But, when four ships this large show up the population swells to over 15,000.
And the place explodes with people who start walking on the streets like it's a Disney theme park,
And then, a few hours later they are gone.
We visited the Skagway Museum this afternoon. It's the only building in town made from local granite.
It was built as a private school, but a public school opened a year later and this enterprise was doomed. It now houses the Town Hall, the Museum and other government offices.
I hope this is as close as I ever come to a Brown Bear!
Alaskan Brown Bears are the same genus as Grizzlies, but they are differentiated based on habitat. Inland bears are called Grizzlies and live on grasses, sedge and berries, with an occasional meat entree. Coastal bears are called Brown Bears. For about half of the 5 or 6 months that they are active (most bears, but not Polar Bears, hibernate for up to 7 months) they feast on the salmon run and over the years/centuries with this superior diet they have become significantly larger than their inland kin.
After we left the Museum we took a short drive to Dyea (pronounced dye-ee). Skagway and Dyea share the same fiord and are just one mountain ridge apart. Both were used by the stampeders.
The trail out of Skagway, up over White Pass, was 41 miles to Lake Bennett. From there, the prospective prospectors built themselves boats and floated/rowed through the lakes and rivers the balance of the 600 mile journey to the gold rush at Dawson City. This is the route that the railway built upon. Horses could make it up this pass but not up the Chilkoot.
The trail out of Dyea, over the Chilkoot Pass, was only 31 miles, but much steeper. Most men didn't own horses and chose this route. The pictures you see of long lines of men carrying their packs up the steep slope were taken in the Chilkoot.
Canada's North West Mounted Police patrolled the U.S. territory to make sure each man started out with adequate supplies. Canada required each man to bring one ton of food/goods with him to ensure he could survive the two years it would take to get to the gold. But a man could only carry about 50 pounds at a time up the steep rugged terrain - many trips were required to make it to Lake Bennett.
Hundreds of men died climbing the Chilkoot. Fewer men, but three thousand horses died on the White Pass. And it was all in vain. By the time they got to Dawson City, all of the choice lots had been claimed. Only about 30 men got rich during the gold rush. Some others made a living. Most didn't. Suicide was added as a common cause of death.
Having said all that, it is a beautiful place.
The spot below is where the steam ships would have unloaded the men and their supplies.
While there, we discovered that the Salmon were running.
And being caught.
We'll leave you with this shot, looking back out to sea from Dyea.
Tomorrow we head for Juneau.
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