Dyea

When the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800s was in full swing, settlements and towns seemed to spring up overnight across Alaska and Canada’s Yukon. One such town was Dyea—a boomtown of the Gold Rush that now exists as little more than a ghost town filled with remnants of the past.

Visiting Dyea

The eerie ghost town vibe of Dyea is a draw for tourists interested in learning more about the fascinating Gold Rush era. Today, Dyea lies within the boundaries of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, and visitors can take self-guided tours of the townsite or even spend the night in the area at the nearby National Park Service campground.

One of the most common ways to get to Dyea is via a tour from Skagway:

1. Historic Gold Rush Tour: This driving tour travels along historic Gold Rush sites, including a grand finale at the abandoned Gold Rush town of Dyea.

2. Skagway River Float: If you're more interested in the backcountry, you can enjoy a scenic drive thorugh the Dyea Valley and then a float down the Taiya River.

About Dyea

The most popular route to the Klondike goldfields was across the Chilkoot Trail at the start of the Gold Rush, and Dyea formed at the base of the trail near the convergence of the Taiya Inlet and Taiya River. Today, it lies within the boundaries of Skagway Borough and is largely abandoned, save for a few small remaining homesteads and scattered ruins of the once bustling town.

History

Nobody knows exactly what year the town of Dyea was established. Legends say it was once a permanent small village, and it also existed as a seasonal camp and trade area before the era of the Gold Rush.
When the U.S. Navy came to an agreement allowing miners to use the passes leading to the Yukon, temporary settlements were formed at the base of the Chilkoot Trail in what would become Dyea. When the Healy & Wilson Trading Post was established there in the 1880s, Dyea’s population grew, and by the late 1890s it became a centralized location for those preparing to make the trek to the goldfields.
The settlement of Dyea crashed with the end of the Klondike Gold Rush, as prospectors left the area or moved the base of their expedition to Skagway. The doom of Dyea came as a mix of tragedies, including fires and snowslides, hit the area, and the opening of W.P & Y.R. Railway in Skagway signaled the end of the town. The once booming area dwindled to 250 people in 1900, then 71 in 1901—with only six remaining residents by 1903.

Interesting Facts

Dyea may not exist as a town today, but the remnants of its past are still visible in the overgrown boundaries of what was once a thriving Gold Rush settlement. Whether you come for the history or to explore the natural beauty of the area, visiting Dyea is an experience you won’t soon forget.

• Fires played a major role in the downfall of Dyea, with many buildings destroyed, including the Healy & Wilson Trading Post in 1921.
• In addition to being a Historical Site of Canada, Chilkoot Trail and Dyea Site is also a United States Historic Landmark.
• While foundations of former buildings and three cemeteries can still be found in Dyea, most of the existing structures were wiped out from fires, the extreme elements, flooding, and a shift in the Taiya River path in that 1920s-1930s that took out half of what was the downtown.
• The “Palm Sunday Avalanche” on April 3, 1898 occurred on the Chilkoot Trail north of Sheep Camp, and over 70 people were killed—most of which are buried at one of Dyea’s remaining cemeteries.
• The infamous Gold Rush-era conman and crime boss “Soapy” Smith ruled nearby Skagway in the late 1890s, and it is said that he also controlled the town of Dyea.

Points of Interest

Alaska is filled with historic sites and incredible natural beauty, and Dyea is a unique stop to learn about the prospectors and settlers of the Gold Rush. The town has faded into memory, but walking through the ruins and artifacts of the past gives visitors a unique perspective of the trials and tribulations villagers here faced over a century ago.

View more of the best things to do in Skagway or all of our Skagway tours.