Skagway

We had heard Skagway is a charming town.  And that it is.  By the time we arrived, several cruise chips, including a Disney ship, were in the harbor, so the town was fairly crowded.  This town, in contrast to the fishing village of Haines, lives and dies by the cruise industry.  Jewelry store after clothing store after curio store after jewelry store peppers the town, enticing tourists to spend their dollars.  Several shop owners told us that come the end of September, most of the shops close until May, and the town's population falls to about 800 from the 2200 of the summer.  

Many of the buildings we like those in other towns, but we did find this interesting facade in the middle of town.

One thing that continues to strike me is how young Alaska's history is.  Yes, the native people have been here forever, but very little is documented about their past.  Skagway wasn't even built until the late 1800's.  In just over 100 years a lot has happened, but when compared with Asian, Greek or Roman history, the history of Alaska is just a blink.

The geological history of Alaska, however, is phenomenal.  Studying the glaciers has enlightened us to the way our earth has been shaped and formed.  In Skagway, more glaciers, lakes, and pointed mountains continue to tell the story about the earth and its creation.

It is an interesting contrast - long history versus short history - brought home in Skagway.