Skagway: From Juneau we continued sailing north until we reached the town of Skagway. We had sailed throughout the night and arrived at six in the morning. Peep opted to catch a few more hours of sleep while I headed out on my own to begin exploring the city. This was the longest stop of the cruise, over thirteen hours, so very few others were up and about, and I was the first one off the ship. I hiked through downtown, planning to see it later with Peep, and headed straight to the White Pass RR Yards, Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls.
White Pass Railroad Yards: Prospectors of the Klondike Gold Rush headed into the Yukon from the port of Skagway. In order to cross into Canada, they were required to have one ton of supplies, necessitating multiple trips across the mountains with pack horses. The White Pass and Yukon Route was constructed in 1898 to give prospectors an easier way to get to the Yukon, making it the first railroad built in Alaska. It now runs as a tourist route offering passengers views of Skagway and the surrounding scenery.
Gold Rush Cemetery & Lower Reid Falls: Continuing further out of town and along a dirt road, I came to the Gold Rush Cemetery. It contains 133 grave sites, mostly dated between 1898 and 1908. The largest tombstone belongs to Frank Reid, one of Skagway's heroes. Continuing through the cemetery and up a short, narrow trail, I came to Lower Reid Falls. After viewing the falls, I returned the two and a half miles to the ship to have breakfast with Peep.
Walking Tour: Before our cruise I printed out maps of self-guided walking tours for Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria. Peep and I spent the remainder of the morning following the tour for Skagway and learning a bit of its history. We ran across my sister and her family in town, and they joined us for the first several stops.
White Pass & Yukon Railroad Buildings: St. James Hotel is best known for being the birthplace of the WP&YR. Sir Thomas Trancred, an English financier, was skeptical a railroad could be built until he met Mike Heney, a railroad contractor, by chance at the St. James Hotel saloon. The two talked all night and by morning the railroad had been born. The hotel now operates as a hardware store warehouse. The National Park Service Visitor Center is housed in the former depot for the railroad, used for seven decades until operations were moved to a new building. The Skagway Customs building was constructed and owned by the railroad and leased to the government. It has also been used as a union local and a retail shop.
Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith: Soapy Smith took over Skagway in the winter of 1897-98 and ruled the town with his band of two hundred gamblers, swindlers and thugs. Yet he has cheered by his fellow townspeople and even served as the grand marshal of the Independence Day parade in 1898. Four days later, however, a stampeder who had his $2,800 poke stolen at Smith's saloon proclaimed the injustice to all, prompting the townspeople to organize against Smith at the wharves. Smith, hearing of the meeting, headed there but was stopped by Frank Reid, who was guarding the wharf. A gun fight ensued and Smith was shot dead. Reid died twelve days later from a gunshot wound sustained in the shoot out.
Mollie Walsh: Mollie travelled to Skagway on her own in the fall of 1897 and soon thereafter opened a restaurant in a tent town on the White Pass Trail. One of the packers, Jack Newman, was particularly fond of her and even killed one of his rivals to earn her affections. But, not taken by his charms, she married Mike Bartlett instead and eventually made her way to Seattle. While there, she got into one of her many arguments with her husband and was killed. The year was 1902. Jack, never forgetting about her, even after his marriage to Hannah Barry, had a bust of her erected in Skagway in 1930. To ease his wife's jealousy, Jack installed a plaque in her honor in downtown Seattle.
Harriet "Ma" Pullen: Harriet "Ma" Pullen, a courageous entrepreneurial woman who left her family behind in Washington and came to Skagway in 1897, started her career working as a cook during the day and baking pies at night to sell to the gold rushers. She eventually saved enough money to purchase a log cabin and bring her family to Alaska. She even joined in the gold rush for a time before breaking her arm. She returned to Skagway and began operating the Pullen House, once Alaska's most famous hotel. She would meet every tourist at the docks in her horse-drawn Pullen House coach and regale them with her colorful stories during their stay. The hotel was eventually abandoned a decade after her death in 1947, and today only the chimney remains.
The Military in Skagway: The Army had a post aptly named Camp Skagway here in 1898-1904, when operations were moved to Haines, Alaska. Four years later, abandoned barracks from the camp were converted into the Pack Train building, the tallest historic building in Skagway. The mayor and his partner ran a saloon on the first floor named The Trail, and a sign from the era on the side of the building still proclaims "U-AU-TO-NO THE TRAIL".
The U.S. Army returned to Skagway in 1942-1946 to support the building of the Alcan Highway and Canol oil pipeline during World War II. Less than ten of the eighty barracks erected at that time have survived. The one on the walking tour was being used as a private residence. During the same time period, the Army used the White House as a small hospital. The White House was originally built in 1902 and operated as a saloon. When the original owner left town, it was converted into a hotel.
Hotels, Saloons & The Red Light District: Originally a two story building, the Golden North Hotel was enlarged in 1914 by its new owners when it was moved to its current location. The dome on top was intended to aid illiterate travellers in locating the building. The Eagles Hall is made up of two gold rush era hotels, the Mondamin Hotel and the Pacific Hotel. The Eagles fraternity first met in Skagway in 1899. The building once contained a bowling alley and is now the home of the Days of '98 Show, Alaska's longest running production show.
Now owned by the National Park Service, the Mascot Block once contained the Mascot Saloon, which was closed during prohibition. Next to the saloon is the old Pacific Clipper Line office, where travelers could purchase steamship tickets. The final building on the block first opened as Hern's Liquor Store after prohibition. Built in 1898 as a saloon, dance hall and bordello, the Red Onion Saloon was moved to its current location in 1914. During its reconstruction, the movers erroneously installed it backward, with the rear of the building now facing the main street.
The Gutfeld Residence, also known as Historic Skagway Inn, was built in 1918 on the site of what was once Skagway's thriving red light district. Rows of two-room huts, known as cribs, where prostitutes plied their trade, lined the streets and alleys here. A local brothel known as The Cottage still stands a short distance away.
Other Buildings: Other buildings of note on the tour include the Moore Cabin, built in 1887-88, the oldest structure in Skagway; the Arctic Brotherhood Hall, its font facade clad with 8,883 pieces of driftwood; McCabe College, built in 1899 but only operated for three terms due to lack of funding; and the First Presbyterian Church, the only remaining gold rush church.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park: After our tour of downtown Skagway, Peep and I returned to the ship for lunch. After a fulfilling meal, we again left the ship, this time to hike the trails through the mountains surrounding Skagway. Our first destination was Icy Lake, a strenuous climb four miles into the Alaskan wilderness. Beyond Icy Lake lies Upper Reid Falls, but the trail got very narrow and rugged around the lake, and we had heard reports of a bear spotting on that trail from other hikers, so we scrapped our plans to see the falls and instead headed for Lower Dewey Lake. We hiked 3/4 of the way around Lower Dewey Lake before heading back to the base of the mountain on a different trail, and then back to the ship for dinner. My brother and his kids, having left hours before us, took a different trail and eventually made it past Upper Dewey Lake, located three miles beyond Lower Dewey Lake.
Production Show: Stardust: Peep and I again found a show to see after dinner. It was another production show, but this time featuring oldies music. As was now a well-established pattern, my parents joined us for the performance.