The Alaskan Inside Passage: Anchorage | Buy Heirloom Quality Wood Charts

Many considered Alaska as the Last Frontier, where most of its wonders kept hidden in the outside world. The peaceful and tranquil land houses the most incredible formation of the Alaskan Inside Passage. Travelers used the passage to bypass the open seas which paved the way in creating some of its interesting coastal towns. The region also has a rich history from totem poles to the Gold Rush era, making some of the architectural marvels in the area.  

The Alaskan Inside Passage was once famous for travelers who choose not to fight the harsh and sometimes ruthless open seas. But now, three coastal towns emerge within the Alaskan Inside Passage that is worth a trip to the Last Frontier, the state of Alaska.

Anchorage

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and played an important part in the past few decades. It helped mold on what we know as Alaska today. However, Anchorage is not within the Alaskan Inside Passage but serves as a home to 44% of the total Alaskan population. Who would have thought the 2,000 people who lived in Anchorage and with only one bath tent in 1915 would grow this big. Presently, Anchorage has more espresso shops than in any other state in the United States. Anchorage has shorter winter season but experiences long summer days.

In 1778, the English explorer named Captain James Cook first discovered Anchorage and was noted as the first person who described the area. A few decades after, the city of Anchorage was chosen as a site for a railroad construction which creates the industry boom in the area. The actual construction of the Alaska Railroad started in 1915, where workers began to flock the area and building tents near the shoreline of Ship Creek. The city was once a bustling town full of tents. It was just 17 votes away from becoming as ‘Tent City’ when a time came to rename ‘Anchorage’.

Here are some of the interesting facts about Anchorage:

1.    On November 23, 1920, Anchorage was incorporated in the US.

2.    When measuring land area, Anchorage is one of the largest cities in the country. Its land area measures at 1,961 square miles, about the size of the Delaware state.

3.    The flying time in Anchorage is around 9.5 hours about 90% flying time of the industrialized world. The FedEx Company chose the city as their major hub, and 26% of the US international air freight travel through the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The airport ranked as the 5th busiest cargo airport in the world.

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4.    The Cook Inlet surrounds Anchorage which is located on a triangular peninsula in the northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean. Anchorage city received 95% of all freight coming in Alaska.

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5.    ARCO first discovered the oil in Prudhoe Bay on the Alaska North Slope in 1968. The discovery led to the further industrial growth of Anchorage. Other major industries in Anchorage are tourism, petroleum, government, and military.

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6.    Anchorage houses six mountain ranges including Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America that stands 20,320 feet. The other mountains include Kenai, Chugach, Talkeetna, Tordillo, Aleutian and Alaska.

7.    One of the strongest earthquakes in North America hit Anchorage on a Good Friday that happened on March 27, 1964. The quake measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale claimed the lives of 115 people and lasted about five minutes.

8.    The city of Anchorage sits as far as west as the city of Honolulu, Hawaii. Located about 61 degrees north in the globe, it lies just farther north than Helsinki, Oslo, Saint Petersburg and Stockholm.

9.    Due to the severe tidal changes and very thin glacial silt, the seacoast of Anchorage consists of dangerous mudflats.

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10.    The city named its public bus system as ‘People Mover’, (very ingenious).

11.    Anchorage boasts of more thriving habitats. It’s a home to 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears living near the urban areas.

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12.    Don’t get surprised if you see moose crossing the pedestrian lane. Moose are a common sight in the city of Anchorage. The summer population is around 250 and increases in number during the winter months, with a head count of 1,500 moose.

13.    One popular activity in the summer is fishing for the King and Silver Salmon at Ship Creek located just a few meters away from downtown.

14.    Because of the numerous remote places in Anchorage, most of these places are only accessible by plane. The youngest age to fly a plane in these parts is only 14 years old. So you can legally fly a plane at age 14 but you are not allowed to drive a car.

15.    Anchorage is, in fact, an Arctic Rainforest; with 17 inches of rain during the summer months and 132 inches of snow during spring, fall and winter.

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16.    Daytime summer temperature in Anchorage is between 55F to 78F. It can drop as low as 5 to 30F during the winter months. In a year the city gets 75.5 inches of snow.

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17.    Anchorage has a lot of groomed cross-country ski trails that stretches about 105 miles.

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18.    Lake Hood has an average of 190 flights per day, one of the busiest seaplane bases in the world.

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19.    The US chose Anchorage to host for the two previous Winter Olympics but lost to Albertville, France in 1992 and to Lillehammer, Norway in 1994.

20.    On average, Anchorage continues to experience about 300 earthquakes a day. On a brighter side, these small usually unfelt quakes help to relieve the earth’s pressure thus preventing Anchorage from suffering more destructive earthquakes.

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Alaskan Inside Passage Skagway | Buy 3D Nautical Wood Chart

Skagway

In the past, the place was commonly spelled as ‘Skagua’. But a Washington D.C. bureaucrat changed it to ‘Skagway’ thinking the name was just misspelled. In just one day, Skagway was incorporated as a city in Alaska, setting back the record for Juneau.

The Gold Rush era paved the way for the popularity of Skagway. This attracted thousands of hopeful individuals to dig in the gold mines. By the year 1898, the population of Skagway ballooned to 10,000. However, it has diminished over the past few years. In the recent 2010 census, the population of the city was no greater than 920. But, the towns still maintain their historical district which attracts thousands of tourists aboard cruise ships to visit Skagway and experience a true Alaskan village.

Here's some amazing facts about Skagway...

1.    The owner of Nordstrom department stores, John Nordstrom got his first fortune during the Klondike Gold Rush. He sold his claim for $13,000 before relocation to Seattle to start his business.

2.    The most famous villain of the Gold Rush era, Soapy Smith is a resident of  Skagway.

3.    It's every driver’s dream to drive on a  highway with no traffic. The closest stoplight from the city center is 100 miles away and is located in Whitehorse, Canada.

4.    Unfortunately, McDonald's is the only fast food chain in the area. You won't get Big Mac's anywhere else around this area.

5.    The book ‘The Call of the Wild’ by Jack London, had traveled the Chilkoot Trail and made a claim in the Stewart River. He then wrote his experiences in his book. Some of the scenes from the movie adaptations were also shot in Dyea to give authenticity to the film.

6.    Back then, at the peak of the Gold Rush Era, Skagway and Dyea competed for gold. Skagway won because of its efficient harbor and construction of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad.

7.    More than 60,000 people died in Dyea and Skagway along its trails during the Gold Rush Era. This includes several hundred people who died because of a single avalanche.

8.    The most photographed building in  Skagway is the AB Hall. The hall is covered with more than 10,000 pieces of driftwood.

9.    President Warren G. Harding is the only US President to visit Skagway. As a tribute, locals named the Harding Glacier after him. You can glimpse the glacier from the town of Skagway.

10.    During the winter season, locals take turns opening only 1 restaurant per week.

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11.    Skagway only houses 4 bars in the area, The Bonanza, The Red Onion Saloon, The Pizza Station and The Skagway Brewing Company.

12.    Skagway also houses the oldest hotel in Alaska, the Golden North Hotel located on 3rd and Broadway. It was very popular during the Gold rush Era and the city restored it in the 1990s. If you are looking for thrills, visit the hotel.... locals say it's haunted.

13.    The city has a peculiar way of celebrating 4th of July. They have a race of rubber duckies in Pullen Pond as a fundraising activity. Hundreds of rubber duckies are released to compete with each other.

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14.    About 2,000 people every year hike the Chilkoot trail which runs 33 miles long and typically takes about 3 to 5 days to finish. Hiker,  Geoff Roes only took 5 hours and 27 minutes to complete the whole trek.  

15.    Another record that Skagway holds is the Guinness World Record for the most number of people tossing eggs at one time. 1,162 people joined the record-breaking activity that stretched from 2nd up to 8th street on Broadway in 2008.

16.    Skagway relies heavily on the tourism industry and the numbers are staggering. Last year, the place hosted about 1 million visitors from  cruise ships alone.

17.    At any given time, Skagway can accommodate up to 5 boats. 2 on the railroad track, 1 on the ore dock, 1 on the Broadway dock and 1 at the ferry dock. The Skagway Harbor is known to have a steep drop off and it can even accommodate another boat in either of the docks.

18.    Usually, Skagway only has a population of 400 residents, but the number swells up to 3000 people during the summer season.

19.    For Starbucks and fast food fanatics, sorry... there are no franchises in the area. But you can order coffee in one of the local shops that ‘Proudly Serves Starbucks’ which is the closest you can get from the authentic one.

20.    Radio Shack is the only chain store in Skagway. Radio Shack both caters to video rentals and a tanning salon. Sorry... no spas yet.

21.    Ironman ready? every year, Skagway hosts a challenging relay race. It starts from Skagway and ends in Whitehorse. The race stretches about 110 miles along the Klondike Highway. The longest leg recorded is 16 miles and the steepest track has an elevation of 1768 feet for at least 5 miles.

22.    Skagway has a tradition of sending off the final cruise ship on the last day of the summer season. Residents will line the dock and wave to the passengers to bid goodbye (until next season).


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