Skagway

Skagway would be a better place without the cruise ships.

Skagway is 15 miles away from Haines, down the Lynn Canal. The year around population of Skagway is 850 people. There’s a “Fast Ferry” between Haines and Skagway that runs several times a day, and takes about 45 minutes. Remember the Lynn Canal is really a fjord, probably two miles wide, with tall, snow covered peaks on both sides. It’s a beautiful ride.

I could tell we were getting close to Skagway when I could see the butt end of the Golden Princess sticking out into the Canal. The Golden Princess is a massive Princess Line cruise ship, carrying 2600 passengers up the Inside Passage. Its sister ship the Diamond Princess was also in port, parked right in front of it. Two other cruise ships filled the Skagway port. There were 9,000 cruise ship passengers in town. This is more than the sum of the entire populations of all the towns I’ve been in since I left Seattle. With the exception of a few of the smarter ones who had gone on out of town expeditions for the day, they were all downtown.

But Skagway is prepared for the cruise ships, and in the six blocks of the downtown area, they offer everything a cruise ship passenger could want. With the exception of those cruise ship passengers who want to see what Alaska is like.

Skagway has a rich history. It was a sleepy little place before the discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1898. It had the good geographic fortune to be the northernmost city on the Inside Passage from Seattle with the shortest (albeit extremely difficult) route from there to the gold fields. It quickly grew to a population of over 10,000 as a jumping off point for stampeders going over the Chilkoot Pass to the Yukon River and then by raft or boat down to Dawson City. Each stampeder was required by Canada to bring a specific list of 2000 pounds of gear with him into the Yukon. For most,that meant schlepping the 2000 pounds in a couple of dozen treks up the 35 mile Chilkoot trail and over the snow clogged Chilkoot pass 3000 feet above Skagway. Skagway became the source of purchasing of much of that gear and for buying it back from those who decided to quit. There were more fortunes made in Skagway than in the goldfields.

In net, Skagway was born on the ability to greet large populations of travelers from far away who arrive at their port, to take their money efficiently, and to then send them on their way. It’s a tradition they proudly carry on to this day.

The first retail store you come to in Skagway is Skagway Diamonds. I can't explain why Skagway Diamonds is the first store you see in a town built on the discovery of Gold. A sign at Skagway Diamonds said they had a cruise ship special of a one carat diamond for $495. A couple of blocks further on at Klondike Diamonds, their cruise ship special was two carats for $495. Another jeweler had a sign with the four cruise ship names and an associated discount for passengers from each of the ships. Oddly, the discount was 70% for each of them. Too bad I didn’t come in on a cruise ship so I could take advantage of these bargains.

Next to Skagway Diamonds is the first of many gift shops. One of their gifts was a sculpture called “Spirit of Alaska”. It was made in China. It was a sculpture of a salmon apparently jumping from the antlers of a caribou and attacking a grizzly bear’s backside. Very lifelike. You could see the fear in the grizzly’s eyes as it fended off the attack of the raging salmon.

I stopped in a bookstore that was pretty well stocked. I could have bought yesterday’s USA Today. Isn’t that an oxymoron? But I guess calling a paper “USA Yesterday” would be poor branding. I did buy this week’s Skagway News.

I need to say that the downtown area of Skagway, 6 blocks long, is all very well restored to look like 1890’s buildings. Everything looks clean and freshly painted. The shop people are all young and friendly and many wear clothing that's supposed to look like it came from the 1890's. The ship people are all old and friendly and many wear jackets that say “Juneau” and hats that say “Alaska”. It’s all just like it was in the 1890’s.

On one corner is the Red Onion Saloon, one of the more popular places to eat in Skagway. The Red Onion is in a building that used to be one of Skagway’s most popular houses of ill repute. They used to offer free visits to the old brothel, now restored. Then, apparently realizing that free visits to a brothel is in itself an oxymoron, they now offer 15 minute guided visits for $5.00. It’s all just like it was in the 1890’s.

As you might guess, the six blocks of downtown also have places to buy Alaska art, Alaska T-shirts, and Alaska fudge. I was tempted, but decided to pass on Alaska fudge. I bought an Alaska pen to make some Alaska notes. Some of the Alaska art was actually nice. In one gallery, I saw a great piece of raku. I asked where in Alaska the artist lived. The artist lives in Seattle. It figures. Southern Alaska.

I thought all that was missing from downtown was the $20 Rolex’s. What an opportunity missed. Then I saw a guy walking down the street carrying a briefcase and speaking Nigerian into a cell phone. Someone else had already recognized the opportunity.

At the end of the downtown area I found Skagway Brewery, just in the nick of time. It’s a great place to stop, have a couple of Skagway Spruce Lagers, and read the News. Skagway Spruce is flavored by spruce tips from local trees. I learned this from my waitress who assured me she and the other staff picked the spruce tips themselves.

I also learned from the News that people who live in Skagway refer to themselves as “Skagwegians”. Kind of like Norway and Norwegians. I might have met a couple. I don’t know.

Now I wonder if the good people on the way to the beach in Conway, SC are "Conwegians." And if Colorado is the source of "Collegians."

To be fair to Skagway, just past the end of the six block downtown district, Skagway becomes a small town with neat, well tended homes, a couple of parks, a school, library, and everything a small town needs. From this, we can determine a couple of things. First, cruise ship passengers will only walk six blocks before they turn around and head back. And second, there’s probably a nice community here in Skagway, but they hide it well.

Also to be fair, on non ship days Skagway might be a lot different. Skagway is surrounded by a lot of beautiful outdoor areas, the Chilkoot Trail, and more, outside of town. And in the town, there are several guide and tour services that will get you there. But on ship day, it seems like the best thing to do in Skagway is to leave.

I also think Skagwegians have a sense of humor about the whole thing. The Skagway News contains the police blotter and here are just some of the entries of note:

May 13 – Search and Rescue was dispatched for the report of a missing 70-year old couple last seen on the Yakutania Point Trail. The couple was later located on board their cruise ship.

May 18 – A man called 911 to report a car stolen from Austin, Tx. He thought since he was calling from a cell phone from that area, he would get 911 in that area. He was advised to call Austin, Tx police.

May 21 – An officer assisted a woman who had tripped and fallen on the railroad tracks. She declined medical treatment and was assisted with transportation back to her cruise ship.

May 22 – A man reported his bicycle stolen. It was located two days later in the possession of another man. The owner declined to pursue charges.

May 23 – A report was received about an abandoned dog tied up behind the bank. The dog was brought to the pound. Within a half hour the owner came by and retrieved the dog. It had not been abandoned.

May 25 – A man reported his bicycle stolen for a second time this week. It was located and retrieved again.

May 25 – A woman came in and reported her drivers license missing. She located it later in her spare purse.

Being a Skagwegian cop has got to be a great job.

Tomorrow morning I leave Haines, drive up the Haines highway to the trailhead for the Auriol trail. From there I load up the pack, and head in to the Kluane National Forest overnight. After re-reading this post, I think I need some time in the woods. Or to double up on the Prozac. Maybe both.

It may be a while before the next post, so hang in there, and keep the comments coming.