Alaska 2024 - Day 11 Skagway
19 August 2024
We pulled pier side in Skagway at 6:00 AM. Check out the magnificent view from the La Terrazza restaurant when we were having breakfast.
Wow! What a way to start our day.
A few things we learned about Skagway; In 1896, gold was discovered 600 miles as the crow flies from Skagway, but the only practical way to get there was to make one's way by ship to Skagway then head out from there. Prospectors were required by law to have a huge list of items, totalling about 1 ton (2,000 pounds or 907 kilograms) in weight, before they could set out on the journey and required to pass check points to verify they had all their food and gear.
The prospectors were far from guaranteed to survive their journey into the wild in search of their treasure, let alone get rich from stumbling upon a gold strike. The retailers selling them their supplies were virtually certain to get rich! Capitalism at its finest.
The journey was about 1,000 miles, depending on the route chosen, and of about 100,000 people who arrived in Skagway to start the journey, between 40,000 and 60,000 actually reached Dawson City.
We booked the afternoon White Pass & Yukon Route Scenic Railway tour, so we had the morning to check out the town. There was definitely a western vibe to the way the town was laid out and the architecture of the buildings.
As with other ports, Skagway was filled with tourist oriented art and gift shops and stores, many showcasing locally crafted art made by Alaska Natives.
The place to catch our White Pass Scenic Railway tour was very close to the ship, so we headed back that way and took some time to check out a few of the local landmarks by the pier. First, there was the rail snow blower, White Pass & Yukon Railway Rotary Snow Plow No. 1.
This beast cleared the train tracks of snow and ice, even during very harsh conditions. The 123 Ton steam driven snow blower was Built in 1899 by the Cooke Locomotive and Machinery Co. of Patterson New Jersey and was used for 65 years.
There were also placards from the National Park Service with some engaging facts about Skagway's history. A photo of one is below.
Skagway is home to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Many historical sites throughout the town are maintained by the Park Service and are very well maintained with free information presented for all to enjoy.
Even the public bathroom closest to the pier where we were moored was itself a piece of art and very clean.
In the early afternoon, the part of the trip we had been waiting for began. Our trip up the White Pass tracks on the White Pass Scenic Railway (previously referred to as the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway) began.
The weather on the trip was more overcast as we headed up the mountain, but the whole trip was still beautiful. Cloud cover obscures the cliffs we'll be winding through on our route below.
Then a shot of Skagway and the surrounding mountains from above before we enter the clouds.
As we effortlessly wound our way up through the mountains and cliffs, it was tough to imagine what people had to endure to get a ton of goods up this rugged path before the railroad was built, or what went into constructing this engineering feat.
We were able to step out onto a platform between the rail cars to take photos. It could get kind of scary sometimes due to the steep drops along the tracks.
The platforms between the cars could get kind of crowded, especially when the conductor announced that a scenic view was coming up. We had to kind of rotate out to get a view from the edge of the platform so we would each get a turn.
The rocks, trees, and plants on the side of the train closest to the mountain seemed close enough to reach out and touch at times.
The train continued into the clouds and, without any fanfare, we saw the sign depicting the U.S, Canada border, completed a short loop, and headed back down to Skagway.
We headed back to the ship after our train returned, looking forward to Icy Bay tomorrow.
I really hope my photos and narrative captured some moments you enjoy. This was definitely one of the highlights of our cruise!