Top 15. Best Tourist Attractions in Skagway - Alaska
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The most beautiful places and sight in Skagway.
Top 15. Best Tourist Attractions in Skagway - Alaska: White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, Jewell Gardens, Davidson Glacier, Red Onion Saloon Brothel Museum, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Lower Reid Falls, State Sreet and Broadway Street, Skagway Museum and Archives, Lower Dewey Lake Hiking Trail, Yakutania Point, Upper Dewey Lake, Captain William Moore Cabin, Gold Rush Cemetery, Corrington's Museum of Alaskan History, Yukon Suspension Bridge
Skagway, Alaska tour 99840 (780,904 out of 1,000,000 views)
The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2010 census, the population was 968.[3] Estimates put the 2015 population at 1,057 people. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with more than 900,000 visitors.[4] 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) in the Skagway-Yakutat-Angoon Census Area (now the Hoonah–Angoon Census Area)
The port of Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and the tourist trade is a big part of the business of Skagway. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area's mining past, is now in operation purely for the tourist trade and runs throughout the summer months. Skagway is also part of the setting for Jack London's book The Call of the Wild, Will Hobbs's book Jason's Gold, and for Joe Haldeman's novel, Guardian. The John Wayne film North to Alaska (1960) was filmed nearby.
The name Skagway is derived from shԍagéi, a Tlingit idiom which figuratively refers to rough seas in the Taiya Inlet, which are caused by strong north winds.[5] (See, Etymology and the Mythical Stone Woman, below.)
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 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 m2) 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 a log cabin, a sawmill, and a wharf in anticipation of future gold prospectors passing through.[citation needed]
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 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 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 prospectors' journey began for many when they climbed 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 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.[citation needed]
In 1898, a 14-mile, steam-operated aerial tramway 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 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.[citation needed]
By 1899, the stream of gold-seekers had diminished and Skagway's economy began to collapse. By 1900, when the railroad was completed, the gold rush was nearly over
Skagway Yukon Sightseeing Adventure by Hummer - Skagway, Alaska
Travel the route of the Trail of '98 from behind the wheel of a comfortable and spacious Hummer H3 SUV. This limited, exclusive excursion will allow you to enjoy the scenery and history of the Klondike Gold Rush at a leisurely pace. Your small group of explorers will set out in comfort on an adventure from Skagway into the Yukon Territory via the famous routes taken by the hardy gold prospectors in the late 1800's. You'll be driving your Hummer into the heart of the rugged wilderness made famous by fabled gold rush legends Robert Service and Jack London.
Your experienced tour guide, in the lead vehicle, will entertain you with tales of the gold rush era via an interactive, two-way radio system. Driving your own Hummer provides you the freedom, comfort and relaxation of exploring the Klondike Gold Rush routes from a bygone era in an intimate way. This adventure allows you to experience the beauty of Skagway and the Yukon Territory away from the crowds.
Your guide will lead your caravan to destinations such as Pitchfork Falls, Moore Bridge, Dead Horse Gulch, Bracket Wagon Trail, and Tormented Valley. Additionally, you will visit the historic village of Carcross, named after the narrow Caribou crossing at the headwaters of the mighty Yukon River. After a short break, your caravan will travel to The World's Smallest Desert, and finally, the highlight of this adventure, Emerald Lake, known for its vivid turquoise water. You will also enjoy an Alaskan style snack prior to hearing the story of Jefferson Randolph Soapy Smith, Skagway's most notorious outlaw, on your return trip to Skagway. This spellbinding adventure crosses an international border. You must bring your Passport and driver's license. Remember to take along a camera and some friends for this five-hour adventure.
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