It was delightful walking through the woods to Yukatania Point in the peaceful vicinity of Skagway. Around 1898 the scene must have been very different as tens of thousands of people passed by here on their way to seek their fortune in gold in the Yukon. It would have been a very difficult and dangerous journey traversing the dense vegetation of the steep mountains across rushing rivers and gorges with enough supplies to last a year to satisfy the border guards if they wished to cross the nearby Canadian border.   (Extra) This shows the sort of things that each person had to carry.
Because the journey by foot was extremely treacherous it was decided to construct a railway from Skagway to help the prospectors. Unfortunately shortly after it was completed the lack of much gold meant that there was no longer a Gold Rush but now the train has become a tourist attraction, travelling 20 miles and 3000 feet to the pass at the border . Our train trip was quite awe inspiring to White Horse Pass on the border following their narrow trail but not without excitement as the train broke down with half of it in a dark tunnel and part of the train standing on a viaduct above a rocky 1200 foot wide gorge at the Gulch. We had to roll back for a while and then wait (watched by a bear nearby) until two engines were detached from the following train to push us up. Then once at the top, we returned at great speed down the mountain to the unspoilt little town of Skagway where there is much evidence of life as a main centre at the peak of the gold rush. 
(Extra)  One of the old buildings, The Arctic Brotherhood Hall (now the Visitor Information Center), was built in 1900 and fronted by 8883 pieces of driftwood and although 40% had rotted and been replaced 13 years ago, 5300 are the original wood.
I wish we had longer to explore the little town and its environs.

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