False Front in Dyea, AK
N 59° 30.248 W 135° 21.189
8V E 480008 N 6596242
This False Front of a gold rush era real estate office is nearly all that remains from an Alaskan Boom town that swelled to more than 8,000 people in the winter of 1897-98. Dyea, Alaska is now an archaeological area protected the National Park Service. Other sections of the area are now designated as recreation and residential areas.
Waymark Code: WM6V2N
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 07/21/2009
Views: 11
The A.M. Gregg Real Estate Office False Front is the only “standing” structure left in Dyea, Alaska. It is situated on where Main Street once was. Dyea was a small trading post and native village before the News of the Klondike Gold Rush arrived in Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California in July of 1897. People rushed by the thousands from all over Canada and the United States to the Pacific Coast to board steamships, heading north to find gold. Dyea is situated at the head of the Lynn Canal and is at the base of the Chilkoot trail. This trail leads to the Yukon Territory and the heart of the gold fields. Dyea became the principal port for Klondike stampeders. Its prosperity proved to be short lived. The town’s poor harbor, the disastrous snow slide of April 3, 1898, and the construction of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad out of nearby Skagway all contributed to the demise of the town. By 1903, the population had fallen to only 3. Today only a few ruins remain. The stumps near the false front of the building were trees planted during the gold rush. Most people who settled in Dyea planned to stay and therefore planted trees, named streets and built homes. They were surprised when the gold rush ended so early and the boom town became a ghost town. Since the gold rush was so short lived, some people took their buildings with them when they left. Other buildings were demolished and lumber sold and the few remaining buildings were used by homesteaders until they collapsed. This explains why there is little visible evidence that anyone lived here.
Since the gold rush, nature has reclaimed Dyea, providing an excellent example of forest succession at work. Dyea is truly an area on the rebound. During the last major ice age the valley in which it sits was covered by glacier 4,000 feet thick. Now that the ice has left the land is rising or rebounding in response to the removal of the weight of the glacier. This is called isostatic or glacial rebound. The rate of rebound near the false front is 0.75 inches annually. This astonishing rate means this valley floor is eight feet higher then it was in the gold rush era. When stampeders arrived in Dyea it was a tidal flat, now it is developing into a forest.
Not only is the natural landscape on the rebound, but so is its recreation use and cultural recognition. The National Park Service purchased the old town site of Dyea in 1978. The park protects the natural and cultural resources here to ensure that this area is preserved for future generations. Additionally the local Municipality of Skagway, Alaska manages the Dyea flats for public recreation and strives for conservation.
Reason for Abandonment: Economic
Date Abandoned: 06/01/1902
Related Web Page: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
Please include a unique picture or two with your log if possible.