Cruise to Alaska June 30 to July 10, 2000 Page 9, Skagway |
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GOLD RUSH CEMETERY
(Photo by Sonny)
(Here's your history lesson, sorry.)
This cemetery was in use only from 1898 until 1907 and contains a little over 100 burials. Among them are Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith and Frank Reid. Soapy was an infamous swindler and con man who had been run out of Colorado and came here in 1897 specifically to prey on the would-be miners passing through to the gold fields of the Klondike. He and his gang of over one hundred men ruled Skagway for about seven months.
Soapy met his end in July 1898, when he and his thugs fleeced a miner of $2,800 in gold. The miner fired up the citizens of Skagway who formed a vigilante committee headed by Frank Reid, a civil engineer. Reid stood up to Soapy and shot him in the heart, but was himself fatally wounded in the shootout and died twelve days later.
The gang soon dispersed. Soapy was buried
six feet outside the cemetery, while Reid has a granite shaft inscribed,
"He gave his life for the Honor of Skagway." Not far away is the
grave of one of the ladies of "negotiable affection," whose epitaph is,
"She gave her Honor for the life of Skagway."
Reid and Smith
(Reid photo by Dottie, Smith photo from the Internet)
Another stop was by the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls
where Lydia and Dottie stopped to have their picture taken by Sonny.
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The Captain William (Billy) Moore Bridge spans a 110-foot deep gorge.
It was Moore who discovered the White Pass route to the Klondike. White
Pass, in the St. Elias Range, follows the "Gold Rush Trail of '98," made
famous by thousands of Klondike prospectors rushing to find their fortunes.
The route has been used by dog teams, horses, wagons, a narrow-gauge railway,
and finally this new highway, which was blasted through to the Yukon in
1978.
(Photo by Marianne)
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The tour took us a short way into Canada and we posed by the
"welcome" sign near the border.
We also stopped to view the 3,000-foot Pitchfork Falls
as they cascaded from the mountain tops.
(Photo by Jan)
Click the pictures for music (and more)!
(Click on either menu page to see a larger image.)
The Red Onion Saloon was Skagway's most exclusive bordello when
it was built in 1898. You can read the story of this brothel on the back
page of their menu (click above).
Some of us wandered about the streets, aimlessly,
after the "Soapy" show,
wondering where we could go now.
Got it! How about the BAR???
(I know that someone out there has pictures
of the inside. LET'S HAVE 'EM!
After all, this is a JOINT effort, and we need pictures of all the JOINTS!)
Click here to send me any of your thoughts and comments
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ENJOY!
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(All photos, shown without a credit, were taken
with an Olympus 460Z digital camera.) Latest update: September 18, 2000 |
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