May 24th, Skagway, AK
Over night the ship cruised from Juneau to Skagway and, by the time we woke, the ship had already docked. We'd taken to sleeping with the drapes open so we'd see something splendid as soon as we opened our eyes in port ... When we'd docked in Ketchikan and woken up at the entrance to the Tracy Arm Fjord, the views from our stateroom had been jaw-droppingly majestic; We were a bit chagrined in Juneau to discover we'd docked overlooking a parking lot! So now we figured our morning views were kind of like opening a box of Cracker Jacks -- no idea what we'd get. We never would have imagined ... this ...
If you look closely at this picture you'll see some of the many graffiti that various artists have painted in honor of various cruise ships and crews. My guess, some time during the season the crew crawl up the cliff to leave their mark on the world. Some of them are decades old. Skagway doesn't seems like the town that would mind this sort of of thing. They have a long history of hooliganism.
For starters you most likely know about the Klondike gold rush. In 1896, gold was discovered in the Yukon Territory and, within two years, 10,000 people (or, as they were called, "Stampeders") showed up trying to get to gold fields. Now one of the few ways into the Yukon was through Skagway; with thousands of men arriving in a short time to this tiny backwater location, a wild west mentality was pretty much a given.
Here are some fun facts I bet you didn't know... Did you know that the Canadian government required anyone going into the Yukon to carry at least one year of supplies (i.e. about 2,200 LBS!!) over the Chilkoot Pass before they would let them cross the border. There is a famous photo of the trail showing people walking in a line up, going up a near vertical cliff carrying supplies. This part of the route was call the "scales"because each man carried (no mule in this part) 50 to 100 lbs of supplies up this cliff. Each man had to claw his way up this 1,400 foot climb THIRTY to FORTY times, each time laden down with the equivalent of 4 - 5 cases of beer on his back; unbelievably, the climb was easier in the winter. In the summer, parts of the pass were so sloshy that men CRAWLED a decent stretch of it.
When he'd packed his 2,200 lbs of supplies, a Stampeder would be allowed to proceed into the Yukon. How did they enforce this requirement you ask? The Canadian Mounted Police set up small forts at a choke point with gatling guns to ensure order and weighed everyone's supplies, hence the name "The Scales." Oh, and vigilante justice played a part, too. A park ranger told us about a picture of one supply thief being flogged by about 50 Stampeders.
I bet you didn't know that, once they made it to the other side of the pass, they had a 500 mile boat ride to Dawson City. Oh, by the way, they had to build their own boats. To this day, the entire area on the other side of the pass is clear cut of trees. Before anyone traveled down river the Canadian government inspected each boat. Again compliance was encouraged by gatling guns. The inspections must not have been perfect though, because a number of of boats capsized in the freezing river and quite a few drowned.
What I bet you didn't know of a resident name "Soapy" Smith, who set up a pseudo police force in Skagway and had such a generous heart he would often pay passage for those unfortunate broken souls who were robbed, swindled or just beaten into submission. And someone in Soapy's gang was most likely the guy who swindled, robbed or beat the poor soul in the first place. Soapy got it in the end by dying in a shoot out with a rival vigilante group.
Did you hear about the William Moore and his son Ben? Who a year before the gold was discovered, saw that Skagway would be a perfect deep water port for shipping and would provide easy access to Alaska and the Yukon. They bought claims and titles of the area and started planning a railroad and a port. After returning from one expedition into the Yukon territory, he ran into hundreds of Stampeders camping on his land. William and Ben told them to leave, "This piece of paper says we own this land and you have to get off." The squatters responded by saying, "This gun trumps that piece of paper; plus, we like it here." In fact the squatters started a town with streets, stores, saloons, banks and brothels. They didn't bother with police or government (I guess it inspired Sarah Palin). The Moores wanted the town to be named Mooreville. The squatters said, "We like Skagway, instead." Not to worry, Moore got what he deserved. In 1906, Ben sued and the town of Skagway had to pony up $$$ to settle his claim.
We also learned about Donald Trump's grandfather, who made his fortune in restaurants, hotels ... And brothels! (Google Frederich Trump) ... According to the NPS ranger ranger, Fred made his fortune by sell selling supplies, food and women to the Yukon Stampeders. Nordstrom also got his start there. (This I know this is true since Nordstroms wrote a book about his experiences) It seems the only people who made money were those selling supplies. In fact, by the time the Stampeders made it to the gold fields, all the land was claimed and all that was left was to work for someone else. In the end most of the claims were bought up by larger corporations who brought in heavy equipment to extract the gold. Most of the Stampeders left penniless.
The town Skagway still survives as a port for cruise ships and tourism. Many of the locals we met work only in the summer and winter elsewhere. (One tour guide put it succinctly when asked if he stays through the winter, "Hell no, Moma didn't raise a fool!") The park service preserves and maintains many of the original homes and buildings. We were only there for a day. Originally we had a helicopter ride and dogs sledding arranged. But weather cancelled both so we had to settle for a train ride up the White Pass-Yukon Trail and heard many of the stories I am now relaying to you.
Enjoy the photos Ann and I took of town and the beautiful country up along this famous pass.
Bill
Sent from my iPad
