Ghost Town, Dyea, Alaska, Case & Draper/Skagway, 1890s

This is a rare photograph of Dyea, Alaska, a massive boomtown during the Klondike Gold Rush which today is a complete ghost town.
Initially, Dyea was Skagway’s rival as the staging area for prospectors heading up the Chilkoot Trail. Skagway was located about nine miles to the east. Dayéi is the Tlingit word that means “to pack.” After a massive snow slide, forest fires, and the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad picked Skagway as a departure point, Dyea evolved into a deserted town. For a brief moment in history, Dyea offered gold-hungry pioneers a final taste of civilization before venturing forth into the unknown. Today, there is little to indicate that a town once existed. This photograph is an extremely rare piece of gold rush history.
 
William Howard Case & Horace H. Draper were a photographic studio partnership in Skagway, Alaska. They are best known for their Tlingit portraits, Alaskan pioneers, and the gold rush era. The Case & Draper Photography Studio opened in a small tent in Skagway in 1898 and later expanded to sell souvenirs, handicrafts, and photographic supplies. Their partnership dissolved by 1907.
 
Format: Silver Gelatin Print
Size: 6.5 x 4.5 mat: 8.5 x 6.5 inches
Condition: Good