A Ride on the Klondike Gold Train

By Gerry Barker
North Palm Beach Life

Gold!

The mere mention of the word ignites visions of wealth, fame and fortune.
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"Gold! Gold! Gold!" was the headline in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on July 17, 1897 -- "Sixty Eight Rich Men on the Steamer Portland" had arrived with "Stacks of Yellow Metal." And that's how the fabled Klondike Gold Rush was born.

Skagway, Alaska was one of the starting points for thousands of gold-seekers making the harrowing 600-mile trek to the Yukon gold fields. As they crossed into Canada, each person was required to bring along a ton of supplies -- enough to last a year -- and had to navigate trails that were narrow, steep and treacherous, not to mention at times the below-zero temperatures.

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