Description: "There’s gold in them ‘thar hills"was the cry in 1896 when George Carmack and his two companions discovered gold. Even though the few flakes they found barely filled a spent rifle cartridge, it began the stampede to the Klondike. When the news broke in the Seattle Post-Intelligence on July 1, 1897, over one hundred thousand gold seekers made their way up the Inside Passage to Skagway to begin the dangerous 600-mile trek to the Klondike. An untold number of men and women perished on the White Pass and Chilkoot Trails, and over three thousand horses and pack animals were lost on the steep trails in that first year of the gold rush. There had to be an easier way.
The White Pass & Yukon Railroad Company was the dream of four men, Samuel Graves, John Bishop, E. C. Hawkins and Michael J. Heney and on May 28, 1898, construction began on the 110-mile narrow gauge railroad. July 29, 1900 was the official opening of the railroad. After $10 Million, 450 tons of explosives and countless hours of work by thirty-five thousand men, the first passenger train pulled out carrying a half million dollars in gold dust.
Today, the White Pass & Yukon Railroad is still running, but the "gold" it carries is now the tourists anxious to experience the magnificent scenery and breathtaking views.
We were surprised when we disembarked the Sun Princess in Skagway to see the train from the past right in front of us, just a few steps from our large, modern-day cruise ship. We boarded a car in the middle of the train, and chose seats near the door, because I knew I would be standing on the platform to take pictures. Don’t concern yourself as to which side to sit on. At the Summit the train stops, moves the engines to the opposite end of the train for the trip down. Passengers are asked to "flip" their seats (to face the opposite direction) and to change sides. Everyone cooperated and the transition was smooth; we were again facing forward, with all new views from our windows.
No matter where we were on the train, the view was breathtaking. At the lower elevations of the Tongass National Forest, we could see the steep inclines that were traveled by those early prospectors, cascading waterfalls and a variety of trees including the Black Cottonwood, Western Hemlock and the Alaska State Tree, the Sitka Spruce. Nearing the Summit, snow dominated the landscape. The wooden bridges and trestles created wonderful photo opportunities. The only refreshment available was complimentary bottled water, but no one seemed to mind. There was a bathroom in each car and there was no smoking anywhere on the train.
Our four-hour trip flew by and before we knew it, we were pulling into the Skagway Train Station. Passengers can get off there and enjoy Skagway or stay on the train and return to the cruise ship after a short stop.
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