Skagway, Alaska: Three of the most popular attractions
Autor: Iria Sponholz | Publicado: 2016-07-04T14:39:00-07:00



The year is 1896, the discovery of gold in Klondike is reaching the headlines and the biggest gold fever of the last century has started.&nbsp; Tens of thousands of people start the journey up to Dyea&nbsp; and Skagway to conquest the most inospitable terrain to reach the gold fields in the Yukon.

Man from all over the Americas and even abroad streamed up the Lynn Canal,&nbsp; the steam boats were loaded with&nbsp; man&nbsp; dreaming of making an easy and fast&nbsp; fortune.&nbsp; However, the challenges were enormous&nbsp; to reach this isolated place. Besides the long and difficult route, the requirements to cross the Canadian border&nbsp; to reach the gold pot got stricter. The danger was that man were starving in the gold fields, there was no infrastructure, not enough food and to minimize the lost of human lifes, each prospector&nbsp; had to have supplies for an year with him, which summed up a ton. Can you imagine this? Carring over this accidental terrain, along the Chilkoot Pass,&nbsp; in freezing temperatures all this supplies? If you had more means you could effort an horse, if not you had to make many journeys unlucky to get your supplies to the destination. 
While I am hearing the explanation of the guide, I observe from the window of the Train the beautiful landscape . The train left this morning full of tourist from our cruise ship. The tour The White Pass Scenic Railway&nbsp; is the most popular excursion&nbsp; in Sgakway, it is the top attraction. To arrive with the ship, up the Lynn Canal, the northern&nbsp; most point of the Inside Passage, having breakfast on the balcony and observing the amazing mountain wall along the canal is so peaceful . Some with snow and ice on their picks! To feel the cool wind even though&nbsp; we are in July reminds of the meaning of Skagway: windy place. As soon as we are docked, we get ready for the tour. The train is already at the Harbor.&nbsp; The railway comes actually to the pier, which is amazing. All Aboard! That is the last call to begging a journey back into the past.
The seating of the train is quite comfortable, nice red polster seats that on the way back turn around so that you are always seated looking to the front. The service on-board is excellent and the staff walks through the wagons to ensure that all passages get personal attention.&nbsp; The large windows give you a great views and you can even go at the back of the wagon, where there is like a little balcony, open air, to take the best pictures.&nbsp; 

The guide continues telling that in order to see more details of the logistics required&nbsp; to reach the gold fields,&nbsp; he recommends to visit, after the&nbsp; train tour, the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitor Center. There you can see the replica of what means a ton of supplies and have the opportunity to see a video which is Gold Fever: Race to the Klondike.&nbsp; It gives a great historical introduction and complements the vintage train tour. It is an attraction not to be missed in order to have a better understanding of this 3 golden years.

The next venue that the guide recommends is the Red Onion Saloon, it was one of approximately 70 brothels that operated during the heydays of the gold rush. There is where man found some entertainment, actually all the vices&nbsp; were waiting there: gambling, drinking, prostitution. The town was considered at the time the roughest place in the world,&nbsp; with gangs controlling the place.&nbsp;&nbsp; There was a saying that the man went to mine the fields and the women waited for them to get back to mine them. It is nowadays the most famous Saloon, well restored and with the ambiance of those times. It is perfect place&nbsp; to get a drink and hear the stories and some music.&nbsp; You should ask about Soupy, the most famous gangster during the Gold rush. 

The train stops, we have reached Lake Benett, time for lunch and then it is time to return. This is really the most spectacular journey&nbsp; aboard this vintage train that was supposed to alleviate&nbsp; the journey of the miners but by the time the railroad was concluded, the gold rush was nearly over. It is time for you to buy this ticket and relieve the past. Enjoy.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Pictures by Iria Sponholz