Skagway grew out of the Klondike Gold Rush. In July 1897 the first boatloads of stampeders bound for the Klondike landed. It’s the oldest incorporated city in Alaska (1900). And Is now visited by over 300 cruise ships each year. Coming to see the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park & the restored buildings that now house restaurants, souvenir stores & hotels. Skagway is now a very big tourist stop. Each day we saw 4 cruise ships come & go. We were told that by mid Sept. most of the stores close up. They are run by the cruise lines. The local owned stores have signs in there windows so you know if your shopping @ a local store or not. The Local stores stay open all year.
Below is where we stayed in town. The next pix is of the only gas station & then a look down one of the streets. The yellow tour car is one of several that will take you for a tour of the area.
As I said earlier Skagway & the town of Dyea is where the people came through to head to the Klondike for gold. The Canadian Mounties required them to bring a year’s supply of food. @ Dyea they hiked up the 33 mile Chilkoot Trail. It took 20 to 40 trips up & down the trail shuttling there required ton of goods. This requirement was Canada’s way to prevent starvation in the interior. Out of Skagway they traveled over White Pass. Where eventually the train line was built. And then the town of Dyea died. You can hike the Chilkoot Trail still today (permit is Required)
Below is a pix of the display in one of the museums of the supply’s they were required to have.
Above some of the cruise ships in town & below you can see one @ the end of the main street. The cabin is one that the man that founded Skagway lived in. Then those smiling faces taking a ride on the train that took travelers up White pass. But these travelers were just along for a ride through some beautiful scenery. 
These last two pix were taken where the ships come in. The seal is there to catch some Pinks (Humpy Salmon) coming up the fish ladder
Skagway was a completion of our travels in connecting the history from Dawson City. In coming to Alaska by land through BC & the Yukon we traveled the history backwards. The Gold rush travelers came by water from Seattle to get to the gold fields. There travels were harsher back in the 1800’s. Our travel was a pleasure & the frost heaves seem like a miner inconvenience in comparison the struggles of the Stampeders.
Next stop Dease Lake, BC.
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