North through British Columbia - Alaska and Points North: Tips and Tales from the Road - page 68

Skagway, Alaska
We arrive in Skagway, truly a step back in time. During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898,
tens of thousands of gold-fevered prospectors literally bolted off the steamships here, char-
ging overland to the Yukon goldfields. They needed to be single-minded about it because
painted ladies paraded the streets, some 80 saloons promised a party while quick-fingered
thieves and gamblers built legendary reputations on their ability to part bumpkins from their
stake money.
Today, most of the town's historic buildings have been restored to their Gold Rush glory -
even the residences in town. There is a museum and there is a show. It is basically a town
that, down on its luck, reinvented itself for the cruise ship crowd. One of the shops in town
was completely faced with antlers.
There must be real people here somewhere - in fact I think I spotted some hiding out in the
trailer park on the edge of town. But mostly it seems to be row after row of high-end shops
selling the expensive gee gaws, furs and toys they believe tourists want to buy.