There is a little cemetery just outside of Skagway, called
the Gold Rush Cemetery. It’s clearly not
currently being used, and is a bit of a historic site in its own right. I do like photographing old cemeteries – the
history that is hinted at (and sometimes told) is always fascinating.
This image and the image below are of the headstones of 2
major characters in the town’s history.
Frank Reid was quite the pillar of society, and even planned the layout
of the town of Skagway. From what we
read, he was highly respected even before he stood up to the town bully,
Jefferson Smith (headstone below).
Apparently, Smith was really a nasty character, and on one day (or
evening) he disrupted a town gathering/meeting of some sort. His meanness and nastiness was out of line,
even for the rough and tumble Gold Rush days, and Frank stood up to him. One thing lead to another and shots were
fired. Jefferson Smith was killed
immediately. Frank Reid lingered for
several days before he succumbed to his wounds.
The headstones are sometimes found at quite the skewed
angle, due to the ground heaving throughout the winter and spring thaws. Poor Mrs. Gliff (or is it Sliff?) – since
they went thru the effort of putting the “Mrs.” in front of her name, I’m
assuming she was quite proud of her status as a wife and perhaps mother….
…as opposed to poor Flo here who lead a very short life,
dying at age 19. Jeff and I surmised
that Flo was probably a “lady of the evening” due to the poor placement of her
headstone and its close proximity to another poor soul. Plus, notice, there was no “Mrs.” label for
Flo. I know, we’re making up stories
here, but that’s part of what I love about these old cemeteries.
I’ll leave you with this overall shot of part of the
cemetery. There doesn’t seem to be any
rhyme or reason to the placement of the graves and headstones and they seem to
be scattered, almost like flowers, in among the greenery growing beneath the trees.
Enjoy…and let your imagination take hold….
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