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Pre-1887 - Skagua, as it is known by the Tlingit, meaning windy
place, is used by Chilkoots and Chilkats for hunting and fishing.
A few of these Native Americans settle in the quieter areas of
Smuggler's Cove, Nahku Bay and Dyea, head of the Chilkoot trail,
a centuries-old Indian trading route becoming popular with early
prospectors heading into the Yukon. In the 1880s, U.S. Navy and
Army patrols establish federal presence in the area.
1887 - In June, Skookum Jim, a Tlingit packer from Dyea and Tagish,
leads Capt. William Moore, a member of Canada's Ogilvie survey
party, over a new pass up the Skaqua river valley. It is later
named White Pass for the Canadian Interior minister. In October,
Moore returns with his son, Bernard. They lay claim to 160 acres
in the valley floor and begin work on a cabin and dock. They call
the place Mooresville.
1894-95 - Northwest Mounted Police patrol lands in Skagway and
Dyea on way to Yukon to establish Canadian presence in area. First
group of prospectors hike Moore's crude trail over White Pass.
1896 - On Aug. 17, gold is discovered by Skookum Jim, George
W. Carmack and Dawson Charlie on Rabbit Creek, later called Bonanza,
a tributary of the Klondike River, 600 miles from Skagway.
1897 - Moore opens trail on July 14, just
before steamships Excelsior and Portland arrive in San Francisco
and Seattle with famed "Ton
of Gold", setting off Klondike Gold Rush. On July 29, the
steamer Queen lands at Moore's wharf, the first of many stuffed
with hundreds of gold seekers. The Moores are overrun: Mooresville
is re-platted by surveyor Frank Reid as Skaguay. Later that fall,
a post office, and the first church (Union), and newspaper (Skaguay
News) are established. Many pack animals perish on crude White
Pass, which will be dubbed "Dead Horse Trail." George
Brackett builds toll road to White Pass City, a tent city 15 miles
up the valley. Canadian Mounties begin to guard the passes, although
their government is claiming territory including Skagway, where
they briefly establish a post.
1898 - Skagway booms to 8,000 to 10,000 population.
Daily Alaskan newspaper appears. Chamber of commerce and volunteer
fire department
organize. Construction begins in May on White Pass & Yukon
Route Railroad after an agreement is secured by Close Brothers
of London to purchase Brackett's road for a right-of-way. Unofficial
city government forms and allows railroad tracks up Broadway. First
school opens in Union Church in June. Criminal element led by Soapy
Smith reigns until he is shot and killed by an angry mob led by
Frank Reid on July 8, four days after he stood on the podium with
Gov. John Brady at Skagway's first Independence Day celebration.
U.S. Army, stationed in Dyea, restores order. Reid dies from wound
and is given a hero's funeral at the town cemetery on the outskirts
of town. Spelling changed to Skagway by post office, and most businesses
reluctantly follow. Townspeople are called Skagwayans.
1899 - City has two more newspapers, the Daily Budget and Alaska
Traveler's Guide. Railroad contractor Mike Heney's crews advance
the line to the summit in February and Lake Bennett in July. Building
boom continues with construction of prominent city structures like
Arctic Brotherhood Hall, and McCabe College, which is built on
land donated by Capt. Moore. He builds his own showplace home nearby.
Some buildings are shipped over from declining Dyea. School moves
into new building on 11th. But the city becomes fire-weary after
seven downtown buildings are destroyed in May, and a forest fire
destroys Army post near Dyea. The troops, most of them black Spanish
American War vets, move to Skagway.
1900 - Census is taken in Skagway, recording
3,117 residents. On June 28, Skagway becomes the first incorporated
city in Alaska
on a vote of eligible property owners, 246-60. It beats Juneau
by a day. On July 29, the WP&YR is completed between Skagway
and Whitehorse with a golden spike ceremony at Carcross, Yukon.
Ornate WP&YR administration building completed next to rail
depot at Second and Broadway. Railway also builds a hospital.
1901-02 - McCabe College closes and building is sold to federal
government for courthouse. H.D. Clark farm established across river.
Charley Walker sends vegetable display to Portland Exhibition.
Moore townsite claim settled, Moore's get 60 of original 160 acres
and compensation. Harriet Pullen leases and then purchases Moore's
stately home and opens hotel called Pullen House. Herman Kirmse
organizes first garden show in 1902. On Sept. 14, a man attempts
to rob the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce branch on Fifth and
blows himself up by accident, along with cash and gold dust, some
of which is recovered after mining the street. The man is never
identified. Dentist L.S. Keller ends up with skull. Troops begin
work on Fort Seward near Haines, where they will be transferred
permanently in 1904.
1903-05 - International Boundary dispute finally settled in 1903
with borders set at tops of mountain passes. Skagway News closes
in 1904, leaving only the Daily Alaskan. Bobby Sheldon, 14, builds
first automobile in Alaska for 1905 Fourth of July parade. He will
later drive first car and run tours over Alaska's first highway
between Valdez and Fairbanks, where the Skagway car will end up
in the University of Alaska museum. In December, a meeting is held
in Skagway about building a road from here to eventually connect
with the Valdez road.
1908-10 - A number of buildings are relocated to Broadway from
other parts of the city to develop a business district concentrated
around the rail line. Among those moved are the Red Onion Saloon
and the Golden North Hotel, owned by the Dedman family. The family
later will take over E.A. Hegg's photo shop.
1912-13 - Fire on hillside above Lower Dewey
Lake destroys P.E. Kern's Castle, a hotel in the woods. J.M. "Si" Tanner,
a popular marshal and hardware store owner, is elected to Alaska's
first Territorial Legislature in 1913.
1914 - Major Richardson of Alaska Road Commission
approves rough four-mile road up west side of river. Local crews
led by Herman
Olson and Charlie Nye get a quarter-mile further to the "Rock
Wall."
1915-17 - Alaska Women's Temperance Union
meets in Skagway and writes "Alaska Bone Dry Act," which Legislature will
later adopt ahead of national prohibition movement. Martin Itjen
operates first Skagway Hack, doubling as a taxi and coal delivery
truck. His business will evolve into the popular Skaguay Street
Car Co. Itjen acquires Soapy's Parlor for a museum; one of his
artifacts is the bank robber's skull which he acquired from Dr.
Keller, who has taken over the fledgling Alaskan. Keller coins
the term "Garden City of Alaska". A new bank opens in
1916, the Bank of Alaska. It will pioneer branch banking and grow
under the Rasmuson family into the largest bank in Alaska. Itjen's
friend, George Rapuzzi, establishes Pet Cemetery across river where
his dog loved to chase rabbits.
1918 - Saloons close. On Oct. 23, SS Princess Sophia leaves Skagway
with 343 aboard. That evening she strikes Vanderbilt Reef in a
blinding snowstorm near Juneau. Captain gambles on tide lifting
ship off reef. After two days of weather deemed too rough for a
rescue by smaller boats, she breaks apart and all aboard perish.
Among them are many of the Yukon's leading citizens and Walter
Harper, a member of the first expedition to ascend Mt. McKinley,
who is on his honeymoon.
1920-22 - Skagway Women's Club forms and establishes Skagway
Library in 1921. First airplane lands on beach. Col. Steese meets
with Skagway Citizens and secures $95,000 for first leg of road
to summit. $5,000 is spent on survey but rest is never spent.
1923- President Warren G. Harding visits Skagway on Navy ship
in July 1923. He delivers an address at the Pullen House and is
the final inductee into the Arctic Brotherhood. George Rapuzzi,
a member of the Alpine Club, climbs the mountain opposite Skagway
and flashes presidential party with mirrors from the summit. Peak
hereafter is named Mt. Harding for the president who would die
shortly after his return from Alaska. Daily Alaskan shuts down
after the death of publisher Keller.
1924-30 - Beginning of first tourism boom
heralded by visible promoters Itjen and Pullen, along with WP&YR, which convinces
ships to stay 36 hours so visitors may ride the train and take
a Yukon lake steamer trip from Carcross to beautiful Ben-My-Chree.
As a fund-raiser for the hockey club, townspeople hold a variety
show for tourists at the White Pass Athletic Club. It will become
known as the Days of å98 Show and move to the Eagles after
the athletic club shuts down during the Great Depression.
1931 - St. Pius X Mission is established in Skagway under the
wing of beloved Father G. Edgar Gallant, who will operate the school
for Native children from all over Alaska for almost 30 years.
1933-34 - Idea for a Gold Rush National Park in Skagway is first
promoted. by Chamber of Commerce committee. A proposal to include
it as part of Glacier Bay National Monument is pigeon-holed. Prohibition
repealed.
1935 - In a heavily promoted visit, Martin
Itjen calls on sexy starlet Mae West in Hollywood, invites her
to "Come up and
see me sometime" in Skagway. Town hosts first convention as
Newspaper Institute of America delegates arrive on ship.
1937 - White Pass roundhouse burns.
1939 - Women's Club raises $25,000 from Territory and $24,500
from federal Works Progress Administration to build a new school.
It opens in 1940 behind the old one at State and 11th.
1942 - Skagway is literally invaded by U.S. Army troops, who
take over the railroad for a major supply route to build the Alcan
Highway. The tracks are moved off Broadway and as many as 20 trains
a day climb the pass. Over the next three years as many as 3,000
troops are stationed here. Vacant lots sprout rounded Quonset huts
and H buildings. A pipeline is constructed along railway for fuel
shipments.
1943-44 - Army takes over fire department and promises 24-hour
service, however major fires devastate ornate Elks lodge, the Pullen
House and the Mission school. Army has better luck assisting community
when the Skagway River crests both years. Without the troops' help
building up the dikes, the town could have been lost.
1945 - After troops leave Skagway, U.S. Health Service opens
a tuberculosis sanitarium in the army hospital across the river.
Nurses come from Sisters of St. Ann in Victoria, B.C. It will hold
as many as 90 patients before closing in 1947.
1946-50 - WP&YR takes back operation of
railroad and takes over fuel operation. Dyea Road constructed
by Alaska Road Commission.
Tourism pioneers Itjen and Pullen pass on. Pullen House eventually
closes, but Rapuzzi keeps Itjen's dream alive at Soapy's.
1951 - White Pass becomes a pioneer in the shipping industry
with containerized cargo: from the docks in Vancouver, loaded on
the ship Clifford J. Rogers for the journey to Skagway, then onto
trains bound for its destination in Whitehorse.
1952 - Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA)
announces plans to build a $400 million smelter in Dyea, powered
by the mighty Tyee
Project, a proposal to reverse the flow of the Yukon River with
a dam in Whitehorse, and thence using that water from Yukon lakes
through two tunnels down the old Chilkoot Trail to power the smelter.
A "mighty city of 20,000" will be needed to support the
plant, which will need 20,000 acres in the valley floor. Juneau
Empire starts weekly Skagway Alaskan newspaper. Townspeople are
called Skagwayites.
1953 - In July, the Taiya River washes away home of Dyea homesteader
Bill Matthews and other cabins are lost along West Creek. Women's
Club sponsors Harvest Fair. Workers strike railroad for 12 days
and get 14-cent pay increase. ALCOA dream fades as negotiations
fail to convince Canadians they would receive benefits of cheap
power from the Tyee project. Company starts looking at Taku alternative
and Stewart, B.C. Newspaper promotes road to Carcross. Yukon later
builds its own dam.
1954-55 - Railroad takes delivery of first two diesel engines,
in addition to 136 flats and 71 boxcars. North end of dock collapses
under weight of 30 tons of lead and zinc concentrate. Alaskan merges
with Haines Herald to become Lynn Canal Weekly. Bid for addition
to school comes in at $265,000. Alaska Road Commission approves
quarter-mile extension of Carcross Road to Black Lake. But it won't
go further until Canadians support a road from Carcross to the
border.
1956-60 - City of Skagway purchases McCabe building from federal
government in 1956 for city offices. ALCOA formally abandons smelter
plans in 1957. Alaska and Skagway celebrate statehood in 1959 and
Morgan Reed is elected to first of four terms in the State Legislature.
Monsignor Gallant is transferred to Anchorage that year and the
Mission School closes without his leadership in 1960.
1961-62 - Another mile of road is built "to modern standards" to
the sheer rock face past Black Lake. Upstairs of McCabe converted
into the new Trail of å98 Museum, using many artifacts donated
by Skagway families. Work begins again on establishing a national
park after new State of Alaska shows interest. State selects land
in Dyea valley for recreational use. Cy Coyne starts monthly North
Wind.
1963-66 - First Alaska Marine Highway ferry arrives. Rep. Reed
teams up with Sen. Elton Engstrom to pass bill to form Yukon-Taiya
Commission and revive Tyee Project if state's Rampart dam doesn't
materialize. Commission meets in
1968 to assess power needs. Chamber of Commerce organizes Clean
Sweep.
1967 - Skagway River floods. Dikes breached and Pullen Creek
culvert washes out. Gov. Wally Hickel flies up to inspect damage.
1968-69 - Plans announced for Cyprus Anvil mine near Faro, Yukon,
leading White Pass to upgrade its track and equipment for a huge
lead-zinc haul. Company officials convince city council to grant
55-year tidelands lease for a new ore terminal and dock. White
Pass roundhouse burns again in 1969.
1970-72 - Road support builds on both sides of border. Canadians
build new bridge in Carcross and extend road to B.C.-Yukon border
in 1971 with activity at Venus Mine. In February, 1972 Canadians
agree to building remaining 33.6 miles to Alaska border, and Alaska
agree to construct their 9.4 miles. It will be called the South
Klondike Highway. Park master plan is developed. White Pass donates
old depot to National Park Foundation. Yukon-Taiya Commission disbands.
1973 - White Pass sold to Federal Industries. Alaska Congressional
Delegation introduces first bills establishing Klondike Gold Rush
National Historical Park. Final road surveys completed. First seasonal
park rangers appear on Chilkoot Trail under authority of Glacier
Bay.
1974 - A $10.9 million contract is awarded to Central Construction
of Seattle, a company affiliated with one of Alaska's new Native
corporations, for the Alaska portion of the Klondike Highway. Canadian
contracts go to Ben Ginter of Prince George, B.C. (16 miles to
Tutshi River) and General Enterprises of Whitehorse (20 miles to
border). Construction expected to take three years.
1976-77 - Congress passes national park legislation in June 1976
and superintendent and historical architect arrive. A temporary
visitor center opens in the old depot, and the park is dedicated
in Skagway in June 1977. The park includes four components: Skagway
unit, Dyea-Chilkoot unit, White Pass unit, and Seattle-Pioneer
Square unit. City forms Historic District Commission.
1978 - Modern Skagway News starts up after North Wind retires.
Taiya River threatens old Native cemetery in Dyea, and first story
the paper covers is controversial removal of remains by National
Park Service to an area near the Slide Cemetery. Klondike Highway
is punched through to border in September. John Edwards and Bob
Bissell are the first to cross, with aid of winches. More locals
follow until rough road closes for winter.
1979 - News merges with Haines paper. Klondike Highway officially
opens in spring. Final cost is $14.4 million on U.S. side and $12.2
million on Canadian side. In July, a scary fire destroys Sourdough
Inn, Igloo Bar and a clothing shop, but firefighters prevent it
from spreading through historic District. New city barge facility/ferry
terminal completed.
1980-81 - State-supported live satellite TV
arrives along with public radio on KHNS. Trucks roll on highway
temporarily after
railroad bridge knocked out by rock slide. Park backs off plans
to implement Dyea building codes after getting heat from land owners
and National Inholders Association. Skagway becomes base for Disney's "Never
Cry Wolf" crew filming on White Pass. Author Ken Kesey works
on project and later sets novel "Sailor Song" in fictional
Alaska town invaded by movie crew. Dump pigs and Bigger Hammer
Marching Band are mentioned in book published later in the decade.
City hires tourism director to promote Skagway. Fish hatcheries
started at Burro Creek and Skagway School.
1982 - Faro mines shut down in spring, and railroad loses 70
percent of its freight revenue. This doesn't stop the return of
White Pass Steam Engine No. 73 and the Skagway News returns as
semi-monthly that summer. Optimism fades in fall as White Pass
suspends rail operations on Oct. 8, sending Skagway into a deep
depression. Unions picket and stop White Pass in Haines when company
tries to truck freight to Yukon on Haines Highway.
1983-85 - White Pass announces it will not
operate, even for summers. Winter unemployment estimated at 70-80
percent. Newspaper
switches to monthly in winter. First running of Klondike Road Relay.
Oil-rich state helps Skagway with $8.5 million to construct a new
school. Skagway lands Alaska Visitors Association convention and
sees increase in number of cruise ships docking to more than 100.
Historic dock deal reached between city, state and White Pass to
improve dock facilities to allow more cruise ships. Park's first
restoration project, the old White Pass depot and administration
building, is completed and opened for the park's visitor center
and offices. Broadway gets "historic pavement" to cut
down on dust. Garden Club forms and establishes competition, Order
of Eastern Star starts annual flower and garden show. Voters approve
land sale along Dyea Road and houses spring up on hillside. Number
of visitors to Skagway tops 200,000.
1986-87 - Curragh, Inc. buys Anvil mine and announces it wants
to truck concentrate to Skagway. Mayor Bill Feero breaks a tied
city council in February 1986 and city requests state to open highway
year-round. Gov. Bill Sheffield and Yukon government Leader Tony
Penikett sign historic agreement in April. Trucks operated by Lynden
roll in June. White Pass brings back container ship and gets into
trucking too. Number of cruise ships surpasses 200. Park finishes
restoring two more buildings in 1986-87 and leases them to private
businesses. City establishes Centennial Committee in 1987 and park
completes restoration of Moore cabin for its 100th anniversary.
First Buckwheat Ski Classic joins Windfest as winter event. Prospective
railroad buyers appear on scene and say railway would be a viable
tourist operation. Skagway's small cross-country team wins school's
first state title. Tensions rise on waterfront as the Lynden-operated
ore terminal replaces striking workers, who fail to organize union
and abandon picket lines in new year.
1988 - On March 1, White Pass President Marvin
Taylor announces the company has reached agreement with its unions
to reopen the
railroad for a summer tourist operation with three-hour round-trips
to the summit. Whistles blow all over town as employees return
to work. First train operates with great fanfare on May 12. News
goes back to twice-monthly year-round. Alaska State Garden Club
holds annual convention in Skagway, and the city is officially
proclaimed "Garden City of Alaska" by Gov. Steve Cowper.
Year ends on scary note, as high lead levels are recorded in Skagway
from past ore movement. School children are tested by state public
health officials, and blood levels are below normal. However, a
clean-up is coming.
1989-90 - Massive $6 million clean-up by "supersuckers" paid
by Curragh and White Pass along waterfront, railroad and highway
through town. Battle lines drawn on waterfront as White Pass proposes
Broadway Dock west of ferry terminal, and Curragh tries to convince
city to lease land for new ore dock and terminal east of ferry
terminal. City approves White Pass project, sends Curragh project
to voters. Election called off after Curragh polls community and
finds little support. Curragh and White Pass begin to work together
to improve existing ore terminal, leased from White Pass, on city
tidelands. As voters are posed again, to approve a lease to the
state's Alaska Industrial and Export Authority (AIDEA), White Pass
announces it will sell the terminal to AIDEA, which wins Legislative
approval for $25 million to buy and upgrade the terminal. Broadway
dock opens in 1990. Ships have some trouble maneuvering in wind
and ore dock is damaged. River rises to near flood stage, prompting
push for more flood control. Remains of old Pullen House torn down
after long-abandoned relic deemed unsafe. School's Pullen Creek
hatchery program receives national vocational education award.
1991-92 - Ore terminal operates through Curragh strike in Yukon.
Island Princess and Regent Sea collide in bay on way into port;
miraculously no one is seriously injured. Ships are repaired and
return later that summer. New rules for harbor: ships must arrive
an hour apart. City does emergency flood control in September 1991,
gets state's attention. Number of visitors tops 300,000 in 1992
during 50th anniversary of the building of the Alaska Highway.
Reunions highlight summer, along with war-themed AVA convention.
1993-94 ∫ Yukon government loans Curragh $29 million to
stay alive, then Curragh files Chapter 11. Terminal closes. City
pushes for winter highway funding, with or without mine, and get
assurances from state and territorial leaders. Good year for filming
on pass: TV show "Due South" in spring and movie "Snowbound:
Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story" in fall 1993. Yukon log shipments
roll to Skagway on highway in spring 1994. Skagway Medical Corporation
formed after members split off from Haines -based corporation and
win city approval. Clinic affiliates with Bartlett Hospital in
Juneau. "Good Morning America" visits in May. White Pass
announces plans to expand, revamp and lengthen its Railroad Dock
but is plagued by three fuel spills from its pipeline, the last
occurring in October, leading to federal charges against two company
officials. The company closes the line and sells its fuel business.
A worse disaster befalls White Pass a month later when the dock
collapses, sending a tidal wave across the bay, uprooting the ferry
dock and spinning it into the Broadway dock. One worker is killed
in the debris. Disaster declared by Gov. Hickel. Damage to state
dock and small boat harbor exceeds $1 million. White Pass vows
to rebuild railroad dock in time for 1995 cruise season.
1995-96 - New Anvil Range Corp. buys Faro mine. First cruise
ship lands at new Railroad Dock on May 30. Adventure tour craze
explodes with new operators and tours in Skagway and Dyea, and
city approves more helicopter landings on glaciers. Voters approve
extending sales tax to tours and transportation. RCMP Musical Ride
performs on beach for Mounties' 100th anniversary. Visitor numbers
surpass 400,000 on 313 ships. Main part of old school destroyed
after 10 years of disrepair, but gym is saved for future recreation
center. New border station opens on highway. Ore trucks return
in the fall, followed by ships. City elects first female mayor,
Sioux Plummer. In 1996, White Pass officials are indicted, tried
and convicted by a jury for their involvement in the 1994 spill.
They appeal: one conviction stands, the other is tossed out. Skagway
connects to the Internet . Weak metal prices force Anvil Range
to announce pending shutdown.
1997-98 - Cominco purchases Anvil Range shares,
but mine shuts and ore terminal closes in April 1997. Voters
approve loan package
to fund new incinerator up Klondike Highway. Ore terminal reopens
in fall after mine opens again, only to close on Christmas after
Anvil Range files for protection. However, over next two years,
city swells with pride during Klondike Gold Rush Centennial celebrations
including "Ton of Gold" reenactment, Dyea to Dawson races,
Skagway Centennial Statue and Park completion, dedication of Klondike
International Historical Park, and the first-day issue of a Klondike
postage stamp. New state license plates also show gold rush trail
scene. White Pass also begins three years of centennial events.
The company is spun off from Russell Metals (formerly Federal Industries)
and becomes part of new Tri-White Corporation. School and organizations
celebrate 100th birthdays, and Alaska Power and Telephone's Goat
Lake Hydro project is completed. Skagway is 100 percent hydro and
sending power to Haines too. Forest fire burns 85 acres above Dyea,
threatening Chilkoot, before being stopped by local and state fire
crews. City takes over management of Dyea Flats from Park Service.
State releases Juneau Access study, favoring either a highway link
up the east side of Lynn Canal to Skagway, or improved ferry service
using daily fast ferries. Skagway leans toward the fast ferries,
while Haines is adamantly opposed to a new road link. Juneau is
split.
1999-2000 - White Pass and state settle suit
over 1994 dock damage, with railroad to pay $1.875 million. Skagway
is 16th most visited
cruise destination in the world with nearly 450 cruise calls. As
visitor count approaches 750,000, city looks harder at dealing
with impacts. Police, fire department/EMS and clinic expand staff.
City snuffs "shuttle wars" by offering service to just
one company, and then forces independent tour operators to use
a single broker. Economic development director is hired, tackles "quality
of life" issues to keep locals here in winter. Rec. Center
improvements completed, director hired, and use expanded. Airport
expansion project begins and is completed in 2001. Like the rest
of the world, Skagway enters the new millennium with no bugs in
its computers, and enters the cell phone age. Democrat Gov. Tony
Knowles delivers decision on Juneau Access in early 2000, favoring
fast ferries, but has trouble pushing ferry construction through
the Republican-controlled Legislature. National Bank of Alaska
is sold to Wells Fargo, which was here during the gold rush. McCabe
is restored for city's centennial, but there are construction delays,
much like 100 years before, and the city holds a big birthday party
outside in June before it can move in. WP&YR celebrates its
100th birthday in July with great fanfare in Carcross and announces
resumption of service to that Yukon community. Next big project
is flood control north of town. The rest of Skagway streets are
paved in conjunction with the airport project. A Klondike gold
dredge is brought to Skagway as a tourist attraction. Yukon abandons
dock plans here, saying money would be better spent at home helping
people deal with its ailing economy. 2001-2004 - In 2001, the city
explores building a new dock to handle freight for the proposed
Alaska Highway Natural Gas Pipeline, but there's resistance because
the dock would need cruise ships to pay bonding costs over the
long run. The concern is Skagway, population 862 in the 2000 census,
is close to its cruise visitor capacity in summer, and existing
docks can be improved for a pipe haul to the Yukon, if it comes.
Skagway enjoys a great summer season until Sept. 11, when virtually
all traffic stopped for a few days after the terrorist attacks
on the East Coast, but the ships and planes returned and more visitors
come in 2002. Republican Sen. Frank Murkowski is elected governor
and vows to build a road from Juneau to Skagway. He restarts the
EIS process. In 2003, the WP&YR adds on to its railroad dock
to handle bigger ships, but Skagway's industrial position is dealt
a blow when corrosion at the ore terminal makes it unsafe and the
state decides to tear it down. However, the city asks that the
site be preserved for future industrial use, so a new terminal
may be built if mining ever rebounds in the Yukon. Skagway residents
follow the war in Iraq on their satellite dishes, the internet,
and cell phones. As 2004 unfolds, despite pressure from a pro-road
movement, the city sticks to its resolution in support of better
ferries for improving Juneau Access. The final EIS on the road
vs. ferries is due to be released as the state's first fast ferry,
the MV Fairweather, starts running in Lynn Canal and between Juneau
and Sitka this summer. Skagway gets a welcome reprieve from winter
when the cast of "The Big White" shows up in town to
film on the pass. The stars fit right in as Robin Williams bikes
around town, and Holly Hunter rings bar bells. Like some residents,
they call themselves Skagwegians.
Compiled and edited by Jeff Brady, updated
from original published in January 2000 New Year's edition of
The Skagway News.
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