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Additional Information pages for Prince of Wales Island
135° 18' W Longitude - 59° 27' N Latitude
Skagway is located 90 miles northeast of Juneau at the northernmost
end of Lynn Canal, at the head of Taiya Inlet. It lies 95 air miles
north of Juneau, and 108 road miles south of Whitehorse, just west
of the Canadian border at British Columbia.
 Climate:
Skagway experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild
winters. Average summer temperatures range from 45 to 67 degrees
Far. and from 18 to 37 degrees Far. in winter. Within the shadow
of the mountains, Skagway receives less rain than is typical of
Southeast Alaska, averaging 26 inches of precipitation per year,
and 39 inches of snow.
History:
"Skagua" was the Tlingit name, which means "the place where the
north wind blows." The first non-Native settler was Buddy Moore
in 1887, who is credited with discovery of the White Pass route
into Interior Canada. In July 1897, gold was discovered in the Klondike,
and the first boatload of prospectors landed. By October 1897, according
to a Northwest Mounted Police Report, Skagway "had grown from a
concourse of tents to a fair-sized town with well-laid-out streets
and numerous frame buildings, stores, saloons, gambling houses,
dance houses and a population of about 20,000." Five thousand stampeders
alone landed in February 1898, according to Customs Office records.
Two trails were used by the gold seekers to reach the headwaters
of the Yukon River. The 33-mile-long Chilkoot Trail began at nearby
Dyea; and the 40-mile White Pass Trail began at Skagway and paralleled
the present-day route of the White Pass & Yukon Railway. Thousands
of men carried supplies up the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, or took the
40-mile White Pass trail to Lake Bennett, where they built boats
to float down the Yukon River to Dawson City and the gold fields,
500 miles distant. In 1898 a 14-mile, steam-operated tramway was
constructed, which eased the burdens of those able to pay. Skagway
became the first incorporated City in Alaska in 1900. Tales of fortune
seekers, lawlessness, and Soapy Smith are legendary. Once the gold
rush ended in 1900, Skagway might have become a ghost town if not
for the White Pass and Yukon Railroad construction in 1898. The
railroad was the first in Alaska, and provided freight, fuel and
transportation to Whitehorse and served the Anvil Gold Mines in
the Yukon. It employed many locals until 1982, when the Mine closed.
Construction of the Klondike Hwy. in 1979 gave Skagway a link to
the Alaska Highway and State ferry connection to Southeast.
Today, Skagway is predominantly a non-Native tourist community,
with historical Tlingit influences and the economy is now supported
primarily by summer tourism. There are several bed & breakfast,
hotels, motels, inns, restaurants, grocery and retail stores, post
office, clinic, churches, schools, US custom, banks and a boat harbor.
Points of interest:
City Hall:
Located at the end of 7th Street, it was the first granite building
constructed on Alaska. Built by the Methodist Church as a
school in 1899-1900, the building was known as McCabe College.
The building was purchased by the city in 1956.
Alaska Wildlife Adventure:
Extensive display of Alaskana memorabilla and several Alaska mounts.
Corrington Museum of Alaska History:
Located at the corner of 5th and Broadway, has a record of events
from prehistory to the present. 40 exhibits features
scenes of Alaska history hand-engraved on walrus tusk. Open in summer.
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