HoneyMoon Journey

White Pass And Yukon Route to The Klondike Gold Run

When my wife and I recently stepped off a luxury crusie ship in Skagway Alaska, we were excited being revisiting some her family’s historical past. In 1897 her grandaddy Jim and her excellent uncle Albert, joined virtually 100, 000 gold-rush prospectors who have been going to the Klondike to search for gold. They were among the list of 30, 000 or consequently prospectors who actually arrived at the Yukon. The journey was longer and arduous and they walked the vast majority of way as their pack horse was useful to carry their supplies. The Canadian Northwest Mounted Police insisted that each Klondiker must bring 12 months worth of supplies with each other before they were allowed to venture to the Yukon. There were two routes in the mountains to Whitehorse over the Yukon River: The first route has been the Chilkoot Pass trail which was too steep for wrap animals. Klondikers had to stage their supplies and leapfrog returning to carry their year’s worth of supplies up the steep icy trail. Many prospectors abandoned their quest here or perished in the extremely cold weather. Jim and Albert find the second route called this White Pass Trail, which often climbed to almost 3, 000 feet in elevation out of Skagway and was just as steep and treacherous, but could accommodate pack mounts. This information was of doubtful value as over 3, 000 pack animals were killed about this trail which was nicknamed “dead horse trail”. Jim and Albert lost their packhorse in the climb but eventually meant it was to Bennett Lake with their supplies. They rafted off the Lake and into the Yukon River even though undergoing many difficulties together with adventures, but reached Whitehorse and then Dawson City and this goldfields. Unfortunately most in the gold claims had been staked by locals and early prospectors plus they ended up working as miners for the next two years until on the list of earned enough money to go back home. The fact they survived the extreme chilly and harsh conditions was a tribute on their strength and indomitable spirits. Although they didn’t bring home any gold, they brought home a lifetime of stories to pass onto their grandchildren.

After we toured historic Skagway we then embarked over the most fantastic train ride in our lives – The White Pass and Yukon Road or WP&YR. We booked an all day excursion to Bennett Station British Columbia. The rail cars have been authentic 1900 parlor cars or converted to look authentic and we joined our luxury crusie ship passengers on a wonderful narrated tour back into history. The scenery was incredible and you had to marvel in the engineering prowess of the railroad builders as they simply constructed tunnels, switchbacks and hanging trestles up the steep mountain pass. The slow journey up the mountain gave us ample opportunity to view the steep together with treacherous White Pass trl that Jim and Albert had climbed. We saw skeleton horse heads over the trail but whether these folks were of 1897 vintage or have been placed there by the local tourist board is not to do to say. We eventually reached Bennett Station where there were a box lunch and were given a guided tour just before making the return journey to Skagway. It was an incredible journey which prompted me to do somewhat more research on the WP&YR and also its particular links to the Klondike silver rush.
The WP&YR is a narrow, 3-foot gauge railway that connected the interface of Skagway Alaska together with Whitehorse, the capital in the Yukon. It is the most heavily used tourist railroad available today and carries over 400, 000 passengers on a yearly basis during the May until such time as October season. The railroad is isolated not connected to any some other system. The original line has been over 110 miles in length but the most commonly utilised section today is the main 40 miles between Skagway together with Bennett Station, although plans are to add some excursions to Carcross, Yukon. Originally the intention has been to link Skagway in the northernmost end of the medial Passage to the gold mining districts in the Klondike. British investment was secured and construction was were only available in 1898 and finished within July 1900. Three companies managed the railroad known as the WP&YR:
- The Pacific & Arctic Railway from Skagway on the British Columbia border in close proximity to White Pass.- The BC-Yukon Railway from White Pass on the BC Yukon border in close proximity to Pennington.- The United kingdom Yukon Railroad to Whitehorse.
Traffic over the WP&YR dropped significantly after the gold rush with the severe decline in the population of the Yukon Areas. Tourist trade saved the WP&YR as they simply began promoting recreational travel off the steamships that stopped within Skagway. The Second World War brought about the necessity to build the Alaska Highway linking Alaska in the Yukon and BC on the lower 48 states. The WP&YR was one way to move supplies to this highway site. The US Army leased the railroad from 1942 to help 1946 and ran several daily supply trains during that period. After the warfare, increased mining activities in the Yukon maintained the rail traffic to 1982. Numerous spur lines have been opened and closed to mines in the district. The WP&YR pioneered some of the first transshipment of cans from ships to rail in the post-war period. In 1982 extremely depressed metal prices forced this mines to close and also the railroad shut down within October, 1982. However by 1988 increased luxury crusie ship traffic to Skagway encouraged the WP&YR to reopen within 1988 and traffic has increased on a yearly basis.
The WP&YR rolling stock comprises approximately 20 diesel-electric train locomotives, 2 steam engines together with 70 antique and synthetic version parlor car type coaches. 11 diesel-electric locomotives are generally ALCO 251A’s built by GE between 1954 together with 1966, and 9 are generally ALCO 251D’s built by ALCO between 1969 together with 1982. The two steam train locomotives are Engine #73 the industry fully restored 1947 Baldwin 2-8-2 Mikado category unit and recently rebuilt Engine #69 the industry Baldwin 2-8-0 steam locomotive originally built for WP&YR within 1907. The parlor cars are generally antique or replicas of antique coaches with an average age of 50 years and with an average of approximately 40 seats for each carriage. The parlor cars are named after lakes and rivers in Alaska, Yukon and BC and also the oldest car is Lake Emerald which was built in 1883.
One’s destiny of the WP&YR railroad looks promising while using the continued increase in luxury crusie ship traffic visiting Skagway. I urge all readers to visit Skagway and travel on one of the most scenic and historic train routes functioning today. 

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