layer of hard permafrost lay only 6 feet (1.8 m) below the surface. Traditionally, this had meant that mining in the region only occurred during the summer months, but the pressure of the gold rush made such a delay unacceptable. Late 19th-century technology existed for dealing with this problem, including hydraulic mining and stripping, and dredging . Still, the heavy equipment required for this could not be brought into

4360-481: The Klondike. On August 16, 1896, an American prospector named George Carmack and two Tagish men, Skookum Jim (Keish), and Tagish Charlie (K̲áa Goox̱) were travelling south of the Klondike River. Following a suggestion from Robert Henderson , a Canadian prospector, they began looking for gold on Bonanza Creek , then called Rabbit Creek, one of the Klondike's tributaries. It is not clear who discovered

4469-463: The Klondike. Both decisions were unpopular among their domestic publics: American businessmen complained that their right to a monopoly on regional trade was being undermined, while the Canadian public demanded action against the American miners. The North-West Mounted Police set up control posts at the borders of the Yukon Territory or, where that was disputed, at easily controlled points such as

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4578-586: The Mythical Stone Woman ", below.) Skagway is the English adaptation of sha-ka-ԍéi , a Tlingit idiom which figuratively refers to rough seas in the Taiya Inlet, that are caused by strong north winds . Literally , sha-ka-ԍéi is a verbal noun which means pretty woman . The verbal noun was derived from the Tlingit finite verb theme -sha-ka-li-ԍéi , which means, in the case of

4687-635: The Pacific ports closest to the gold strikes were desperate to encourage trade and travel to the region. The mass journalism of the period promoted the event and the human interest stories that lay behind it. A worldwide publicity campaign engineered largely by Erastus Brainerd , a Seattle newspaperman, helped establish that city as the premier supply centre and the departure point for the gold fields. The prospectors came from many nations, although an estimated majority of 60 to 80 percent were Americans or recent immigrants to America. Most had no experience in

4796-576: The Skaguay Military Company, the town newspaper, the Deputy U.S. Marshal's office and an array of thieves and con men who roamed about the town. Smith was finally shot and killed by Frank Reid and Jesse Murphy on July 8, 1898, in the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf . Smith managed to return fire — some accounts claim the two men fired their weapons simultaneously — and Frank Reid died from his wounds twelve days later. Jesse Murphy

4905-653: The Stikine River route at Glenora. From Glenora, prospectors would face the same difficulties as those who came from Wrangell. At least 1,500 men attempted to travel along the Ashcroft route and 5,000 along the Stikine. The mud and the slushy ice of the two routes proved exhausting, killing or incapacitating the pack animals and creating chaos amongst the travellers. Three more routes started from Edmonton , Alberta ; these were not much better – barely trails at all – despite being advertised as "the inside track" and

5014-747: The Takou route, met the Yukon River system. An alternative to the South-east Alaskan ports were the All-Canadian routes, so-called because they mostly stayed on Canadian soil throughout their journey. These were popular with British and Canadians for patriotic reasons and because they avoided American customs. The first of these, around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in length, started from Ashcroft in British Columbia and crossed swamps, river gorges , and mountains until it met with

5123-404: The White Pass trail, supplies needed to be broken down into smaller packages and carried in relay. Packers, prepared to carry supplies for cash, were available along the route but would charge up to $ 1 ($ 27) per lb (0.45 kg) on the later stages; many of these packers were natives: Tlingits or, less commonly, Tagish. Avalanches were common in the mountains and, on April 3, 1898, one claimed

5232-516: The Yukon River, and an expedition up the Fortymile River in 1886 discovered considerable amounts of it and founded Fortymile City. The same year gold had been found on the banks of the Klondike River, but in small amounts and with no claims being made. By late 1886, several hundred miners were working their way along the Yukon valley, living in small mining camps and trading with the Hän. On

5341-586: The Yukon in the summer from the delta until a point called Whitehorse, above the Klondike. Travel, in general, was made difficult by both terrain and climate. The region was mountainous, the rivers winding and sometimes impassable; summers, albeit short, still brought heat, while during the long winters, temperatures could drop below −50 °C (−58 °F). Aids for the travellers to carry their supplies varied; some had brought dogs, horses, mules , or oxen, whereas others had to rely on carrying their equipment on their backs or on sleds pulled by hand. Shortly after

5450-408: The Yukon, often at highly inflated rates. A group of miners upset with the treatment organized a town council to help protect their interests. But as the members of the council moved north to try their own hands at mining, control of the town reverted to the more unscrupulous, most notably Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith . Between 1897 and 1898, Skagway was a lawless town, described by one member of

5559-454: The authorities by July 1898; a new prospector would have to look further afield to find a claim of his own. Geologically, the region was permeated with veins of gold, forced to the surface by volcanic action and then worn away by the action of rivers and streams, leaving nuggets and gold dust in deposits known as placer gold . Some ores lay along the creek beds in lines of soil, typically 15 feet (4.6 m) to 30 feet (9.1 m) beneath

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5668-412: The cable-stayed bridge, for a budget of about $ 19,000,000. Construction started in 2017 with a corrugated steel bridge (75 feet span, 25 feet high, 40 feet wide) set on footings on the bottom of the gorge, permitting free flowing of the creek water. Then, borrowing techniques used to construct a dam, back filling to cover (or bury) the steel bridge, making it function as a large culvert, and finally building

5777-564: The city was $ 49,375, and the median income for a family was $ 62,188. Males had a median income of $ 44,583 versus $ 30,956 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 27,700. About 1.0% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including none of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over. There are visitors to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and White Pass and Chilkoot Trails . Skagway has

5886-403: The confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers. From a population of 500 in 1896, the town grew to house approximately 17,000 people by summer 1898. Built of wood, isolated, and unsanitary, Dawson suffered from fires, high prices, and epidemics. Despite this, the wealthiest prospectors spent extravagantly, gambling and drinking in the saloons . The indigenous Hän , on the other hand, suffered from

5995-450: The early prospectors opened the important routes of Chilkoot and White Pass and reached the Yukon valley between 1870 and 1890. Here, they encountered the Hän people, semi-nomadic hunters and fishermen who lived along the Yukon and Klondike Rivers. The Hän did not appear to know about the extent of the gold deposits in the region. In 1883, Ed Schieffelin identified gold deposits along

6104-485: The end of the Inside Passage. From there, they needed to travel over the mountain ranges into Canada's Yukon Territory, and then down the river network to the Klondike. Along the trails, tent camps sprung up at places where prospectors had to stop to eat or sleep or at obstacles such as the icy lakes at the head of the Yukon. At the start of the rush, a ticket from Seattle to the port of Dyea cost $ 40 ($ 1,100) for

6213-498: The end of the trail. Even using a heavy sled, a strong man would be covering 1,000 miles (1,600 km) and need around 90 days to reach Lake Bennett. Those who landed at Dyea, Skagway's neighbour town, travelled the Chilkoot Trail and crossed its pass to reach Lake Lindeman, which fed into Lake Bennett at the head of the Yukon River. The Chilkoot Pass was higher than the White Pass, but more used it: around 22,000 during

6322-613: The final 500 miles (800 km) down the Yukon to Dawson City in the spring. 7,124 boats of varying size and quality left in May 1898; by that time, the forests around the lakes had been largely cut down for timber. The river posed a new problem. Above Whitehorse , it was dangerous, with several rapids along the Miles Canyon through to the White Horse Rapids. After many boats were wrecked and several hundred people died,

6431-580: The gold fields, most prospectors took the route through the ports of Dyea and Skagway in southeast Alaska . Here, the "Klondikers" could follow either the Chilkoot or White Pass trail to the Yukon River and sail down to the Klondike. The Canadian authorities required each person to bring a year's supply of food in order to prevent starvation. In all, the Klondikers' equipment weighed close to

6540-511: The gold reached Circle City. Despite the winter, many prospectors immediately left for the Klondike by dog-sled, eager to reach the region before the best claims were taken. The outside world was still largely unaware of the news, and although Canadian officials had managed to send a message to their superiors in Ottawa about the finds and influx of prospectors, the government did not give it much attention. The winter prevented river traffic, and it

6649-435: The gold rush, only around 15,000 to 20,000 finally became prospectors. Of these, no more than 4,000 struck gold and only a few hundred became rich. By the time most of the stampeders arrived in 1898, the best creeks had all been claimed, either by the long-term miners in the region or by the first arrivals of the year before. The Bonanza, Eldorado, Hunker, and Dominion Creeks were all taken, with almost 10,000 claims recorded by

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6758-493: The gold rush. The trail passed up through camps until it reached a flat ledge, just before the main ascent, which was too steep for animals. This location was known as the Scales, and was where goods were weighed before travellers officially entered Canada. The cold, the steepness and the weight of equipment made the climb extremely arduous and it could take a day to get to the top of the 1,000 feet (300 m) high slope. As on

6867-443: The gold: George Carmack or Skookum Jim, but the group agreed to let George Carmack appear as the official discoverer because they feared that authorities would not recognize an indigenous claimant. In any event, gold was present along the river in huge quantities. Carmack measured out four strips of ground for mining along the river - two for himself as the discoverer and one each for Jim and Charlie. These claims were registered

6976-400: The ground of vegetation and debris. Prospect holes were then dug in an attempt to find the ore or "pay streak". If these holes looked productive, proper digging could commence, aiming down to the bedrock, where the majority of the gold was found. The digging would be carefully monitored in case the operation needed to be shifted to allow for changes in the flow. In the sub-Arctic climate of

7085-499: The heavy load traffic over the decades, including the large ore mining trucks, has weakened the bridge and its load carrying capacity to the point of needing replacement. In addition, the bridge is too narrow to meet current highway standards as of 2015. After evaluating several alternatives, the State elected to straighten about half a mile of the Klondike Highway and locate a replacement buried bridge about 150 feet west of

7194-499: The idea was rejected by the United States as being too costly, given the area's remoteness, sparse settlement, and limited economic or strategic interest. The Klondike gold rush changed everything. In 1896, gold was found in the Klondike region of Canada 's Yukon Territory . On July 29, 1897, the steamer Queen docked at Moore's wharf with the first boat load of prospectors. More ships brought thousands of hopeful miners into

7303-435: The journey. An equivalent to the All-Canadian routes was the "All-American route", which aimed to reach the Yukon from the port of Valdez , which lay further along the Alaskan coast from Skagway. This, it was hoped, would evade the Canadian customs posts and provide an American-controlled route into the interior. From late 1897 onwards 3,500 men and women attempted it; delayed by the winter snows, fresh efforts were made in

7412-596: The large number of summer tourists each year. Incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007, it was previously a city (urban Skagway located at 59°27′30″N 135°18′50″W  /  59.45833°N 135.31389°W  / 59.45833; -135.31389 ) in the Skagway-Yakutat-Angoon Census Area (now the Hoonah–Angoon Census Area, Alaska ). The most populated community is the census-designated place of Skagway. Skagway, on

7521-467: The lives of more than 60 people travelling over Chilkoot Pass. Entrepreneurs began to provide solutions as the winter progressed. Steps were cut into the ice at the Chilkoot Pass which could be used for a daily fee, this 1,500 step staircase becoming known as the "Golden Steps". By December 1897, Archie Burns built a tramway up the final parts of the Chilkoot Pass. A horse at the bottom turned

7630-404: The mining industry, being clerks or salesmen. Mass resignations of staff to join the gold rush became notorious. In Seattle, this included the mayor, twelve policemen, and a significant percentage of the city's streetcar drivers. Some stampeders were famous: John McGraw , the former governor of Washington, joined, together with the prominent lawyer and sportsman A. Balliot. Frederick Burnham ,

7739-652: The mountains over the White Pass above Skagway and onward across the Canada–US border to Bennett Lake , or one of its neighboring lakes, where they built barges and floated down the Yukon River to the gold fields around Dawson City . Others disembarked at nearby Dyea , northwest of Skagway, and crossed northward on the Chilkoot Pass , an existing Tlingit trade route to reach the lakes. The Dyea route fell out of favor when larger ships began to arrive, as its harbor

7848-428: The muddy streets of Skagway. The population was estimated at 8,000 residents during the spring of 1898 with approximately 1,000 prospective miners passing through town each week. By June 1898, with a population between 8,000 and 10,000, Skagway was the largest city in Alaska. Due to the sudden influx of visitors to Skagway, some town residents began offering miners transportation services to aid them in their journeys to

7957-547: The new town and prepared for the 500-mile journey to the gold fields in Canada. Moore was overrun by lot jumping prospectors and had his land stolen from him and sold to others. The population of the general area increased enormously and reached 30,000, composed largely of American prospectors. Some realized how difficult the trek ahead would be en route to the gold fields, and chose to stay behind to supply goods and services to miners. Within weeks, stores, saloons, and offices lined

8066-613: The next day at the police post at the mouth of the Fortymile River and news spread rapidly from there to other mining camps in the Yukon River valley. By the end of August, all of Bonanza Creek had been claimed by miners. A prospector then advanced up into one of the creeks feeding into Bonanza, later to be named Eldorado Creek . He discovered new sources of gold there, which would prove to be even richer than those on Bonanza. Claims began to be sold between miners and speculators for considerable sums. Just before Christmas, word of

8175-423: The north bank could not support the standard truss or concrete slab construction bridge. Thus this unconventional design, innovative at the time, was motivated by the local geological conditions of the crossing. In 1974 the bridge was designed to carry a normal highway load; in 1986 the bridge was strengthened to handle ore trucks up to 160,000 pounds traveling from the Yukon mines to Skagway. Since its 1976 opening,

8284-675: The northern terminus of the important and heavily used Lynn Canal corridor. (The other Southeast Alaskan communities with road access are Haines and Hyder .) The White Pass and Yukon Route is a railway that formerly linked Whitehorse , Yukon in Canada to Skagway, the railway's southernmost terminus. Today , trains travel several times a week from May through September from Skagway to the small community of Carcross , approximately 45 miles south/southwest of Whitehorse. There, passengers (mostly tourists) can make connections via bus to Whitehorse. Skagway Airport receives service from two bush carriers: Alaska Seaplanes, and Air Excursions. Skagway

8393-402: The northwest. Guidebooks were published, giving advice about routes, equipment, mining, and capital necessary for the enterprise. The newspapers of the time termed this phenomenon "Klondicitis". The Klondike could be reached only by the Yukon River, either upstream from its delta, downstream from its head, or from somewhere in the middle through its tributaries. River boats could navigate

8502-472: The other side. During the summer, a horse-powered rail-tramway was built by Norman Macaulay, capable of carrying boats and equipment through the canyon at $ 25 ($ 680) a time, removing the need for prospectors to navigate the rapids. There were a few more trails established during 1898 from South-east Alaska to the Yukon River. One was the Dalton trail: starting from Pyramid Harbour, close to Dyea, it went across

8611-401: The pass had to be done in stages. Most divided their belongings into 65 pounds (29 kg) packages that could be carried on a man's back, or heavier loads that could be pulled by hand on a sled. Ferrying packages forwards and walking back for more, a prospector would need about thirty round trips, a distance of at least 2,500 miles (4,000 km), before they had moved all of their supplies to

8720-434: The population of Dawson City fell. Gold mining production in the Klondike peaked in 1903 after heavier equipment was brought in. Since then, the Klondike has been mined on and off, and its legacy continues to draw tourists to the region and contribute to its prosperity. The indigenous peoples in north-west America had traded in copper nuggets prior to European expansion . Most of the tribes were aware that gold existed in

8829-430: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 401 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.4% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

8938-542: The railroad was completed, the gold rush was nearly over. In 1900, Skagway was incorporated as the first city in the Alaska Territory. Much of the history of Skagway was saved by early residents such as Martin Itjen , who ran a tour bus around the historical town. He was responsible for saving and maintaining the gold- rush cemetery from complete loss. He purchased Soapy Smith's saloon (Jeff Smith's Parlor) from going

9047-538: The region, but the metal was not valued by them. The Russians and the Hudson's Bay Company had both explored the Yukon in the first half of the 19th century, but ignored the rumours of gold in favour of fur trading , which offered more immediate profits. In the second half of the 19th century, American prospectors began to spread into the area. Making deals with the Native Tlingit and Tagish tribes,

9156-461: The replacement buried bridge with the realigned Klondike Highway approach was completed in the fall of 2019, and the 43-years-old cable-stayed bridge was repurposed as a pedestrian walkway and wayside historic attraction. 59°35′06″N 135°11′50″W  /  59.5850°N 135.1973°W  / 59.5850; -135.1973 This article about a bridge in Alaska is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about

9265-405: The road deck on the top of the roller compacted concrete fill-in. The choice of a buried bridge as a replacement for the historic cable-stayed bridge was for two reasons: better geological response to local seismic activities and a much longer useful life of about 100 years. Because the replacement bridge is buried out of sight, to motorists it appears as a non-bridge embankment. Construction of

9374-485: The route the informal name of Dead Horse Trail. The volumes of travellers and the wet weather made the trail impassable and, by late 1897, it was closed until further notice, leaving around 5,000 stranded in Skagway. An alternative toll road suitable for wagons was eventually constructed and this, combined with colder weather that froze the muddy ground, allowed the White Pass to reopen, and prospectors began to make their way into Canada. Moving supplies and equipment over

9483-520: The rush mostly by working for prospectors. Seattle and San Francisco competed fiercely for business during the rush, with Seattle winning the larger share of trade. Indeed, one of the first to join the gold rush was William D. Wood, the mayor of Seattle, who resigned and formed a company to transport prospectors to the Klondike. The publicity around the gold rush led to a flurry of branded goods being marketed. Clothing, equipment, food, and medicines were all sold as "Klondike" goods, allegedly designed for

9592-477: The rush; they were forcibly moved into a reserve to make way for the Klondikers, and many died. Beginning in 1898, the newspapers that had encouraged so many to travel to the Klondike lost interest in it. In the summer of 1899, gold was discovered around Nome in west Alaska , and many prospectors left the Klondike for the new goldfields, marking the end of the Klondike Rush. The boom towns declined, and

9701-549: The show's evil nemesis, Snidely Whiplash . Skagway's Mo Mountain Mutts came to prominence in 2023 when its "puppy bus" video went viral. Skagway is served by Dahl Memorial Clinic, the only primary health clinic in the area. The facility is usually staffed by three advanced nurse practitioners and three medical assistants, and is it open Monday through Friday year-round with limited Saturday hours during summer. The clinic also operates after hours in emergency situations. The borough

9810-580: The spring. In practice, the huge Valdez glacier that stood between the port and the Alaskan interior proved almost insurmountable and only 200 managed to climb it; by 1899, the cold and scurvy was causing many deaths amongst the rest. Other prospectors attempted an alternative route across the Malaspina Glacier just to the east, suffering even greater hardships. Those who did manage to cross it found themselves having to negotiate miles of wilderness before they could reach Dawson. Their expedition

9919-518: The stampede began in 1897, the Canadian authorities had introduced rules requiring anyone entering Yukon Territory to bring with them a year's supply of food; typically this weighed around 1,150 pounds (520 kg). By the time camping equipment, tools and other essentials were included, a typical traveller was transporting as much as a ton in weight. Unsurprisingly, the price of draft animals soared; at Dyea, even poor quality horses could sell for as much as $ 700 ($ 19,000), or be rented out for $ 40 ($ 1,100)

10028-502: The state. In 1940, it fell to 16th. By 1950, 19th. 1960, it tied for 29th place (16th largest incorporated). In 1970, it dropped to 45th (24th largest incorporated). In 1980, it rose to 35th place. In 1990, it fell to 53rd place. In 2000, it was at 60th place overall (29th largest incorporated). In 2007, with the creation of the Skagway Municipality out of Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon, it ceased to be an incorporated city and became

10137-460: The surface. Others, formed by even older streams, lay along the hilltops; these deposits were called "bench gold". Finding the gold was challenging. Initially, miners had assumed that all the gold would be along the existing creeks, and it was not until late in 1897 that the hilltops began to be mined. Gold was also unevenly distributed, which made the prediction of good mining sites uncertain without exploratory digging. Mining began with clearing

10246-589: The surrounding goldfields in 1897-8 is the main setting for George Markstein's 1978 novel 'Tara Kane′, which also features fictionalised versions of Jefferson 'Soapy' Smith and his gang, along with photographer Eric A. Hegg (called Ernst Hart in the novel). In the Three Stooges short In the Sweet Pie and Pie , Skagway receives a humorous mention: "Edam Neckties , with three convenient locations: Skagway, Alaska; Little America ; and Pago Pago ." Skagway

10355-422: The value of their goods and supplies. The Mounties had a reputation for running these posts honestly, although accusations were made that they took bribes. Prospectors, on the other hand, tried to smuggle prize items like silk and whiskey across the pass in tins and bales of hay: the former item for the ladies, the latter for the saloons. Of the estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people who reached Dawson City during

10464-419: The vertical, and three pairs of forward cable stays in a fan array to support the two-lane box-girder main span deck, 270-foot (82 m) long, over the gorge. Since the gorge is an active seismic fault line, the bridge was designed to be firmly attached on the south bank, while the north end could undergo considerable movement in an earthquake without damaging the bridge. Moreover, the unstable rock condition of

10573-403: The way of the wrecking ball, and placed many early artifacts of the city's early history inside and opened Skagway's first museum. In July 1923, President Warren G. Harding visited Skagway while on his historic tour through Alaska. Harding was the first President of the United States to travel and tour Alaska while in office. The Canol pipeline was extended to Skagway in the 1940s where oil

10682-412: Was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was distributed with 20.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years old. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.7 males. The median income for a household in

10791-437: Was a migration by an estimated 100,000 prospectors to the Klondike region of Yukon in northwestern Canada, between 1896 and 1899. Gold was discovered there by local miners on August 16, 1896; when news reached Seattle and San Francisco the following year, it triggered a stampede of prospectors . Some became wealthy, but the majority went in vain. It has been immortalized in films, literature, and photographs. To reach

10900-422: Was constructed between September and December 1898. This destroyed the viability of Dyea, as Skagway had both the deep-water port and the railroad. Construction of McCabe College , the first school in Alaska to offer a college preparatory high school curriculum, began in 1899. The school was completed in 1900. By 1899, the stream of gold-seekers had diminished and Skagway's economy began to collapse. By 1900, when

11009-475: Was constructed up the Skagway side of the White Pass, easing the burden of those prospectors who could afford the fee to use it. The Chilkoot Trail tramways also began to operate in the Chilkoot Pass above Dyea. In 1896, before the Klondike gold rush had begun, a group of investors saw an opportunity for a railroad over that route. It was not until May 1898 that the White Pass and Yukon Route began laying narrow gauge railroad tracks in Skagway. The railroad depot

11118-487: Was expensive and long – 4,700 miles (7,600 km) in total – it had the attraction of speed and avoiding overland travel. At the beginning of the stampede a ticket could be bought for $ 150 ($ 4,050) while during the winter 1897–98 the fare settled at $ 1,000 ($ 27,000). In 1897, some 1,800 travellers attempted this route but the vast majority were caught along the river when the region iced over in October. Only 43 reached

11227-520: Was forced to turn back the same way they had come, with only four men surviving. The borders in South-east Alaska were disputed between the US, Canada and Britain since the American purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. The US and Canada both claimed the ports of Dyea and Skagway. This, combined with the numbers of American prospectors, the quantities of gold being mined and the difficulties in exercising government authority in such

11336-485: Was joined by outfitters, writers and photographers. Various factors lay behind this sudden mass response. Economically, the news had reached the US at the height of a series of financial recessions and bank failures in the 1890s. The gold standard of the time tied paper money to the production of gold and shortages towards the end of the 19th century meant that gold dollars were rapidly increasing in value ahead of paper currencies and being hoarded. This had contributed to

11445-503: Was not until June 1897 that the first boats left the area, carrying the freshly mined gold and the full story of the discoveries. In the resulting Klondike stampede, an estimated 100,000 people tried to reach the Klondike goldfields, of whom only around 30,000 to 40,000 eventually did. It formed the height of the Klondike gold rush from the summer of 1897 until the summer of 1898. It began on July 14, 1897, in San Francisco and

11554-465: Was possible to sail all the way to the Klondike, first from Seattle across the northern Pacific to the Alaskan coast. From St. Michael , at the Yukon River delta, a river boat could then take the prospectors the rest of the way up the river to Dawson, often guided by one of the Native Koyukon people who lived near St. Michael. Although this all-water route, also called "the rich man's route",

11663-476: Was shipped in by sea and pumped north. Skagway is located at 59°28′7″N 135°18′21″W  /  59.46861°N 135.30583°W  / 59.46861; -135.30583 (59.468519, −135.305962). Skagway is located in a narrow glaciated valley at the head of the Taiya Inlet, the north end of the Lynn Canal , which is the most northern fjord on the Inside Passage on the south coast of Alaska. It

11772-487: Was spurred further three days later in Seattle , when the first of the early prospectors returned from the Klondike, bringing with them large amounts of gold on the ships Excelsior and Portland . The press reported that a total of $ 1,139,000 (equivalent to $ 1 billion at 2010 prices) had been brought in by these ships, although this proved to be an underestimate. The migration of prospectors caught so much attention that it

11881-404: Was too shallow for them except at high tide. Officials in Canada began requiring that each prospector entering Canada on the north side of the White Pass bring with him one ton (909 kg) of supplies, to ensure that he did not starve during the winter. This placed a large burden on the prospectors and the pack animals climbing the steep pass. In 1898, a 14-mile, steam-operated aerial tramway

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