Train | Dartmouth Folklore Archive

Title: Train to Skagway

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

Ian Andrews is currently a graduate student at MIT. He grew up in Juneau, Alaska and hiked the Chilkoot Trail after finishing his undergraduate studies. Ian hikes recreationally, from trails in his hometown, to spending a week hiking in the Olympic Mountains in Washington State.
Sam is a 40-year-old man from Juneau, Alaska. Sam grew up in Southeast Alaska, and currently works for the state government. Sam hiked the Chilkoot trail in 2015.

Contextual Data:

Historical Context: First used by the Tlingit people of Alaska as a trade route, the Chilkoot became an important trail for miners and prospectors coming to Alaska during the Klondike gold rush at the end of the 1800s. The trail was mostly abandoned after the end of the gold rush in 1898, until the trail was restored for recreational hikers in the 1960s. (Source)
Cultural Context: Many Chilkoot hikers start their journeys in Skagway, Alaska. Once they have completed their hike, they arrive in Bennett, British Colombia. Hikers usually return to Skagway to make their way back home. Skagway is a popular destination for tourists visiting Alaska.
Social Context: Ian brought up the train when talking about his father’s experience hiking the Chilkoot. Ian’s dad lived in Skagway in the 90’s and hiked the trail then. Sam mentioned the train when talking about the transition between Canada and the US.

Item:

Once hikers have completed the trail, they ride a train that runs between Bennett and Skagway. In the 90’s the train was primarily a cargo train. When the cargo trains stopped running, they were replaced by passenger trains used for tourism. As hikers usually take multiple days to complete the hike, and do not shower during their trip, the passenger train reserves a section for hikers, so the other passengers are not subject to the smell of the hikers. The train is usually the last stop for hikers, and signifies their return to society.

Transcript:

Ian: “Nowadays the train we took isn’t a working train, it’s a passenger train. Twenty or thirty years ago it was still a freight train, so you could hike the Chilkoot during the day, then catch the night freight back to Skagway. Nowadays you have to plan it out a little more to get the passenger train back.”
Sam: “When you get up to Bennett for your train ride home, they have a special cart for the hikers, because the hikers are typically pretty sweaty and stinky.”

Collector’s Name: Soren Thompson

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Dartmouth Folklore Archive