Our next stop was Skagway, the closest deep-water port town built for those participating in the Klondike Gold Rush. But the city was merely a brief stop for many: after arriving, those seeking their fortune had to travel 600 miles further north.

Early in my career I taught California history to 4^th graders; as I am quite familiar with that Gold Rush, I was curious to compare the two events. Most of what I learned about the Klondike Gold Rush was from Michener’s book Alaska. It wasn’t pretty. The trek north was lined with dead animals unable to withstand the outrageously heavy loads and horrendous weather conditions, not to mention the abuse of their owners. Around 3000 horses died each year.

The mountain we so joyfully rode in a comfortable, “old timey” train, used to be the path along which a non-stop line of climbers would be going up and down carrying their one ton (no exaggeration) of supplies north. Once a member of the line of hikers, you could not stop, for if you lost your place in line, you would not get back on the line for hours. And just like in California, only a few lucky souls actually made money.

The Klondike Gold Rush officially began on July 17, 1887. America was in the midst of a depression, so 100,000 brave souls dropped everything and ran to Alaska (not knowing that most of the gold was in Canada, although Nome later had a huge find as well).

Here are some historical photos that highlight this sad story.

I also learned that during WW2 Japan attacked and successfully invaded two islands in the Aleutian archipelago. Knowing such a stronghold could give Japan a spot from which to attack mainland US, a major force was sent through Skagway. First, they built more railways as well as a highway connecting Alaska to the mainland. Then they fought the Japanese to regain the territory. The two Aleutian Islands were successfully returned into US hands, but only after intense and deadly fighting.

Skagwah (“home of the north wind”) is the original name of the town, but a clerk in DC assumed the “h” was a typo and hence Skagway became the official name. Skagway is a major stop on the cruise circuit: there is no other way to get there. During our one day stay, we saw 4 docked ships on a pier people are not allowed to walk on due to an avalanche 3 years ago (but they will drive you, which kind of makes no sense, lol).

During the morning of our day in Skagway, I opted to stay on the ship. My back needed a long rest and I was not in the mood to shop for souvenirs (which is all modern-day Skagway is). Alex went off for a quick hike and to purchase a few last things.

We agreed to meet at the end of the pier that afternoon for our train ride. Alex made it in the nick of time and off we went on a clickety-clackety train, complete with the lovely whistle. Unfortunately, our train was not a steam engine but did have a GE Diesel pulling us around as we sat in our restored passenger coach.

Although a “tourist trap,” the train did provide some unparalleled views, as current laws preclude road building above a certain altitude. We rode through incredible scenery, vistas too huge and beautiful to fully comprehend nor able to capture with a camera. God’s glory at its best.

Begun in 1898, the White Pass and Yukon railroad took two years to complete at a cost of $10million! The route is through such punishing terrain and was such an engineering feat, the line was declared an International Historic Civic Engineering Landmark in 1994 (the Eiffel Tower has this designation as well). It was also a major diplomatic endeavor: British financing, American engineering and Canadian contracting.

We started our journey at sea level and slowly reached a peak of 2,078 feet. We even traveled briefly through a small piece of British Columbian and the Yukon Territory! At the checkpoint below, Canadian Mounted Police (revered for keeping order amongst the adventurers), would wave on the trekkers and the ton of supplies they needed for one year in the north.

As we climbed to 2000 feet, it was fascinating to see the vegetation change.

The higher the elevation, the more prominent a role rocks played; above a certain elevation, trees cannot grow.

At our summit, Lake Bennet stands serenely, as she has for centuries, despite the stampedes and technology of man.

And of course, seeing snowcapped mountains in August remind us: this land is not for wimps.

Along the way the Dyea River and its tributaries provided some scenic views.

Our train rode over this bridge:

But not the next one!

It was fun to see the train on the track as it gave a sense of history.

We drove through several tunnels, one of which needed 250 tons of dynamite to break through the granite mountain. On the video, you can see some humor left behind by someone!

There were a few poignant moments on the ride as well. We passed the miner’s cemetery, where the notorious gangster Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith and the hero Frank Reid who shot him are buried. Both these gentlemen figure prominently in the book, Alaska.

Below is a black cross where on August 3, 1898 a blasting accident claimed the lives of two workers who were buried here under 500-tons of granite. It was sheer luck that I got this photo!

As there is only one 3-foot wide track up and down the mountain, we had to pull over twice to allow another train to pass. We were asked to “Wave and look like you’re having more fun than them today.” Another fun quote, “We don’t have a lost and found. We have lost and mine. If anything is left it is mine!”

As we waited on the line to return to the ship (in the rain I might add), we were treated to a seal swimming by!

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