Skagway was incorporated as a borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle on June 25, 2007. It was previously a city in the Skagway-Yakatut-Angoon Census area which later became the Hoonah-Anbgoon Census Area, Alaska. The population of Skagway doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with more than 1,000,000 visitors each year because it is a popular stop for cruise ships.  Skagway can also be reached via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system.

The name Skagway is derived from sha-ka-gei, a Tlingit idiom which figuratively refers to the rough seas in the Taiya Inlet, which are caused by strong north winds.

Klondike Gold Dredge

In 1999, The Klondike Gold Fields moved and restored a 1937 Gold Dredge from its working claim in the Klondike Gold Fields of the Yukon. The Dredge is a 350 ton gold sifting machine brought back from the Klondike and reconstructed piece by piece on the shores of the Skagway River.

Short videos and audio presentations let them view the people and places affected by the Gold Dredge during its 60 years of operation plus tour the living museum on the shores of the Skagway River and discover how the Klondike Gold Dredge unearthed over 8 million dollars in gold form the Klondike Gold Fields.

Karen and Lee Duquette enjoyed seeing images of the Dredge in action while hearing the voices of hardy old-timers who toiled under the Midnight Sun for the tons of recovered Gold.

Below: In addition to the Dredge, Karen and Lee Duquette enjoyed a funny, informative gold panning demonstration from a friendly sourdough character.

Then everyone tried to pan gold in warm water gold troughs, and any gold found was weighed in the Gold Shack.

Below: Sandy panning for gold

Weighing the gold

Karen and Lee Duquette experienced The White Pass Summit excursion

Originally built in 1898 for the stampeders headed for the Klondike gold fields, the White Pass and Yukon Railroad is part of the area's mining past. It is now in operation purely for the tourist trade and runs throughout the summer months for a 1-hour and 45-minute train ride.

Below: At the top of the steep climb at 2,888 feet is White Pass, which is also the international boundary between the United States and Canada.

Below: Time to go back to the ship - The Norwegian Sun

Continue on to Haines Alaska and a boat ride to Chilkat Eagle Wildlife Preserve

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