Skagway Facts
- Skagway became Alaska’s first municipal corporation in June 28, 1900.
- Skagway was originally written as ‘Skagua’ (“windy place” in Tlingit language), and it was changed to what it is now due to an assumed misspelling.
- Local residents of Skagway are called ‘Skagwayans’.
- Skagway City School is the only school in the town, with about 125 students attending. Parents are satisfied with the quality of education and the school received a rating of 4/5 by parents.
- The Skagway News is the only newspaper in the town and is published twice a week, and costs $1 each.
- There are 5 churches in Skagway, and they are: Assembly Of God, St. Teresa Catholic Church, First Presbyterian Church, Southern Baptist Convention, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.
- Sometime around 1897 and 1898, Skagway was filled with corruption and disorder. It lacked proper laws and was even described as a “little better than a hell on earth” by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- Gold in the region was first found in August 16, 1896 at Bonanza Creek (also known as Rabbit Creek).
- Skagway is also known as the “Gateway to the Klondike” as prospectors had to travel through Skagway to get to the Yukon Territory during the Gold Rush era.