Visual Stories

Photos: Little Alaska town of Skagway is big into tourism

JUNEAU -- The new boom industry in Skagway is tourism, providing the bulk of the jobs and at the height of the summer, regularly giving the big cruise port the lowest unemployment rate in the state.

But tourism isn't Skagway's first boom. After the Klondike Gold Rush began in 1896, Skagway was the quintessential boom town.

The miners and supplies that supported the gold fields flowed through Skagway and over White Pass into the Yukon. And on the Skagway docks, legendary con man Soapy Smith worked hard to separate returning prospectors from their gold before coming to a bloody end.

Today, the visitors arrive at the docks on cruise ships and willingly hand over their money to hear about Soapy Smith and the rest of Skagway's colorful history, and to ride one of the region's top tourist attractions, the White Pass & Yukon Railroad.

READ MORE: Skagway and its Alaska-Canada railroad at critical junction

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