Skagway

Skagway owes its fame to the Yukon gold rush days. When the gold fever was at its pitch every man and his dog who had been bitten by the bug would catch the steamships from Seattle to Skagway to then try and cross up over the mountains through either the Chilkoot Trail or White Pass enduring horrific conditions. The story is an amazing one and Skagway like all other gold rush towns through Alaska, California and Australia was a rough old place back in the day. It was a lawless frontier town ruled by the villainous Soapy Smith who was eventually killed in a gunfight by the town hero, Frank Reid.
Now Skagway thrives during the tourist season, busy when the cruise ships are in town and virtually shuts down during the winter. A handful of diehard locals remain to keep the home fires burning, the seasonal workers go back home or to another seasonal job in warmer climes.
The main street buildings have been renovated and restored to their former glory but repurposed. There is not such a need for brothels, saloons and mining equipment stores nowadays.
Today we explored the creek behind the town where there are thousands of hump salmon spawning (haven't seen enough spawning salmon lol), crossed the river to hike to Yukutania Point, back through the town to the other end to see the gold rush cemetery and Reid Falls. We had had a relatively dry day today but leaving the falls the showers were back.
Making our way up through the town with our dining options. Tonight the four of us dined at Olivia's Bistro in the Historic Skagway Inn. They have a beautiful garden at the side of the Inn where they grow a lot of their herbs and veggies.En savoir plus