Ultimate Alaska & The Yukon With Alaska Cruise

Once a camp for railway construction workers, Anchorage is now a cosmo-politan city with much to offer in culture and history. See the arts and crafts, weapons and costumes of the many Indian tribes who have long resided here displayed in the Historical and Fine Arts Museum,and take an excursion to Ship Creek, site of the original Tent City. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and the gateway to many of thewonders of the Last Frontier.

Located in the western part of the Yukon Territory Province of Canada, this are is on the Yukon River and famous as the gold mining area of the great Gold Rush. It is still an active mining area and also a popular tourist attraction as it has retained much of the look from the gold rush era. A local casino donates it profits to the restoration and upkeep of the area. Dawson City is accessable by commuter planes out of Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. There is also a road between these cities.

Fairbanks was founded in 1902 during the Gold Rush days, and was named for a U.S. Senator.
Fairbanks lies on the trans-Alaska oli pipeline connecting Prudhoe Bay and Valdez, and
serves as the main supply center for Alaska’s oil industry. The University of Alaska is just
outside of town, and the North American Sled Dog Race Championships
are held here each year.

Fairbanks offers small-town hospitality and continuing pioneer spirit, with
first-class accommodations and restaurants, museums, some of Alaska’s top-rated
visitor attractions, world-renowned concerts and performances, upscale
galleries and specialty stores, historic sites, Alaska Native culture,
and access to the Alaskan wilderness.

Would you believe, Joe Juneau? It’s true–Juneau, Alaska is named for Joe Juneau, one of a trio of explorers who discovered rich reserves of gold in the stream that now runs through town. The stampede thatolwed led to Juneau becoming first a camp, then a town, then finally Alaska’s capital. Today, the town boasts some of Alaska’s most fetching scenery. Nestled at the foot of Mt. Juneau in the Alaskan Panhandle, it faces the water from the mainland side of Gastineau Channel. Several magnificent fjords are located along the channel coast and the majestic Mendenhall Glacier,
a favorite of visitors, is nearby.

“Spread wings of a prostrate eagle.” As any Ketchikanian will tell you, his is the meaning of their town’s name. It comes from the eagle-wing sppearance of water flowing over an unusual rock formation which can be seen in the Ketchikan Creek.

To own originated as an Indian fish saltery and grew to become the largest salmon-canning center in the world. The real growth came with the gold rush of 1898, when the town served as a supply center for wourld-be millionaires. of the town’s colorful past is still in evidence, especially at the Indian villages, which are renowned for their colorfully carved
totem poles and fascinating legends.

“There’s gold in them thar hills.” Well, there was, anyway, back in 1898, and as thousands of gold-crazed adventurers headed north, they found the furthest north they could get was the northern tip of the Lynn Canal. That’s how Skagway was born.
Nowadays, local park rangers interpret and re-create that remarkable era for visitors. Stores, saloons, brothels and wood sidewalks have been completely restored (not all of these are functioning, of course). Today Skagway is a jumping off pointfor those seeking scenic adventure and historical knowledge.

Port Valdez is located about 300 miles from Anchorage. Named by Senor Fidalgo after the Spanish naval officer in 1790, this ice-free port developed in 1898 as a debarkation point for the goldiggers of the Klondike. It was established as a city in 1901.An earthquake in 1964 mostly destroyed the original city, and the rebuilding process, along with the Trans-Alaska pipeline terminal gave the city of Valdez new life. It is also a gateway to beautiful Prince William Sound and
the huge Columbia Glacier icefield. Boat excursions are available to take you out and back or all the way through the Sound to Whittier at the other side. The Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) also runs the route, although they do not stop or travel as close to the glaciers and whales.

Located in southwestern Washington state, Vancouver is a port at the head of deepwater navigation on the Columbia River, opposite Portland, OR. Vancouver is a commercial, manufacturing and shipping center.

Whitehorse is Yukon’s capital. This attractive city has a lot to offer visitors. Whitehorse became famous as the centre of the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 19th Century. A highlight here is the SS Klondike National Historic Site a preserved stern wheeler boat. The MacBride Museum has excellent displays on the heritage of the Whitehorse and the Yukon. A ‘must do’ activity is a cruise on the Yukon River as is a visit to Frantic Follies – a vaudeville review that recaptures the atmosphere of the Klondike.