Skagway developed almost overnight in 1897 and 1898 to cater to the prospectors and tradesmen that came to find their fortunes. Many of the existing buildings in Skagway today were built in the gold rush.
Skagway's main street retains an authentic patina, with its wooden sidewalks and period buildings. The Red Onion, for example, was a bar and brothel in 1899. The lower floor is still a bar. The upstairs is a brothel museum.
Most stores now sell high-priced bling to tourists arriving on cruise ships. Ironically, the best place to find gold now is in the Skagway shops.
Conquering the Chilkoot Pass and White Pass
From 1897 to about 1900, Klondike-bound miners left Skagway and hiked up either the Chilkoot Pass Trail or the White Pass Trail, often in the depths of winter. Both passes are extremely steep, treacherous and climb thousands of feet.
Canadian Mounties insisted that every prospector entering Canada have a one year supply of food and provisions. That meant, every miner carried one ton of supplies up the steep passes, making multiple trips until their entire load was at the top. Attempts to use pack horses on the White Pass Trail ended in disaster. Over 3,000 horses died in 1898. The steepest part of the pass is still called Dead Horse Gulch.
On to Dawson City on the Yukon River
Once through the passes, prospectors still had to travel about 30 miles (50 km) to either Bennett Lake or Taglish Lake. There they built boats and rafts for the trip down the Yukon River to Dawson City and the gold fields.
By 1900, the trip got easier. Entrepreneurs built a railroad up the White Pass to Lake Bennett and eventually on to Whitehorse, Yukon. From that city, paddlewheelers plied the Yukon River to Dawson City.
Traveling the Gold RushTrail Today
Today, the highway from Skagway to Whitehorse cuts through the White Pass. The road gives great views of the steep gorge and the rail line.
The White Pass Railroad was a going business concern until the 1970s when road crews built the highway from Skagway to Whitehorse. The White Pass Railroad still maintains a steam train that goes as far as Carcross on Bennett Lake, though the tracks are intact to Whitehorse.
For adventure tourists, you can arrange for a multi-day hikes up the Chilkoot Trail.
To see high quality black-and-white photos of the gold rush era, visit the Yukon Archives and browse through the Anton Vogee and H. C. Barley fonds.
Further Reading
This is part 1 of a series. Klondike Gold Rush Trail—Carcross to Dawson City continues the journey.
Shaun McLaughlin - Words are my business. This phrase stems from over 30 years of professional writing and editing that includes technical writing, white ...
