It used to be my dance card was filled with weddings, baby showers and graduations; wonderful dance partners full of life and love and hope for the future. And then a few decades ago, funerals tapped me on the shoulder, wanting a spin around the dance floor.
Feet, don’t fail me now!
I need a younger group of friends! Not much I can do about family members putting on the years as quickly as the pounds. Guilty as charged.
Needless to say, I’ve done my fair share of wandering cemeteries over the past few years.
In fact, my latest foray into Woodlawn Cemetery was just yesterday. May Jimmy’s cousin, Alice, rest in peace. She was laid to rest surrounded by family, both the living and the dead; plenty of love and history to go around.
Feet, don’t fail me now!
I need a younger group of friends! Not much I can do about family members putting on the years as quickly as the pounds. Guilty as charged.
Needless to say, I’ve done my fair share of wandering cemeteries over the past few years.
In fact, my latest foray into Woodlawn Cemetery was just yesterday. May Jimmy’s cousin, Alice, rest in peace. She was laid to rest surrounded by family, both the living and the dead; plenty of love and history to go around.
No, this is not Woodlawn Cemetery! This one belongs to Alaska's Gold Rush period!
Indeed, there’s plenty of history to be had in any cemetery; rich or rogue, young and old, famous and infamous, all offer a spiritual link to the past.
Few had a past with as much 'spirit' as Jefferson Randolph Smith (no relation).
Few had a past with as much 'spirit' as Jefferson Randolph Smith (no relation).
Smith was killed during a gunfight on July 8, 1898, at the age of 38.
Smith is buried in Skagway, just outside the city limits of this small town in an otherwise BIG wilderness called Alaska. In fact, “Soapy” is buried on the fringes of the town cemetery, as far away from the more respectable folk as possible given even in death his reputation preceded him, at least according to Violet.
Hello, again, Violet!
You remember Violet, right? Skagway Streetcar driver, tour guide and historian dressed in bloomers and balderdash I mentioned in a previous post highlighting Skagway’s leading role in Alaska’s Gold Rush during the late 1800’s.
Violet drove us straight away to Skagway’s Gold Rush Cemetery to deliver the dirt on one of the most notorious con men in the history of the West, one “Soapy Smith,” a leading conman in much of Skagway’s history.
Violet drove us straight away to Skagway’s Gold Rush Cemetery to deliver the dirt on one of the most notorious con men in the history of the West, one “Soapy Smith,” a leading conman in much of Skagway’s history.
Soapy flanked by his gang of con men.
Soapy?
According to legend, Smith earned his nickname while working a confidence game in the lower 48 (well, actually it was the lower 45 at the time) involving the sale of soap wrapped in tissue paper. As advertised, Soapy promised a few lucky customers would find the $5 bars of soap also wrapped in a $100 bill. Sales were usually brisk following confirmation of their good fortune by one or two people in the crowd; people who were part of Soapy’s gang of swindlers.
Soapy’s specialty (alas, he was a man of many talents) while in Skagway involved fleecing gullible new miners hoping to send a telegram. Soapy assured each customer a mere $5 would see their message sent anywhere in the world. Only thing is, there were no telegraph wires to or from Skagway during the early years (1897-1898) of the gold rush.
Holy hijinks!
According to legend, Smith earned his nickname while working a confidence game in the lower 48 (well, actually it was the lower 45 at the time) involving the sale of soap wrapped in tissue paper. As advertised, Soapy promised a few lucky customers would find the $5 bars of soap also wrapped in a $100 bill. Sales were usually brisk following confirmation of their good fortune by one or two people in the crowd; people who were part of Soapy’s gang of swindlers.
Soapy’s specialty (alas, he was a man of many talents) while in Skagway involved fleecing gullible new miners hoping to send a telegram. Soapy assured each customer a mere $5 would see their message sent anywhere in the world. Only thing is, there were no telegraph wires to or from Skagway during the early years (1897-1898) of the gold rush.
Holy hijinks!
Nothing like a big monument to secure Frank Reid's place in history.
The most respectable of Skagway's Gold Rush Cemetery plots belonged to one Frank Reid, Skagway city engineer, and none other than the man who put an end to “Soapy Smith."
So much history on so many levels! Love it!
Reid died of his gunshot wounds 12 days after killing Soapy Smith during a gunfight on July 8, 1898. The vigilante’s tombstone reads, “He gave his life for the Honor of Skagway.”
So much history on so many levels! Love it!
Reid died of his gunshot wounds 12 days after killing Soapy Smith during a gunfight on July 8, 1898. The vigilante’s tombstone reads, “He gave his life for the Honor of Skagway.”
 Skagway's main drag, State Street, looks a bit like a Disney version of the Old West. |  Thousands of pieces of driftwood cover the front facade of Skagway's Arctic Brotherhood Building, now a tourist information center. |
Skagway's Mascot Saloon stands as a monument to the good ole gold rush days.
If the storefronts and shops were any indication, Skagway’s history is rooted in those Gold Rush years, the town today every bit a living history museum.
Experience tells me Soapy may just be the poster child for every merchant (diamonds were as plentiful as the gold once was) up and down State Street hoping to cash in on the stampede of 21st century tourists.
“$250?” I’d asked, emphasis on the incredulous when I saw the price of an item that had caught my eye, something more culturally significant than a diamond.
Experience tells me Soapy may just be the poster child for every merchant (diamonds were as plentiful as the gold once was) up and down State Street hoping to cash in on the stampede of 21st century tourists.
“$250?” I’d asked, emphasis on the incredulous when I saw the price of an item that had caught my eye, something more culturally significant than a diamond.
Yep, just one of these beautiful babies will run you close to 3 C-notes.
If there's anything that says Alaska, it's totem poles. Many are as tall as a four- story building. These cultural icons were built by the natives to tell stories and commemorate events. Just this once, I was dreaming of a souvenir (something a little smaller than 40 feet that I could fit into my bag) to commemorate my own Alaskan experience.
“Anything less than $250 and you won’t be buying the real deal,” the sales clerk countered, a savvy girl who looked all of 16 if she was a day over 12.
I have a granddaughter who is 12! And I have my pictures of Alaska, but no totem pole.
Where's Frank Reid when you need him?
All honor aside, I'm here to tell you Skagway, Alaska is still a place for dreamers and schemers. And you can take that to the grave!
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“Anything less than $250 and you won’t be buying the real deal,” the sales clerk countered, a savvy girl who looked all of 16 if she was a day over 12.
I have a granddaughter who is 12! And I have my pictures of Alaska, but no totem pole.
Where's Frank Reid when you need him?
All honor aside, I'm here to tell you Skagway, Alaska is still a place for dreamers and schemers. And you can take that to the grave!
----------------------------
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