Skagway was a hub of activity during the gold rush and with the advent of stops by cruise ships, once again is a bustling town. Its neighbor Dyea, where the Chilkoot Trail started, was equally busy during the gold rush, but now only a few rotting timbers remain.
The Chilkoot trail was a trail used by the Tlingit natives for centuries as a trade route to the interior. It was eight miles shorter than the White Pass Trail out of Skagway, but steeper. It was called the poor man's trail. Horses could be used on the White Pass, but people carried their own gear on the Chilkoot. They could hire native packers, but many carried their own outfit the whole way.
A stampeder would have to make about 40 trips up and down the trail. That was because the Canadian Mounties required each person to bring a year's supply of food. That amounted to about 2000 pounds a piece. The policy saved many lives, but it made getting to Dawson City a much harder ordeal. Thousands poured over both trails, built boats and rafts at Lake Bennett, and then, when the ice broke up, floated down the Yukon River to Dawson City.
So why is Dyea no more? An avalanche on April 3, 1898 killed somewhere between 50 and 75 stampeders and packers. People were afraid to use the Chilkoot Trail and used the White Pass Trail out of Skagway instead. When the White Pass & Yukon Route narrow gauge railway was completed - after the gold rush was over - travelers chose that route and Dyea faded away.
Today you can follow a walking trail through the historic townsite. This doorway has been propped up, otherwise a few piles of timber are all that remain. Dyea has long tidal flats that stampeders had to haul their supplies through to the town. The photo shows the remains of the long piers that were built out into the mud flats. The difference between extreme high and low tides is around 26 inches so at low tide, that translated to a long walk to shore if the tide was out - about a mile. The crew on ships that brought the stampeders would drop off their belongings into the mud if they could not hire a flat bottomed boat or packer to haul it in for them. Now the l
and
has risen due to glacial isostacy, or glacial rebound. The land is
about 8 inches higher now than it was during the gold rush. The water came much closer to the townsite then, but you can still get the idea.
When working in Skagway, we camphosted out in Dyea. Our macerator came in handy those two summers! The irises were in bloom and the chocolate lillies. And, we even saw a bear scamper across the road. When working here, we knew bears were here - campers would report seeing them walk through the campground - but I never saw a one. So this was a treat.
From here, we will follow the trail to Dawson City and gold only we'll take the Klondike Highway. It's incredible to think of the journey the stampeders took with no Gortex® or fleece or sturdy boots. What a time that must have been. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak Photos by George Bruzenak
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