Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Administration Building serves as a museum
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| Location | Alaska and Washington, United States |
| Nearest city | Skagway, Alaska and Seattle, Washington |
| Area | 12,996 acres (52.59 km2) |
| Established | June 30, 1976 |
| Visitors | 860,048 (in 2011) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park |
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Klondike Goldrush National Historical Park
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| Location | Union of Chilkoot Trail and Dyea Site and Skagway Historic District and White Pass |
| NRHP reference No. | 76002189 |
| Added to NRHP | June 30, 1976 |
The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is a special place run by the National Park Service. It helps us remember the exciting Klondike Gold Rush from the late 1890s. Even though the gold was found far away in Yukon Territory, Canada, this park protects the starting points and trails that gold seekers used.
The park has four main parts. Three of these are in Skagway, Alaska, and the fourth is in Seattle, Washington. To truly understand the gold rush story, you need to explore places in both the United States and Canada. In 1998, this park joined with Canadian sites to form the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park. This allows visitors to experience the full story across both countries.
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Exploring Historic Skagway
The Skagway part of the park includes much of the old downtown area. Many buildings are owned and cared for by the National Park Service. Some are even rented out to businesses today, making the town feel lively, just like it was during the gold rush!
The main visitor center in Skagway is in an old railroad depot building. It's a great place to start a tour, either with a park ranger or on your own. If you're a young explorer, you can even earn your Junior Ranger badge at the Pantheon Saloon building.
Important Buildings in Skagway
- White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Broadway Depot. This building, finished in 1898, was the first train station built by the railway. It served as a depot for many years. During World War II, the U.S. Army used it to help build the Alaska Highway. Today, it's the park's main visitor center and office.
- White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Administration Building. Built in 1900, this building was once the railway's main office. It was considered the "finest wooden structure" in the city back then. Now, the bottom floor is the park museum, and park offices are upstairs.
- Martin Itjen's House. This house, built in 1902, was originally for railway workers. Later, Martin Itjen bought it and turned it into a museum. He was famous for greeting tourists and selling tours. Today, it's the Trail Center for the park, where visitors can get information about hiking.
- Jeff. Smith's Parlor. This building was once used by a famous trickster named Jefferson "Soapy" Smith. He and his group tried to trick miners out of their money. Martin Itjen later bought the saloon and made it into a museum with moving figures of Soapy Smith. It reopened as a museum in 2016.
- Verbauwhede's Cigar Store and Confectionery. Frederick Verbauwhede opened a store here in 1898, selling cigars and sweets. Over the years, it was also a gunsmith, jeweler, and gas station. Today, the cigar store is leased to a private business.
- Boas Tailor & Furrier Shop. This building was briefly a fur shop. It has a classic tall wooden "false front" like many old Western towns. After many different businesses, it is now leased to a private business, helping to show how busy Skagway once was.
- Pacific Clipper Line Office. This building first served the many steamships that brought people to Skagway. Later, it became a liquor store. The park now owns it and leases it to a private business.
- Mascot Saloon. This saloon opened in 1898 and was one of the few bars that stayed open through a local ban on alcohol in 1916. After that, it was a drugstore. Today, it has been restored to look like it did after the gold rush and is an exhibit.
- Lynch and Kennedy Dry Goods Store. This building was first built in 1900 as barracks for soldiers. It was moved and became a fancy clothing and fabric store in 1908. It closed by 1920 and was later used as a restaurant. Now, it is leased to a private business.
- Pantheon Saloon. Though it started as a hardware store in 1898, the Pantheon became a saloon in 1903. It closed when alcohol was banned in 1916. Today, it is restored to its old look and invites young visitors to learn about the park and earn their Junior Ranger badges.
- Moore Homestead. This was the very first home built in Skagway, even before the gold rush began.
- Peniel Mission. This building was originally a Christian mission. Now, it provides housing for the park's seasonal employees.
The White Pass Trail
The park also includes a part of the White Pass Trail. This mountain trail goes from Skagway to the start of the Yukon River in British Columbia. It was one of the two main paths gold seekers used to cross the mountains on their way to the gold fields in the Yukon. The White Pass and Yukon Route railway, finished in 1900, also used White Pass to take prospectors from Skagway to Whitehorse, Yukon.
Dyea Townsite and Chilkoot Trail
The historic town of Dyea is another part of the park. From Dyea, the famous Chilkoot Trail begins and goes all the way to Bennett Lake in British Columbia. From there, gold seekers usually built rafts to float down to Dawson City, Yukon. The trail center in Skagway, run by both the National Park Service and Parks Canada, has important information about the Chilkoot Trail. You need a permit to hike this 33-mile (53-kilometer) trail.
The Seattle Park Unit
An important part of the park is its Visitor's Center in Seattle, Washington. It is located in the Pioneer Square National Historic District. This center acts as a museum and learning place. It also provides information on how to visit the park units in Skagway.
The Seattle unit is now in the Cadillac Hotel building, which was built in 1889. This hotel was a key spot where gold seekers bought supplies and started their journey during the gold rush. After being badly damaged in an earthquake in 2001, it was repaired and reopened in 2006 as the park's Seattle home.
The International Park
In 1969, the United States and Canadian governments decided to work together to create a Klondike Gold Rush International Historic Park. The U.S. part was officially created in 1976 as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
The Canadian part of the trail became the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site. However, it wasn't until 1998, for the 100-year anniversary of the gold rush, that the dream of an international park came true. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site were officially declared the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park. This new name showed that the two park services would work closely together.
Beyond this formal international park, other important sites in Yukon are also connected to the gold rush story. These include:
- Discovery Claim National Historic Site (where gold was first found!)
- SS Keno National Historic Site
- Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site (a large gold mining machine)
- SS Klondike National Historic Site
- Yukon Hotel National Historic Site
- Canadian Bank of Commerce National Historic Site
- Former Territorial Court House National Historic Site
- Old Territorial Administration Building National Historic Site
