This small town of less than a thousand people has nonetheless had its share of passers through in its history. The famous author Jack London used the town as a setting for his novel The Call of the Wild, and it has been the calls of the wild that have brought adventurers to the area for the past 200 years. From the fortune seekers looking to cash in from the Gold Rush in the late 19th century to the tourist ships that moor here today, Skagway is a gateway to one of the world’s great wildernesses.
The original people that occupied this land were the Tlingit people and they referred to the area as Skagua, which means ‘the place where the north wind blows’. The Tlingit fished the rivers, hunted the forests and achieved a certain level of prosperity by trading with other prehistoric hunter/gatherer groups.
What gave the town its present-day feel started in 1896, when Canada’s Yukon Territory was found to contain a king’s ransom in gold. The Klondike became the pilgrimage site for thousands of miners wanting to get a hold of their piece of the riches. Skagway was the rally point where the miners suited up and prepared to set out on the 500-mile journey across the gold fields.
Today the town is used as a base for adventure travellers and hikers. The only gold to be fond here now is the sentiment one feels from experiencing such isolation and natural beauty. There are many organized tours available and the region can be taken in by land; or by hiring a boat to cruise the waterway or a plane to comb the aerial splendor of the surrounding mountain ranges.
Highlights
Gold Rush Cemetery: the Gold Rush produced its fair share of casualties; here lie the hopefuls that never found their earthly fortunes.
Alaska Sled Dog Adventures: if visiting in winter, get bundled up and traverse the landscape in the traditional fashion.
White Pass and Yukon Route Railway: follow the original route into the Canadian Territory from a decidedly more comfortable vantage point.
Skagway Jewell Gardens: a park for the whole family, with miniature railway and farmers’ market.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park: check out the Mascot Saloon and Moore House for a trip back in time to the Gold Rush days, when prostitution and crime were rife here.