In the prospectors’ rush to find gold in Alaska, nearly 3,000 pack animals died crossing the White Pass trail during the Klondike gold rush. Horses were given little thought, often dying of starvation or falling over cliffs. The horses were often overloaded with supplies and were beaten by their owners.
Because of the atrocities, novelist Jack London renamed the pass “Dead Horse Trail”. In fact, many of the animals’ bones still lay in Dead Horse Gulch.
Between 20,000 and 30,000 people came seeking gold during the rush. They had to carry everything with them. It wasn’t until the tram was built in 1897 that the need for horses decreased.
This marker memorializes these pack animals.
Historical Marker Inscription
The dead are speaking in memory of us three thousand pack animals that laid our bones on these awful hills during the Gold Rush of 1897-1898. We now thank those listening souls that heard our groans across this stretch of years. We waited but not in vain.
Placed by the Ladies of the Golden North and the Alaska Yukon Pioneers
Location
59° 27’ 10.770” N, 135° 19’ 9.942” W
231 Second Ave, Skagway, AK 99840, United States
Historical Markers of the World 