Fort Selkirk is a place of magic

The Klondike Gold Rush has been called America's Last Great Adventure. About 100,000 people left the United States to head into a land that was unfamiliar and inhospitable, hoping to find a fortune in the creeks in Canada's Yukon Territory.

Following the gold seekers is a journey to be experienced. Imagine leaving your house and family to gamble that you might find gold. It's so frigid the boat captains swore they could hear the river freeze. Snowy. And your neighbors are cut-throat competitors.
 

Remarkably, few gold rushers made any money at all, and even fewer found the Mother Lode. Only 40,000 even reached Dawson City, where most of the Klondikers were headed. First, they had to climb the the Golden Staircase over the mountains from Skagway, Alaska, to Bennett, British Columbia. Once in Bennett, the early Klondikers had to build rafts worthy enough to handle about 500 miles of the treacherous Yukon River. Awful weather (temperatures dipping to -60 F), lack of food, sickness, inexperience in mining all whittled down the numbers.


Despite the back-breaking work, the Gold Rush boosted the economy and population. Towns were soon scattered all along the river for the long trip north, some as supply stations; some simply as fuel stops for the wood-hungry stern wheelers. At at town called Hootalinqua, a stern wheeler sits on dry land, dying a slow death of neglect. In winter, the big boats were winched over greased logs onto the land to escape the ice. After the spring thaw, they were loaded back into the river. This stern wheeler may have been a victim of a road finally being built and making this slow boat a thing of history.


The best way to truly enjoy and understand the history of the Gold Rush is to take the same route the Klondikers did-- by boat. David Sexton and Davette Schlett, son and daughter of Ohio friends, canoed the route with me on two occasions. It remains one of my most exciting and interesting trips. Many of the most intriguing ghost towns are still inaccessible by car, thus the draw to these historical landmarks-- untouched by antique hunters and looters.

We camped on the shores, seeing almost no one. It was June, and ice flows were still stacked, melting alongside the river. A grizzly bear sliced our tent the first night out.  It rained a lot. As someone once said, "An adventure is something you enjoyed once you've returned safely home."


Abandoned towns like Big Salmon, Hootalinqua, Little Salmon, and Wood Camp are all special. But Fort Selkirk is magical. Once in the running for the territorial capital, Fort Selkirk was a typical Gold Rush town, supplying miners on their way north, wood for the ships.  In 1902, a road was pushed through to Dawson City, bypassing Fort Selkirk. A few people hung on there, including the Selkirk First Nation People. In 1950, the only store closed and stern wheelers all quit running, spelling the end.  Even most of the natives left.

  
Fort Selkirk Historic Site is co-owned and co-managed by the Selkirk First Nation and the Yukon Government, and both groups have worked to rehab the many old buildings. In one of the churches there, the upstairs living area is still wall papered with newspapers from 1906. About 40 structures remain and several cemeteries tell the story of the town. 


Unlike some historic sites, the buildings haven't been rebuilt, but instead, rehabbed and still sing out their history in faded signs, wobbly walls and dust.  Don't expect touristy gunfights at high noon or sparkling accommodations. 


These are true ghost towns. They're real.