May 13, 2010

Today we joined John and Diane and took the White Pass Train Ride - a 3-to-4 hour round-trip from Skagway to White Pass Summit. Back in the gold rush days the White Pass trail was one of 2 routes to the Dawson gold fields. It was a bit longer than the Chilkoot Pass but it was less steep, which meant they could use pack horses instead of carrying everything themselves. That became important after Canada passed a law requiring everyone to have a ton of supplies; like most laws, it was passed after a lot of people came to a bad end because they didn’t plan ahead.

But the gold rush soon ended so most of the railway’s use was not carrying miners. It was vital for transporting ore to Skagway; when the mines finally closed in 1982, the railroad shut down. But in 1988 it reopened as an excursion railroad.

Even though White Pass was the lower trail, the rail still rose almost 3,000 feet in 20 miles, with lots of curves and steep grades. So it’s a narrow gauge rail, with the rails only 3 feet apart.













We boarded in Skagway and headed north past the Gold Rush cemetery, where Soapy Smith and Frank Reid are buried. Soapy ran much of the town but it was common knowledge that he was a crook who got rich bilking miners out of their money. One day there was a lot of trouble about it and an argument disintegrated into a gunfight, during which Frank, a guard, shot and killed Soapy. Unfortunately Frank also got shot and died 12 days later. The townfolks gave Frank a big monument, and planted Soapy outside the cemetery.

Further along the railway we passed Black Cross Rock. That is where a 100 ton rock fell on 2 men. Of course it was impossible to move the rock so they could give the men a proper burial, so they just put of a black cross on the rock and left it as a memorial.

Most of the railway runs right beside the trail the miners used. In the summer you can see a little litter and trash left behind during the gold rush, but today everything was covered by snow. As the train climbed towards the summit it got a lot colder, but the view was just gorgeous.















Near the top of the summit is a steel bridge constructed in 1901. It was used until 1969, at which point a newer bridge was constructed for the train. But the original bridge is stlll standing, which is amazing, considering how old and well-used it is.



















After the train ride we all went to the Skagway Brewing Company for some food and drink. Randy and I haven't quite gotten used to the high prices, but all the restaurants we've tried so far have been good.