May 19th - White Pass & Yukon Route Train

"HERE COMES ENGINE #69 !
The steam train runs on Saturdays and Sundays up the White Pass Trail.

In 1897 word of the Klondike Gold Rush hit Seattle. The Post-Intelligencer reported that 2 tons of gold had been unloaded from the "Portland" which had arrived from the north and thus started one of the most infamous journeys in history. Over 100,00 "Stampeders" rushed to the Yukon only about 40,000 completed the journey. There have been approximately 12.5 million ounces taken from the Klondike since the discovery.

"The inhumanity which this trail has been witness to, the heart break and suffering which so many have undergone cannot be imagined. They certainly cannot be described."
~ Clifford Stifton, Canadian Minister of the Interior, 1897.

This is the 26 mile Chillkoot Trail. In the winter, Stampeders struggled in blizzards, snow, frigid temperatures, and avalanches. The trail shot up about 1,000 feet in the final half mile. Stampeders climbed the "golden staircase," 1,500 steps cut in the snow and ice, and used a guide rope for support. Circa 1898.

Conditions on the White Pass trail were dreadful. The route was narrow, steep, slick and overcrowded. Nearly 3,000 pack animals died. Drivers rushing over the pass had little concern for beasts. Exhausted horses starved, were hurt on rough ground, became mired in mud and fell over cliffs. Novelist Jack London, a witness, renamed White Pass the "Dead Horse Trail." Circa 1897.

Construction started on the White Pass and Yukon Route in May 1898 and the last spike was driven July 29, 1900. Unfortunately, gold rush fever had mostly died down. Other mining of copper, silver and lead used the route since Skagway was the easiest way out of the territory and had a sea port.

Today it carries train buffs and cruise ship passengers. In the 1950's diesel engines replaced steam engines.

This tunnel and trestle replaced the cantilever bridge in 1969.

Looking back in the far distance you can see the town of Skagway and Lynn Channel.

In 1969 this cantilever bridge over "Dead Horse Gulch" was de-comissioned and a new tunnel and trestle was used. It has won engineering awards for its time that rival the Eiffel Tower.

Lou, Ann and Howard marvel at the spectacular scenery and infamous history of this incredible railroad.

This is the Canadian Border. Miners would be turned back if they did not have supplies for one year with them to avoid the tumultuous conditions ahead for the Stampeders.