Each prospector was required to carry one year’s provisions, or about 2,000 pounds of food and supplies, on the trek north. The railroad was built to replace narrow, dangerous White Pass Trail, also known as Dead Horse Trail, which was taken by prospectors heading from Skagway to the Yukon and Atlin goldfields. Built in 1898 during the Klondike gold rush, construction of the WP&YR was considered an impossible task, but it was literally blasted through coastal mountains in only 26 months, from May 28, 1989, to July 29, 1900. The railroad connected the deep water port of Skagway, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and beyond to northwest Canada and interior Alaska. Happy Birthday to White Pass! The 110-mile White Pass and Yukon Route railroad (WP&YR) was completed with the driving of the golden spike on July 29, 1900, in Carcross, Yukon Territory. Now I am sure I will be corrected here, as it is confusing. But the legal name is still the Pacific Arctic Railway and Navigation Company, often referred to as PARN. So, when I worked at White Pass (in marketing) I discovered that the true name is actually White Pass & Yukon Route Railway (note the use of the ampersand, not the word “and” ). But on this day, July 30, 1898, the charter rights and concessions of the three companies were acquired by the White Pass & Yukon Railway Company Limited, a new company organized in London. By the start of construction there were three companies that were organized to build the rail line. In 1897 there were actually 32 proposals to the Canadian Government to build the railroad. Heney with the British investors, they came to believe that with the right men the task was possible. British investors had for many years researched the task and had sent various engineers and financiers to Skagway to review the situation. Though an attraction in and of itself, the train also acts as an access point to several hiking trails, including the Chilkoot Trail and the trail to the Laughton Glacier.In his book “The White Pass” by Graves, the first 1/3 of the book deals with the intrigue and planning that went into creating the railroad from Skagway to Whitehorse. This vintage train lends a glimpse into history, as well as a wide panorama of natural beauty from the vantage point of a 3,000 foot climb over 20 miles of track. Today, White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad is a national historic engineering landmark, and carries some 400,000 passengers a year. But in 1988, a few entrepreneurs resurrected the line as a scenic railway. After years of service, when the Faro Mine shut down in 1982, the railroad also closed its doors. White Pass developed its own airline and navigation company to transport its freight, and notably it pioneered the first inter-modal (ship-train-truck) movement of containers. But the 110-mile railway quickly began hauling freight and continued to grow as a company. Unfortunately by the time the railroad was finished, the gold rush was over. The White Pass Railroad was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, by would-be miners making their way to the Gold Fields in the Yukon. A pioneer of travel and shipping, the White Pass Railroad now only freighters sightseers and tourists instead of gold.
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