ON TO ALASKA WITH BUCHANAN
A rallying cry, and hat tip, too
To George E. Buchanan, philanthropist
Who brought kids out for a wilderness view.
Grateful they painted the rock
Recording for all their patron's name
Refreshed, maintained, its message shines
Written on stone -- at least local fame.
The mighty block letters ON TO ALASKA WITH BUCHANAN are painted on the cliff of White Pass at mile 8.8 on the WP&YR railway mile-post map, or Milepost 6.8 of the Klondike Highway. To see it, however, you need to take the train (excursions via the WP&YR run from Skagway in varying lengths --you can opt to do 'just' the White Pass leg as far as Fraser BC (or back), or run the distance to Carcross, YT) or hike the White Pass trail. For these giant words are painted on the cliff face below the roadbed of the Klondike Highway, literally below the Alaska Port of Entry building.
First painted, well, sometime between 1920 & 30, and repainted each trip after (obviously someone else is maintaining the lettering now), even on the drippy, dark, rainy day we chugged up the White Pass, the large letters glowed against the dark cliffs. A mighty memorial from some grateful (and adventurous) kids....
From the WP&YR History Files (
visit link)
"ON TO ALASKA WITH BUCHANAN"
George E. Buchanan, a Detroit coal merchant, began bringing boys and girls to Alaska on adventure trips in 1923. His goal was to help young people learn the art of earning and saving money. To accompany Buchanan on these special excursions, a young person had to earn one third of the cost of the journey. The parents could pay one third and Buchanan contributed one third. If necessary he assisted the would-be adventurer to earn his share of the costs.
For fifteen years groups of approximately 50 young people, mostly boys, made the annual summer excursion from Detroit to Alaska. The travelers departed from Detroit in mid-July traveling first class by train across Canada to Vancouver B.C. and Puget Sound. Three days on a steamer and then arrival in Skagway. They boarded the White Pass & Yukon Railroad to travel to the lake country and then a transfer by boat to Atlin.
The young folks, dressed in coat and tie, had to be on their best behavior. Many years later members of the various Buchanan Boys groups returned to Skagway to ride the WP&YR and to revisit the memories of their special and happy trips. Reportedly the boys from one of the summer trips painted the sign "On To Alaska With Buchanan" on the side of the mountain to commemorate their inspiring leader, George Buchanan.
Going back for more vintage information, we find this TIME MAGAZINE article dated Monday May 13, 1935
(
visit link)
Education: On to Alaska
As a self-assured youth of 18, George Edward Buchanan saved up a little money, begged a little more from his widowed mother, a little more from his boss, quit work in favor of a trip to Europe. Subsequently he made a small fortune selling coal to Detroiters. Having left school early, he says he got his education by "going and seeing things." Twelve years ago, convinced that it is a good thing for boys to go and see things, he rounded up a trainload of youngsters, set out to show them Alaska. Every summer since then Mr. Buchanan and 50 or 60 boys have journeyed across Canada to Vancouver, sailed up the coast to Skagway, spent several weeks touring Alaska, climbing glaciers, panning for gold.
Any U. S. or Canadian boy is eligible for the Alaska trip but he must take the initiative himself. One-third of the cost (which is $81 for boys under 12, $121 for those over) the lad must earn himself. Another third he must wangle from his parents. After that he will have little trouble getting the final third from Mr. Buchanan.
Besides developing the resourcefulness which Mr. Buchanan likes to see in youngsters, that system has made the expedition virtually selfsupporting, since Mr. Buchanan's boys, when they grow up, make it a point to pay one-third of some other boy's expenses. It seems a business like sort of philanthropy to Mr. Buchanan, who prides himself on Scottish shrewdness, tells of his discovery that by eating late and taking advantage of the difference in time he can save one meal every summer on the return trip from Alaska to Detroit.
In only one quarter have the "On to Alaska with Buchanan" trips stirred complaint. Many of Mr. Buchanan's boys have sisters who pester him for permission to go along. Last week the pestering sisters jumped for joy at news that Mr. Buchanan had given in, would finance a supplementary girls' trip this year. But each girl must run enough errands, bake enough pies, darn enough socks or watch enough babies to pay her third of the expenses.