Our guide told us a great story: Some elderly visitors went into the local pub for a drink. "Barman, we'll have ten whisky's. Make them three parts whisky to one part water".

"Don't you mean one part whisky and three parts water" said the barman.

"No, said the elderly man, at our age we can hold our whisky but we can't hold our water".

We were told that most people here owned a car but the furthest they could drive was 40 miles as that was as far as the road went. They never have to worry about stolen cars here, there is nowhere to take them. Most people own a boat and the only way in and out of Juneau is by boat or float plane, people here learn to fly before they learn to drive a car.

We arrived at 7.00am the next morning at Skagway. When gold rush fever hit in 1898, Skagway was overrun by hordes of prospectors. The prospectors came in their thousands until the population numbered over 10,000. Skagway soon gained a reputation as a lawless frontier town. Over 30,000 of these '98ers crossed the perilous trails during the first year of the gold rush to the Klondike. Skagway remains a gold rush town thanks to the spirit and enthusiasm of its people.

Windward at anchor in Skagway

We joined a coach and our first stop was to a viewing area. We had a good view of the Skagway Canal, so called a canal as the man who named it couldn't spell Fjord (or so we are told!). We drove to the Gold Rush Trail Camp tucked into the mountains at the foot of the White Pass. We were met by a malamute sled dog who was a real gentle giant.

Malamute, gentle giant

After a very interesting and amusing talk on what it was like here in the old days. We were entertained by two men and the madam of the camp who told and sang stories to us about the gold rush. We then panned for gold, the gold we found we brought away with us, it was a lot of fun. The camp was laid out just as it was in 1898.

We were told about Soapy Smith. Soapy was a con man who convinced the gold miners that inside the soap he sold was a ten dollar bill. By the time the soap was used and the miners realised they had been conned, they were miles away from Skagway. He was also a small time crook and the townspeople were pretty fed up with him. Soapy Smith killed Skagway's surveyor Frank Reid in a shoot-out on a July evening in 1898. Soapy died straight away and Frank Reid, wounded, died some days later. Both are buried in the Gold Rush Cemetery which we next visited.

Gold Rush Cemetery

Frank Reid's tombstone is inscribed "He gave his life for the honour of Skagway". Nearby, we are told, is buried one of the notorious ladies of the town, with the obituary "She gave her honour for the life of Skagway". The Gold Rush Cemetery is a wooded area just outside of the town and right beside the White Pass Railway Line. Most of the gold miners died young. We saw, just outside the cemetery, 'The Largest Nugget in the World' - a large rock, painted gold!

The Largest Nugget in the World!

Back to Windward for lunch and out on the White Pass Scenic Railway tour.

e-mail goldenmaggot@talk21.com