Ninety miles north of Juneau at the northernmost point in the Inside Passage lies this former boomtown, gateway to the Trail of ’98 and the Klondike gold fields. It was so popular at the turn of the last century that it became the first incorporated city in all of Alaska. In the last 120 years the population has dwindled from 20,000 feverish fortune hunters to about 1,000 year-round residents today.

It’s apparently the intent of the hearty locals to retain the look and charm of their town’s gold rush period. A collection of restored 19th-century buildings, the Brothel Museum, and its historic railway make up Skagway’s charming downtown. I have no firsthand knowledge of its charm and appeal, however, because I woke up in the wee hours not feeling well, so I did not go ashore today. But the others did. Walter and Cleone went into town to stroll around; Cyd and Barb visited a dogsled camp; and Dan, Ronnie, and Hettie boarded a vintage rail car and went 20 miles on the narrow gauge White Pass Scenic Railway.

All the while I nibbled tea and bread for breakfast, had more tea and bread for lunch, watched the very cute movie About My Father, finished my book (The Last Days of Cafe Leila), and stopped by the clinic to verify I had been ill, so I could get a refund for the seven-hour tour I missed. What I anticipated would be a rubber stamp sort of deal turned into my being quarantined in our room for 24 hours starting from the time I went to the clinic, not from the time I was actually sick. So while my pals attended the lecture on Hubbard Glacier, enjoyed a lobster dinner, and went to the evening’s entertainment, I enjoyed the view from our balcony, started a new book (Good Time Girls), and had an ordered-off-the-bland-diet-menu dinner delivered. I have to give it to Celebrity for taking so seriously the safety of the population at large and not just the mild inconvenience to me. Silly me for not reporting to sick call this morning since I was onboard all day anyway.

Dan started the trip not feeling his best; Cleone was down a day with a killer headache; and two days ago Ronnie apparently had what I got. Let’s hope this sickness thing stops with me.

On the bright side here’s a funny our Scottish guide shared with us the other day. He said that men have always outnumbered women in Alaska, so if you’re looking for a man, your odds are good, but the goods are odd. Get it?

… So Just How Hard Was It to Get to the Gold Fields? …

The first issue prospectors had to face was getting to the West Coast if they were not there already.
The next step was to book passage on a steamship headed north through the Inland Passage.
The journey from Seattle, for example, to the gold fields was a daunting 2,000 miles.

Those who could not afford to leave home with the year’s supply of food that Canadian authorities required plus necessary supplies, purchased them from outfitters along the way.
Being the end of the steamship line, Skagway, in particular, was a good place for that.
All told each person was challenged with transporting more than 2,000 pounds up and over the treacherous 33-mile Chilkoot Pass or the less treacherous but longer 45-mile White Tail Pass.
In order to transport their ‘ton of goods’ each stampeder had to make many trips over the pass.

Once in Carcross, they faced the challenge of building some sort of watercraft capable of making
the 600-mile journey north to Dawson City, via the Yukon River. 
Once in Dawson they were free to try their luck before the year’s snow and ice arrived.

Within six months, approximately 100,000 gold-seekers set off for the Yukon.
Only 30,000 completed the trip.

Many Klondikers died, were fleeced out of their money and provisions, became too ill to travel, or lost enthusiasm and either stopped where they were or turned back along the way (think Ketchikan). 
Those with a head for business, both men and women, prospered enormously
by opening business that supported the needs of those with gold fever.

Of these 100,000 fortune seekers, a few returned home wealthy,
but far more didn’t even recoup the cost of the trip which averaged $1,200.
A LOT of money in those days.