cruise |
||||||
|
JUNEAU
More than a decade before the Klondike Gold Rush, there was the Juneau Gold Rush, ignited in 1880 when Kawa. ée of the Auk Tlingit people guided prospectors Joe Juneau and Richard Harris to a gold-bearing creek near what is now downtown Juneau.
Gold fever drove eager prospectors north, but Juneau continued growing even when that fever ebbed. The focus of local industry shifted to mining and milling, and Juneau was named the new capital of Alaska— the only state capital in the nation that can’ t be reached by road or rail.
Despite that relative isolation, Juneau is a bustling hub of government, commerce, healthcare and travel in this part of the state. Excursion options include whalewatching, day cruises up nearby fjords, visiting the Mendenhall Glacier and bearviewing trips in local bush planes.
Don’ t miss the chance to stroll a few blocks away from the cruise ship docks and shop in local stores. Or follow the trail of carved totem poles that line the cruise ship boardwalk, eventually leading uphill to the Walter Soboleff Center. This minimuseum of Alaska Native culture, artwork and regalia also contains a full-sized replica of a hand-adzed cedar clan house and a unique exhibit on native masks.
|
SKAGWAY
No Alaska community is as strongly associated with the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush as Skagway, Alaska’ s famed‘ Gateway to the Klondike’. Originally used by the Chilkoot and Chilkat Tlingit people for hunting and fishing, Skagway quickly shot to fame as the port where hopeful prospectors arrived by ship and made their way over the relatively easy White Pass to reach the Klondike gold fields.
The port town itself boomed as some people stayed and made their living by providing essential services for incoming prospectors. Others took advantage, including Skagway’ s most famous scoundrel, Jefferson‘ Soapy’ Smith, who sold bars of soap purported to have cash bills inside the wrapper— but only Soapy’ s accomplices found money in their soap.
Park rangers dish out lessons about the Gold Rush and Soapy Smith’ s scams in the mini museums of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Further into town, Skagway morphs from the Gold Rush-era facades of the park to a sweet town with quaint shops and local artisans. Other attractions include hikes and a scenic train ride on the historic White Pass & Yukon Railroad, which once drew so many gold miners to their fortune.
|
Clockwise from left: Juneau Old Town; historic White Pass Railway, Skagway; Skagway Old Town; aerial view of humpback whales lunging at surface of Frederick Sound |
images: awl images |
|||
64 • pos t c a rds |