Virtual Alaska - Day 5: 09-27-99

Skagway's Historic Downtown District


It's Monday. My first "work day" in Skagway went well. I arrived at the school at 7:30 a.m. I met Mr. Pickett getting out of his car.

I worked with students in each of Mr. Pickett's five science classes guiding them in the creation of a Skagway School Science web site with pages for each science class and the salmon hatchery which his students operate. I'll help students get the basic site up this week, then they will maintain it through the year. Mr. Pickett wants the web site so that, among other things, his students can get assignments and class updates when they are traveling all over Alaska with their sports teams. When a team leaves Skagway school to play "away" games they are sometimes on the road for days at a time, traveling by ferry boat, or even flying to other schools and cities around Alaska.

I also found two students to take GeoBears. Kristin is taking Josh Thornton's bear to Montana next week. Rebecca is taking Kate Bowie's bear to Wrangell, Alaska in late October to sing with the Southeast Alaska Honors Choir for which she qualified.

After school today Mr. Pickett and I drove to Dyea for a look around. The site of Skagway's rival boom town during the gold rush has returned to virtual wilderness. I find it so hard to believe that so many thousands of people a short century ago started over these mountains, so ill-equipped, and so naive about what lay ahead.

I returned to the hostel for another great family style meal. Tonight we had venison chili and a huge salad which included locally gathered mushrooms. At table tonight were people from Germany, Taiwan, Switzerland, Texas, Ohio, and Alaska.




HOME