The train tracks parallel the Chilkoot Pass trail that thousands of gold rush prospectors used to haul their ton of supplies to Lake Bennett in 1898. The prospectors wintered in Bennett building boats and waiting for the Yukon ice to break up so they they could float to the gold fields. During our long motorcoach rides, I worked my way through a comprehensive history of Alaska: Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land by Walter R. Borneman. Borneman gives a through and dispassionate account of the competing economic, cultural and political forces of Alaska’s history.  He provides an exhaustive exploration of the issues surrounding the extraction (or preservation) Alaska’s natural resources. One very current example; the controversy surrounding drilling for oil in the Alaska Native Wildlife Reserve where the great caribou herds calve and migrate.
Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land I would recommend this to anyone traveling to Alaska. My reading greatly deepened my appreciation of the land we encountered.

The train stopped in what remains of the town of Bennett for a lunch break. We had the opportunity to take a short hike in the hills above town to see a small graveyard, a church building and some lovely views of the lake. The rest of the day was spent in a leisurely descent to the coastal town of Skagway, Alaska. I spent quite a bit of time on the platform of the rear car enjoying the fresh air and taking photographs.