Stories and Folklore from Skagway, Alaska
Gettysburg address by President Lincoln.
The address given at Gettysburg by Mr. Lincoln was only 35 years before the Gold Rush that hit Skagway with thousands of hopefuls. Some of these goldrushers would remember the date just as we might remember what we were doing in 1987! It doesn’t seem so long ago really.
The Dell family lived in Skagway in 1948: Father Edwin, mother Elizabeth and their 3 children. Edwin and Elizabeth were teachers at the Skagway School until 1957. During their time in Skagway, Mary Edith was born to join her siblings Ralph Dell and Dorothy Dell. Mary was born June 1, 1948 and when the family moved to Morocco and then the Philippines she enjoyed the international life. Her father worked for the federal government. They eventually moved back to California where she eventually settled in Tuolumne County with her husband Bob Louis and their children.
Mary died December 23, 2023 in Sonora and lived at the same senior facility as my mother-in-law, Sally McCluskey! I really wish I would have known her background and been able to compare notes on Skagway. I found her obituary in the paper this morning and was amazed of the journeys that people from Skagway take in their lifetimes!
We’ve been hanging out in Skagway this summer, and working on cleaning up the Pioneer Cemetery both online at Findagrave and physically in the cemetery. Lately the mosquitoes up there are fierce! So we will wait until a really windy day or a freezing temperature to continue. Here’s a picture of me repainting the name on the board of Laura Matthews 1923-1926, That Findagrave memorial # is 116980137
This picture of page 315 of theUnited States Coast Pilot ALASKA Dixon Entrance to Yakutat Bay 9th Edition show the Wharfage Dockage and other facts about the harbor facilities in 1941. Also mentions the depth of the bay in places.
Nellie Flynn (1869-1935) lived with her family in Skagway. Her husband is featured in another post. Her grand-daughter has requested that anyone who might have a better photograph of the above image please contact her: Kim Metcalfe at kimmetcalfe@gmail.com
This from the online book: 20th Annual Report, British Columbia Board of Trade
I recently saw this Case and Draper photograph of Mr & Mrs McIntyre online. John was a postal carrier for White Pass on November 28, 1902 when he drowned in Atlin Lake. This according to an account by Graves in his book “On the White Pass Payroll” and also on a Rootsweb posting. His grave is in the Atlin Cemetery – Findagrave # 78004440
Seattle based photographer caught many cool images of people coming and going to the Klondike from the docks. Here in this picture from the Elmer A. Rasmuson Library collection at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is a picture taken in July 1899 of nearly $4 Million in gold dust packed into crates. Labeled as the Royal Canadian Force Collection, note the Mountie on the left. Everyone looks sooooo serious!
I took this photo last year when I visited the Carcross Visitor Center. It is interesting that it shows 4 Sikh workers there in 1906. They were part of a White Pass & Yukon Route Section Crew. I do not have any more information on them, but if anyone has more to add, please add a comment.
George G. Shaw was born in Long Lake, New York on July 15, 1872. At the age of 15 he started working as a guide to sportsmen in the Adirondacks. In 1894 he went to Seattle and was thus poised to head to the Klondike in the Gold Rush of 1897 with two fellow goldrushers, Clem Frazier and Alvin Cook. They arrived in Skagway and headed up the Chilkoot trail with thousands of others. They made it to Dawson and made a claim but when he arrived back home, he had little to show monetarily, but a wealth of stories for his family. He traveled across Alaska by himself and took a whaling schooner to Siberia. He married in 1920 and passed away in 1958 back in Vermont.
I purchased the book today at a Farmer’s Market and will happily sell it to anyone who is interested. $15 plus shipping.
