Skagway is one of the most popular ports of call with Alaskan cruises. The July 2009 week we were there saw 29 cruise ships in port, carrying more than 75,000 visitors. Things have changed a lot in the last 100 years!
Thanks to the gold rush of 1896, within just one year Skagway became the largest city in population in the entire United States. Twenty thousand people , mostly gold prospectors, poured in to find their riches. With one church and 80 saloons, it was a very rough town.
But there wasn't any gold in Skagway. The
...
(more)
|
|
A Princess cruise ship brought us here, last stop on our Alaskan cruise.
|
Millions of visitors come here every year, mostly by cruise ship, and...
|
We're here in the middle of summer. The gold seekers made this...
|
But the 19th Century prospectors had it worse. After reaching the top of the...
|
Of course, he couldn't take all of this in one trip. There was no...
|
As we settled in for the train ride up the mountain, we learned that once the...
|
It is truly amazing that anybody made it to the gold fields. Most didn't....
|
We're happy to be riding on a train, and not climbing up a narrow...
|
Waiting with their provisions to get in line for the first steep climb.
|
A long line of heavily loaded Stampeders climbing to the summit with...
|
Perhaps the most telling photo ever taken of the extreme ordeal these...
|
One of the Stampeders with rifle and back pack. Missing: a year's...
|
These men even had their dogs carrying packs.
|
We've traveled about 3 miles at this point.
|
The Skagway River in thesummer. It would have been a rushing torrent in winter.
|
There's the town of Skagway down below. You can see a few cruise ships in...
|
A number of riders stood out in the platforms between the cars to get...
|
What's that up ahead?
|
The Skagway River down below. We've climbed quite a bit since we left the...
|
Up, up, up we go.
|
We've now traveled 12 miles up toward the top. This was once a stopping...
|
One of the interesting bridges we're crossing over.
|
The Skagway River.
|
A good place for a photo op.
|
Fireweed was the most colorful plant we saw.
|
|
|
North America
Comments
No one has commented on this article yet.
Add a comment