May 31, 2015, Sunday

The free ferry carried us across the Yukon River from Dawson City to the Top of the World Highway. You really do feel on top of the world as the road meanders along a mountain ridge giving views that are jaw dropping. You can see for miles and miles in every direction. It was a short drive to the Canada/Alaska border crossing at Poker Creek, population 3. And ta da, we were in Alaska with a cute caribou stamped on our passport! Less than a mile away was a pull out with the official welcome to Alaska sign and beautiful views.

Our next stop was Eagle, Alaska north along the Taylor Highway. Eagle was another Klondike Gold Rush town. Today its population is about 100 but in its heyday 1700 people inhabited this town on the Yukon River. It is almost totally isolated in the winter as the roads in are closed and the river freezes solid only the air field is available for bringing supplies to town. The Taylor Highway coming into Eagle is narrow and winding with dramatic drop offs and single lane sections, however the trip into to this wonderful little town is well worth it.

Besides touring the town, there are the remains of Fort Egbert to see. The fort was established to aid in getting telegraph expanded across Alaska. Once wireless telegraph replaced the land lines in 1911, the fort was abandoned. One last interesting fact about Eagle. On December 5, 1905, the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen mushed his team of dogs into town after crossing 1000 miles from the location of his ice-bound sloop on the Alaskan Arctic coast. His first action was to use Fort Egbert’s telegraph to send a message to Norway that he had successfully completed the Northwest Passage. He was so delighted with Eagle, he remained in town for two months. 

We are camped at the BLM Eagle Campground. It is nice, quiet, empty and within walking distance of town. Tomorrow we will take the tour of town provided by the historical society which should be very interesting.