Skagway
SKAGWAY:
In one year from 1896 to
1897, this remote town in the lovely Inside Passage grew from
a few tents to a city of 20,000 gold seekers. Few one-time boomtowns
retain the flavour of the golf rush days like Skagway. Located
at the head of picturesque Lynn Canal and Taiya Inlet, Misty
Fjords is just a float-plane ride away.
This "Gateway
to the Klondike" is preserved as a National Historic Park
and features one of the oldest narrow-gauge railroads in existence.
Take time to ride the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway (picture below),
which carries its guests through mountains, glaciers, gorges
and waterfalls.
Copyright:State of Alaska/Frank Flavin
History never gets
old in Skagway.
This Klondike Gold Rush National Historical
Park boasts restored buildings and wooden boardwalks that invite
you to stroll into the past. Take your time and poke into every
little store, from the Train Bench to Lynch & Kennedy's
Dry Goods. The Red Onion Saloon, with its honky-tonk piano and
costumed barmaids, is a treasure trove of memorabilia featuring
pictures of Klondike Kate, Peahull Annie and other vintage characters.
To complete the picture of those rip- roaring days, visit the
nostalgic Trail of '98 Museum.
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