Skagway

     The first known homesteader in the area was Capt. William Moore, who settled at the mouth of the Skagway River in 1887, after  discovering the White Pass route into the Yukon.  He believed that a gold rush to the Yukon was inevitable, so he staked out a 160 acre claim and waited.  In August 1896 gold was discovered on the Klondike River.  When steamers arrived is San Francisco and Seattle laden with two tons of gold, the nation was electrified.  The first shipload of prospectors anchored off Moore's homestead in 1897.  They swam ashore, seized Moore's land and hired a surveyor to lay out the streets of the new town.  When it was discovered Moore's cabin stood right in the middle of a new street, he was evicted and his cabin thrown into the mud flats.   Within months, the population of Skagway exceeded 20,000, making it the largest city in Alaska.  In October 1897, according to a Northwest Mounted Police report, Skagway "had grown from a concourse of tents to a fair-size town with well-laid-out streets and numerous frame buildings, stores, saloons, gambling houses, and dance houses."

     Although the gold rush lasted a few short years, during that time Skagway erupted into a state of chaos likened by visitors to "hell on earth."  The town consisted of a few permanent structures: prospectors lived in tents and shacks erected in a haphazard manner.

     Civilization first appeared to arrive when the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad began constructing its railroad in May of 1898.  By the time the rail was completed to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in 1900, the gold rush was over.

     Since 1900, Skagway has served as a railroad town and port of call.  The railroad was Skagway's economic mainstay for more than 80 years until it closed in 1982, then reopened in 1988 as a summer operation.  Tourism remained small until 1920 and has grown since into a major economic force.  In 1923 President Harding visited Skagway.  He was given a tour on an improvised "Streetcar" and that same "1923 Streetcar Tour" is still available today.

     Today, tourism is Skagway's main economic base.  Within Skagway's downtown historic district, false-front buildings and boardwalks date from gold rush time.  The local residents have succeeded in retaining the 1898 Gold Rush atmosphere.

     Today Skagway has 832 full time residents, and is approximately a 20 by 5 block area. Skagway is on Alaska Daylight Time 4 hours earlier than Eastern Daylight Time.

     Summer days can be very windy with temperatures from 60 to 70 degrees F.  Skagway has an average rainfall of approximately 30 inches per year.  There are approximately 16 to 18 hours of day-light during the summer months.  During the winter months, the winds can reach 60 miles per hour in the mountain passes.  A common saying is that they don't measure the snow and that it mostly falls sideways anyway.

     The Skagway airport is located along the Skagway River next to the town.  The runway (02-200) runs almost the entire length of town.  Avgas is approx $5.00 per gal as of 9/6/06.  Sectionals can be purchased from Skagway Air Service located between 4th and 5th Ave on Broadway.