Riding the Rails in Skagway

You know the drill - bottom to top! Sorry there's so much writing in this one, but I had lots to say!

A unique way to advertise your business! Carcross - The two-storey addition to the General Store on the left was once the Vendome Hotel in Bennett. The boarded-up building awaiting restoration is also a hotel that was moved in from Bennett. It's great that all these historical buildings can be recycled and used again. Carcross, Yukon - A cairn commemorates the driving of the golden spike on the White Pass and Yukon Route railway on July 29, 1900 when the construction crew from Whitehorse met the crew from Skagway. The entire 110-mile WP & YR railway took only 2 years, 2 months and 2 days to built. In 1994 it was declared an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark along with the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and the Panama Canal. Quite an accomplishment! July 8 - Leaving Skagway on the start of our long trek south, we stopped at a viewpoint where you can see Pitchfork Falls and the Goat River hydroelectric project which supplies Skagway with its electricity. Water is piped from Goat Lake reservoir down to the powerhouse next to the Skagway River.

Rotary Snowplow No. 1 was built in 1898 and helped clear accumulations of snow of up to 12 feet from the tracks during the winter months. It was retired in 1965 but was restored and put on display at the Skagway Depot.

Bridal Veil Falls tumbles down off Mt. Cleveland Glacier in 32 different cataracts extending over 6000 feet. The only complete view of the Falls is from the train. A view of our train winding its way down the valley towards Skagway.

The White Pass Trail also unfortunately known as the Deadhorse Trail. The rains of 1897 and the influx of inexperienced cheechakos turned the trail into a muddy mess which, along with neglect and ill-treatment, led to the deaths of over 3000 horses. Apparently at Deadhorse Gulch, the bleached skulls of animals can be seen, but I'm glad to say I didn't see any.

A closer look at the NWMP cabin at the Summit. Can you imagine 8 NWMP spending a winter together in such small quarters? After the railway was completed, the detachment was moved to a less isolated site at Log Cabin where the highway crosses the railroad tracks.

Fraser - the last remaining two-storey water tower remaining from the WP & YR's steam locomotive era.

The Canadian Customs building at Fraser, BC. On our trip up, Canadian Customs officials boarded the train to check our passports. When we reached Skagway on our return trip, American Customs agents checked them again before we were allowed to leave the train. Can't be too careful, I guess! A good look at the narrow gauge track as we make the curve.

On the return trip we were in the tail end car so Ted managed to get pictures of the train and track from a different perspective. Here we are making our way around Fraser Lake. The train we rode back to Skagway was much longer and more crowded. Ted spent the trip up and back on the boarding platforms taking pictures and chatting with fellow passengers (and enjoying being back on the railroad especially since it didn't include work!!).

The old Bennett Church - St. Andrew's - was constructed during the winter of 1897-98 by men waiting for the ice to break up on Lake Bennett. When the stampeders left at the end of May, few people were left in Bennett and it never actually served as a church until a wedding was held here in 1972. It served as a community hall and gathering place.

We hiked about 1/2 a kilometer down the Chilkoot Trail.

The old, weathered Chilkoot Trail sign - much more authentic-looking than the Parks Canada sign.

The Chilkoot Pass sign - end of the trail. It took most stampeders 3 months to cross the mountains to Lake Bennett hauling their "ton of goods". Most hikers today do it in 3-5 days. The Chilkoot Trail is now part of Parks Canada's Chilkoot Trail National Park.

Lake Bennett - Most of the 30,000 stampeders who made it over the Chilkoot and White Passes spent the winter of 1897-98 in tents by the frozen lakes Lindeman, Tagish and Bennett waiting for the ice to melt so they could continue the remaining 550 miles to the gold fields. They spent most of their time building boats to carry them down the Yukon River to Whitehorse. Sam Steele knew the rapids near Whitehorse would pose problem so he sent "river rats" to Bennett to show the stampeders how to construct a sturdy boat. When the ice went on May 29, 1898 over 7,000 boats set out for Whitehorse. Scarcely a tree was left standing in the Bennett area as all had been used for firewood or boat construction. Once the stampeders reached the rapids, Steele arranged for river rats to escort the boats through the rapids. Soon tramways were built at Canyon City to bypass the rapids. Despite precautions, 150 boats were destroyed by the rapids and 5 men died in the first few days.

Meet our conductor. When he realized that Ted had a good knowledge of railroads and was familiar with railway lingo, he sat and talked with us awhile. He had a different way of looking at life which started to make sense when he mentioned he was taking scientology courses. It was difficult, but I managed to refrain from mentioning Tom Cruise. Welcome to Bennett! Upon our arrival at Bennett Station at 10:35 a.m., we were treated to a hearty lunch of beef stew, coleslaw, buns and apple pie. The train we rode up on (on the left) left for Carcross at noon just after the train heading to Skagway pulled into the station. While the passengers from this train had lunch, Ted and I wandered around the old Bennett townsite until our departure at 2:00 p.m. The train depot actually operated as a station/eating house until 1982 when the WP & YR suspended operations. It reopened again in 1988 as a narrow gauge excursion railroad. The WP & YR has reinvented itself many times. It began by hauling gold and ore in the early 1900s, then construction supplies for the Alaska Highway in the 1940s and 50s. In 1955, it pioneered the "Container Route", the inter-modal movement of containers by ship, train and truck. It also owned paddlewheelers, stage lines, aircraft, hotels, buses, pipelines at various stages. An old water tower and a "boxcar home" sit alongside the track.

Mile 23 - The "Top of the World" also known as the Tormented Valley. Stunted trees, glacial boulders and pothole lakes make the landscape look more like a moonscape.

Mile 20.4 - White Pass Summit/International Boundary - The summit of the White Pass is 2865 feet above sea level and Skagway. The flags of U.S., Alaska, British Columbia, the Yukon and Canada mark the international boundary. A small piece of BC divides Alaska and the Yukon at the top of southeastern Alaska so the summit is actually in BC. During the Gold Rush, a detachment of 8 NWMP stayed here to welcome the stampeders to Canada and to ensure that they had the required "ton of goods".

If you look closely, you can see the original White Pass Trail aka the Trail of '98 which was primarily a route for horses and pack trains. From our vantage point on the new bridge built in 1969, we can see the Steel Bridge which was constructed in 1901. At that time it was the tallest cantilever in the world at a height of 215 feet. It replaced a switchback where the train had to head up to the gorge and then back uphill across a timber trestle to the summit. The Trestle and Old Tunnel. Here the railroad crosses Glacier Gorge and enters Tunnel Mountain. A giant boulder on the side of the track. It took over thirty-five thousand men to build the railroad and only 30 were killed, most from disease and exposure. Two were killed when a 1 ton granite boulder like this one fell on them. That site is marked by a black cross at Mile 10.4. From here you can see the path the train will take on the opposite mountainside. Powdermen had to hang from ropes off the smooth rock faces to blast out the road bed. Over 450 tons of explosive were used. This portion of the track was built during the winter of 1899 with heavy snow and temperatures dropping to -40. During the winter of 1897 a tent city known as White Pass City grew up at the bottom of the valley. It served as a resting place for stampeders and a home to railroad construction workers. Now it is totally covered by brush.

Here you can see how close to the mountain side the train comes. On the other side, it felt like we were going to fall off the cliff. The tight curves of the White Pass called for a narrow gauge railroad. The rails were 3 feet apart on a 10-foot wide road bed which meant lower construction costs. Here you can get an idea of just what an engineering feat this railroad was. To build this railroad, construction crews had to overcome granite mountains, steep grades, cliff hanging turns and daunting weather conditions. The track climbs nearly 3000 feet in just 20 miles with steep grades of almost 3.9%. At Mile 6.9, Rocky Point, we had a great view down the valley to Skagway and the Pacific Ocean. On the trip up to Lake Bennett we almost had the first rail car all to ourselves. There were two other cars, both filled with cruise passengers.

Engine No. 69 - This specially designed narrow gauge steam locomotive was built in 1908 and spent the next 46 years helping to push and pull freight and passengers over the White Pass. At the time of completion it was one of the heaviest narrow-gauge, outside-frame locomotives built by Baldwin. This info is for all you railway buffs. No. 69 was restored and is now used for a special steam excursion on weekends.

July 7 - We were up bright and early to catch the White Pass and Yukon Route train to Lake Bennett. The White Pass trail was less steep than the Chilkoot Trail but in two months overuse destroyed it. In May, 1898, British investors started building the WP & YR Railroad through the Pass under the construction leadership of Michael Heney. It was completed in July, 1900.

The biggest drawback of the Chilkoot Trail was the 1/4 mile stretch known as the Golden Stairs where you climb over 1000 vertical feet. Most prospectors climbed the pass 20 to 40 times shuttling a ton of goods - a year's supply - that Superintendent Sam Steele and the NWMP required in order to enter Canada. Steele had witnessed the desperate condition of many men who had already reached Dawson and decided to avert further tragedy. The "ton of goods" included 350 pounds of flour, 150 lbs. of bacon and 100 lbs. each of beans and sugar, sleds, stoves, medicine, picks, shovels, etc. It was said that if you stepped out of line along the trail, it could take as long as half a day before someone would let you back in line. More than 30,000 stampeders chose the 33-mile long Chilkoot Trail which started at Dyea. Centennial Statue was erected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gold Rush. Gold was first discovered in the Klondike in August, 1896. The first group of millionaires stepped off the boat in San Francisco in July, 1897 accompanied by more than 2 tons of gold. Word spread and the Klondike Gold Rush was on. Within days all possible passage north to Alaska was booked. Most of the gold seekers were professional men - doctors, lawyers, teachers. By the time they reached Skagway, it was late fall of 1897. Once they reached Skagway they had a choice of two routes to reach Dawson City via Whitehorse - the Chilkoot Trail or the White Pass, both of which ended at Lake Bennett. Either route was extremely difficult and by the time most of the stampeders reached Dawson, all the claims had been staked and there was little gold to be had. Certainly fortunes were made by the sourdoughs, but many were made by those in the service industry - shopkeepers, saloons, brothels, equipment supplies, real estate companies, etc.(and con artists like Soapy Smith). By 1900, Skagway had electric lights, telephones, 80 saloons and 3 breweries. Dawson City became the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Vancouver. By 1906 Klondike gold exceeded $108 million at $16 per ounce. Many men, however, reached Dawson and immediately sold their gear for passage home. The boom quickly turned to bust and now Dawson City and Skagway are quaint little towns relying on their incredible history to draw in tourist dollars.

Frank Reid was given a hero's burial and a large monument was erected on his grave in the centre of the cemetery. Soapy was buried at Gold Rush Cemetery just outside the cemetery boundary. This is Soapy Smith's Parlour where he operated his card, dice and shell games. He even had a scam going where he would promise to send a telegram for $5.00 but the poor unsuspecting sender didn't realize that there wasn't a telegraph line leaving the building. The cast of the "Days of 98" told the story of Jefferson "Soapy" Smith, a con man who made his way to Skagway in the fall of 1897 accompanied by his gang of thieves. His gang did most of the dirty work while Soapy tried to establish himself as a reputable citizen of Skagway - a benefactor of women and children. He contributed to the building of Skagway's first church, founded an "Adopt-a-Dog" program and even led the Fourth of July parade in 1898. City surveyor Frank Reid and others saw through his "good" deeds and tried to run him and his gang out of town but were unsuccessful. On July 8, however, his gang robbed a stampeder of $2800 of gold dust and when Soapy stood behind his gang, his fate was sealed. That night Frank and the Committee of 101 met at the Wharf. Soapy went down there with his Winchester to break up the meeting and a gun fight broke out between him and Frank Reid. Both were shot. Soapy died immediately and Frank died an agonizing 12 days later. I laughed and I cried which is the sign of a great show in my opinion. Alice (aka Squirreltooth) and Molly were really entertaining especially with the help of John from Texas. He was a great sport allowing the girls to "fight" over him.

Michael Baish warmed up the audience by singing a few songs and giving the most spellbinding rendition of Robert Service's "Cremation of Sam McGee" that I have ever heard. His performance "made my blood run cold". July 6 - Soapy Smith and Miss Belle beckoned us to join them for the "Days of 98" show and we couldn't say no. As we drove back to Skagway, we saw a cruise ship leaving the harbour. One of the clerks in a gift shop told me that as many as 10,000 people can visit Skagway in one day and I believe him. The next day 5 cruise ships and 1 sternwheeler were docked in the harbour. The winter population of Skagway is approximately 800 so tourism is a huge industry here. I guess that explains why it only has 1 grocery store and over a dozen jewellry shops. This false front is all that remains of the A.M. Gregg Real Estate office. False store fronts made the shacks and tents behind them look more permanent. Now Dyea is covered with fireweed, lupine, wild irises and millions of mosquitoes. At the height of the gold rush, Dyea was almost as large as Skagway. Nearly 150 businesses and from 5-8,000 people lived here in the winter of 1897-1898. By the summer of 1898 only 500 remained and by 1903 only half a dozen people lived here. These wooden pieces and rusting metal bits are all that remain of Vining & Wilkes Warehouse, one of the largest buildings in Dyea. It was used to sort out huge piles of mining supplies.

Slide Cemetery at Dyea contains the graves of 49 men killed in the Palm Sunday, 1898 avalanche on the Chilkoot Trail. The road ran alongside the Taiya River and at the end was a great view of a glacier. "Superhighway" might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a beautiful 3 mile drive to the end of the road. The West Creek bridge at the end of Dyea Road. The town of Dyea is 9 miles from Skagway down a mostly gravel road. On the other side of the bridge, we met some ATVers who told us the road beyond the bridge was like a "superhighway" compared to the gravel road we'd travelled to get there. Just to the right of the bridge is the start of the Chilkoot Trail. There we were in True Value Hardware minding our own business and in walks Senator Ted Stevens on a walkabout of the town. He's 83 years old, been a senator for 38 years, has had a few scandals in his past and as Ted commented "he almost looked coherent!" Nevertheless he plans to run again this fall. UPDATE: Since I wrote this, Stevens has been indicted on charges of "making false statements" regarding a $250,000 renovation to his home. Maybe he won't be running again!!

You know Ted; he'll talk to anyone. He struck up a one-sided conversation with a friendly polar bear. One of the more interesting gift shops in Skagway - Tundra Ted's Trading Post (and Russian to boot!) The saloon/restaurant in the Red Onion. In order to keep track of which girls were busy upstairs (during the Gold Rush days), the bartender kept ten dolls on the back of the bar, one for each girl. When a girl was with a customer, her doll was laid on its back. When she sent her money down the tube (usually $5.00 in gold), the doll was returned to the upright position signaling to the waiting prospectors that she was available. Ted showing off the Red Onion Saloon menu. We had lunch there but I wouldn't let him venture above the first floor. July 5 - Broadway Street in historic downtown Skagway. On the left is the Red Onion Saloon, once Skagway's most exclusive bordello. The main floor was a saloon while on the second floor a different type of need was met. The grey building at the end of the first block is the Arctic Brotherhood Hall. Its exterior is made up of pieces of driftwood - rather strange looking, actually. The gold dome tops the Golden North Hotel.