We know it as the Gold Rush. It wasn't that easy, of course. Shipwrecks from 1897 dot the Inside Passage. Dead horses littered the trails. Smith, until he was killed in a shootout.
Visitors still surge to Skagway, but the going is easier.
In fact, the town is a major stopping point for luxury cruise lines that ply the waters of the Inside Passage, and Skagway, with no gold rush to fall back on, has eagerly embraced tourism as a way to keep the community alive. The ferry Malaspina makes a stop in Skagway every day, and the ferry terminal is at the base of the downtown area, an easy walk to town. Cruise ships line the quayside in Skagway. In fact, more than 600,000 people visited Skagway in 1998 and the trend shows no sign of slowing. Each summer, the town transforms into a gold-rush theme park.