Sunday, September 21, 2008

Skagway, Alaska

In continuation with my Alaskan trip report, one of the more interesting towns we docked in was Skagway. You know, the one with the "public restroom" on the outskirts of town.
The town's population is about 840 so on a busy day when the cruise ships come in, the tourists outnumber the residents.
You can click on the above photo for a larger view of the Skagway map or click here for a close-up view.


Skagway is a small town and this is the main street where most of the tourists visit to buy their souvenirs. Many of the employees are seasonal workers who come here from other parts of Alaska or the United States to work during the summer. When the last cruise ship leaves for the season, they go back home.


Here is a picture of some of their stores. The wooden plank sidewalks really give the town a rustic feel.


This building served as a college back in 1900 before it closed after a year and made into a courthouse. It now serves as Skagway's City Hall and museum.


Built in 1898, the Red Onion Saloon was the city's famous bar and brothel. The downstairs operated as a bar and the 10 room upstairs served as a bordello. Today, the bar is still downstairs, but the upstairs is a brothel museum. To read more about its history, click here. And yes, I did wait until a horse & buggy came by before I took this shot.


To read more about Skagway's gold rush history, click here.

By the way, I will be out of town again for a week. Hubby is going on a business trip to Seoul, South Korea and I'm going to be tagging along. I can't resist traveling to new places. I hope to have some interesting photos to show when I get back.

Have a good week!

- Karen

10 comments:

Gerald (SK14) said...

Great to see from the Red Onion photo that the place is wheelchair-accessible.

Lilli & Nevada said...

It sort of reminds me of the town of Penelton. It looks really clean as well. I just love these kind of places to were you can see what life was like back in the old days.

Jim Klenke said...

That looks like a great place to visit.

Have fun in Seoul, I was there in the mid 80s and loved the country and people.

dot said...

The town looks old timey but fun.
Hope you enjoy your next trip. Wow, what a traveler you are!

Rune Eide said...

An interesting report from my own latitudes. BTW, the horse in the last picture looks very much like a Norwegian breed called "Fjording"

Have a nice trip!

Kate said...

The photos give a good overview of the town. Good job!

Katney said...

Thanks for the reprise of our last year's cruise. We hit the same ports plus Ketchikan. Which cruise line were you on?

photowannabe said...

Loved our cruise to Alaska and enjoyed seeing it through your eyes again.

Neva said...

Have a great trip...I am enjoying your trip to Alaska...you do get around don't you! My daughter has been to Korea.....Busan and Seoul....hope you like it!

AVCr8teur said...

Thank you all for commenting during my absence. I want to report about my Seoul trip, but I still have a few more things to say about Alaska. And yes, I had a wonderful trip! Thanks for asking!

Katney: I was on Royal Caribbean. What about you?