Skagway — Red Onion Secret

Your adventure begins at the Red Onion Saloon, built in 1898 at the peak of the Klondike Gold Rush. This building, located at 201 Broadway, Skagway, was originally a brothel and saloon, with its 10 small upstairs 'cribs' preserved identically. The floorboards were personally cut by Captain William Moore, the very founder of Skagway. This site, now a brothel museum, restaurant, and saloon open from May to September, from 10 am to closing, immerses you directly in the atmosphere of the gold seekers who flocked to Alaska.

Continuing your visit to Skagway, you will discover the First Presbyterian Church, the oldest Presbyterian church in Alaska, built in 1899 on State Street near Broadway. Its original stained-glass windows, installed in 1904, were funded by repentant prospectors. This first permanent religious building in Skagway, restored in 1999, offers a glimpse into the social and spiritual life of the inhabitants, contrasting with the hustle and bustle of the saloons and camps of the gold rush.

Your path then leads you to the Skagway Post Office, a continuous federal building since 1899, located at 525 Broadway. Listed on the NRHP in 1979, this post office handled mail for thousands of prospectors during the 1897-1899 rush. Its neoclassical architecture with its wooden pediment allows you to gauge the importance of communication and links with the outside world for those trying their luck in the mountains of Alaska.

Not far from there, you arrive at the White Pass & Yukon Route Depot, the station built in 1898 for the railway line vital to the gold rush. Located at the end of Broadway, less than 500m from the Broadway/2nd Avenue intersection, this station is now Skagway's official tourist information center and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1977. The line historically extended 177 km to the Yukon, illustrating human ingenuity in the face of challenging terrain.

Finally, your journey takes you to the Arctic Brotherhood Hall, built in 1899 by the Arctic Brotherhood fraternity. Its unique facade, covered with 8,000 kg of driftwood and drifters, is an emblem of the gold rush and the most photographed building in Skagway. Restored in 2002, it stands on Broadway near 2nd Avenue, testifying to the community spirit of the prospectors. Concluding your exploration near the Mascot Saloon, faithfully reconstructed to its 1898 state, you will have traversed an essential part of Alaska's heritage, including key monuments of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park that shaped the history of Skagway and its inhabitants.