Alaska Trip - Day 5 (Skagway)

The next day we stopped at Skagway, Alaska. It was one of the boom towns in the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century. It still retains much of the gold rush feel, mostly as a tourist attraction, but there are still a lot of things to see. We started by driving over the mountain range into the Yukon Territory, Canada, on the same route that the gold miners would have taken. There was lots of good views on the way, and when we got into Canada we saw blue skies for the first time in Alaska.

Skagway
Yukon
Welcome (back) to Alaska

On our return to Skagway we went to Dyea, a few miles away around the bays. It was a gold rush boom town the size of Skagway, but when the miners left the town completely died. The town isn't there any more, all that is left is a few pieces of wood.

All that is left of Dyea, a false front intended to make a building look bigger
View from Dyea
From Dyea towards the mountains
From Dyea
Wildflower

Waterfall
On our return from Dyea we had a little time in Skagway itself before we had to leave. We went to the Gold Rush Visitor's Center, the cemetery where Frank Reed and Soapy Smith, who had a famous shootout, were buried, and went to a few buildings.
Skagway
Skagway visitor's center
What Canada required the miners to bring over the mountains so they wouldn't starve

Gold mining pan

The shop of Soapy Smith, a con man who ruled Skagway until he was killed in a shootout
Smith's grave





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