It is a small town in the southeast part of Alaska.  Let’s talk about this town.

Skagway

As of 2022, the population is 1,179. It isn’t a NYC or LA, but it sits along the cruise map. That leads to an influx of people coming and visiting this town in Alaska.

During the Klondike Gold Rush and the White Pass railroad, Skagway became a major port. This port brought in miners and equipment for the gold rush. Now, this port is used to bring tourists to the town.

Located

Facts

Here are some facts about Skagway

• Founded
  • 1897
• Incorporated
  • City
    • June 28, 1900
  • Borough
    • June 5, 2007
• Area
  • Borough
    • 9349 sq miles
  • Land
    • 9.45 sq miles
  • Water
    • 0.05 sq miles
• Elevation
  • 33 ft
• Population (2022)
  • 1,179
• Website
  • Skagway.org

History

The white Pass came about when William Moore was a member of the boundary survey expedition in 1887, and they thought that the gold was up in the Klondike. This was because the mountain range looked like mountains where gold was found before.

During that time, Moore’s son settled at the mouth of the Skagway River and claimed 169 acres. He built a sawmill and other things on this land, thinking that this would be the way to all the gold in those mountains.

When they did find gold in the Klondike, the first boat docked at the wharf built by Moore’s son, and that would lead to 30,000 people.

Some miners figured it was a challenging trek and opted to stay back in Skagway and help the miners with supplies. That soon turned into a place of

• Stores
• Saloons
• Offices

About 8,000 to 10,000 people were in town around 1898, thus making it the largest town in Alaska.

However, some miners felt that the people of Skagway were taking advantage of them, so they formed a city council to help govern the town. However, those council members moved north for gold, which left Skagway up for grabs.

Jefferson Randolph “soapy” Smith came into the picture, and, according to someone in the North-West Mounted Police, the city was a “little hell.” Why was this?

Well, there were

• Fights
• Prostitutes
• Liquor

These were all over the streets of Skagway. And Soapy Smith rose to power and did nothing to stop what was happening.

He even charged people $3 to send a telegraph back home to let them know how they were doing. However, there was no telegraph service there at the time, and that didn’t come until 1901.

What a guy.

In 1898, there was a shootout at Juneau Wharf, and Soapy Smith died due to a bullet to the heart.

Photos

These pictures are from September 19, 2024

Border

Skagway borders Canada, and the border has been argued over for years. They reached an agreement, but the Canadian judge refused to sign it. Down the road, they decided on where the border was.

Tourism

If you are on a cruise, you will stop in Skagway, a significant way the residents make money. This usually happens during May to End of September.

Thoughts

Skagway is tucked in a little bit of a bay, and I enjoyed my time there. It is a small town that borders Canada, and if you want to go to a bigger grocery store, you will need a passport. It is a unique little town. I like visiting Skagway.