Dyea Waysides

Dyea was once a frenzied boomtown during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98. Today the town of Dyea is a ghost town. Get to know modern and historic Dyea through these accessible wayside exhibits.

 

Duration:

3 minutes, 25 seconds

Welcome to Dyea! This serene forest with rustling trees and cawing ravens was once a hectic boomtown. Neighing horses, barking dogs, and shouting men once filled the town’s bustling streets. Since then, tremendous change has occurred.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 1 second

In front of you are the remains of one of Dyea’s oldest buildings. First built in the mid-1890s, little is known of how this structure was used during the boom days of the gold rush.

 

Duration:

3 minutes, 23 seconds

In front of you are the remains of a boat. Why is a boat located in a grove of spruce trees? During the gold rush this area was an open tidal zone.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 42 seconds

Competition was fierce as anxious gold seekers clamored to get to the Klondike. Seeing a need, about fifteen freighting companies quickly started up in Dyea.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 27 seconds

The Dyea waterfront was the beginning of the Chilkoot Trail. Early on, small boats brought supplies to shore, but the shallow harbor and a tidal range of more than a mile made offloading passengers and freight from ships difficult. In 1898 Dyea built two wharves to try to compete with Skagway’s deep harbor and better docking facilities. But in the end, Dyea’s efforts failed.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 42 seconds

About 30,000 to 40,000 gold seekers passed through Dyea During the winter of 1897-98. Most people predicted a bright future for Dyea. At the height of the gold rush, the main street thrived.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 44 seconds

The story of the Olympic Hotel mirrors Dyea’s quick rise and fall. Built in March 1898, it was Dyea’s finest hotel with 115 furnished rooms, a bar, and a dining room.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 30 seconds

By the summer of 1898 the boom was over. Dyea’s population had dropped, and merchants abandoned their shops. By 1903, Dyea was a ghost town.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 3 seconds

After the gold rush, the Dyea landscape shifted to homesteads and farms.

 

Duration:

3 minutes, 22 seconds

The Taiya River has been a major force in shaping the landscape. Many of the once hectic streets of Dyea have been replaced by the quiet, but powerful, river.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 46 seconds

The Klondike Gold Rush was an international event. Thousands of gold seekers crossed a disputed border between the United States and Canada.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 7 seconds

The Slide cemetery is a reminder of the worst disaster in the Klondike Gold Rush: The Palm Sunday Avalanche of April 3rd, 1898.

 

Duration:

1 minute, 58 seconds

Long before the famous Klondike Gold Rush, Tlingit people established Dyea as an important village and access point to the interior. The word Dyea means “to pack.”

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 20 seconds

The tale of the bark Canada is as exciting as a swashbuckling sea novel. Although her final resting place lies in the cold water below, her surprising story lives on.

 

Duration:

1 minute, 48 seconds

Seeds of invasive plants hitchhike on your shoes’ lugs and laces, allowing invasive plants to spread quickly and crowd-out native plants. Use this boot brush before and after your hike to remove dirt and invasive seeds.

 

Duration:

1 minute, 53 seconds

During the gold rush of 1897-1898, the Taiya Inlet became a busy transportation corridor for travelers heading to the Klondike. Steamships departing from Seattle and San Francisco sailed the Inside Passage, much as cruise ships do today