Shopping, sights, and sounds of Skagway, AK
All events depicted in this original play, Days of 98 Show, are taken from the Skagway historical record and center on Soapy Smith’s reign over the town during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 and 1898. Jefferson Randolph Smith was born in Georgia in 1861 and ventured west as a young man. He learned his trade as a con man during the silver and gold rushes of Colorado and eventually made it to Skagway in the fall of 1897. While his men did most of the dirty work, Soapy tried to establish himself as a solid citizen of Skagway.
Motor Vessel (MV) LeCONTE of the Alaska Marine Highway System
- Boarding the LeCONTE
- Boarding Video. There is no way I could have done this with the 5th wheel.
The Ferry ride from Skagway to Haines, AK is an about an hour long even though the two towns are only separated by 15 miles. This gave us a wonder sightseeing cruise.
Ferry ride from Skagway to Haines, AK
Haines was named in honor of Francina Haines of the Presbyterian Home Missions Board. Accompanied by his friend, John Muir, S. Hall Young, was the first missionary to the area in 1879. The purpose of their trip was to scout a location for a mission and a school.
The first known meeting between white men and Tlingit took place in 1741 when a Russian ship anchored near Haines and started the fur trade in the area. In 1892, Jack Dalton established a toll road on the Tlingit trade route in to the interior to cash in on gold-seekers and others heading north into Canada. Parts of the Dalton Trail are now the Haines Highway.
In 1902, ongoing border disputes between the U.S. and Canada provided the justification for the first permanent army post in Alaska. The white buildings of Fort William H. Seward still stand and are a distinctive landmark of Haines. Decommissioned in 1947, the fort was bought by a group of war veterans with hopes of creating an arts and commerce community. The buildings are now privately owned homes, accommodations, restaurants, galleries, and shops.
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