Dyea in Skagway, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
"Necessary Evil"
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 24, 2024
1. "Necessary Evil" Marker
The sporting women were...younger, more vigorous and independent than those of the same class... in the states...
Judge James A. Wickersham, Old Yukon Tales-Trails and Trials, 1938
Here in the Goldberg Cigar Store a gold seeker could buy tobacco, cakes, dried fruits, and other goods before heading north to the gold fields. Entrepreneur Annie Leonard, one of the first women in Skagway, purchased land in August 1897 and originally owned this building. She also owned other small buildings, known as cribs, which she rented to women. Whether she was aware or not, these cribs housed prostitutes. Prostitution was tolerated, if not encouraged, in many gold rush towns, which were populated mostly by bachelors and by husbands who had left their families behind. Prostitution was never legal in Skagway, but the women regularly paid fines, which were more of a civic fundraising tax than a penalty. With increasing numbers of families, schools, and churches, the city consolidated the activity into one restricted district and, later, closed it.
[Left photo caption reads]
The Goldberg Cigar Store (second building from left)
this page online
[Right photo caption reads]
Two "ladies of the night" (left) entice customers from their cabin windows while others gather for a whimsical photo in front of their cribs in Dawson City.
Preserving the Buildings
The National Park Service has been restoring historic buildings in Skagway since 1976. Although this area was never a red light district, these buildings were moved here so they could be preserved for future generations and to give visitors the opportunity to understand more about the hardships and successes of gold rush women.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1897.
Location. 59° 27.331′ N, 135° 18.876′ W. Marker is in Skagway, Alaska. It is in Dyea. It is on an unnamed alley between 5th and 6th Avenues, east of Broadway, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 520 Broadway, Skagway AK 99840, United States of America.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 24, 2024
2. "Necessary Evil" Marker
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska, in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Inside Passage, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Harsh Realities (here, next to this marker); Goldberg Cigar Shop (a few steps from this marker); Perceptions and Misconceptions (a few steps from this marker); Mollie Walsh (within shouting distance of this marker); Captain Moore's Vision: The Gateway to the Klondike Goldfields (within shouting distance of this marker); A War of Wills: Skagway as a Frontier Town and the Demise of "Mooresville" (within shouting distance of this marker); The Emergence of a Domesticated Landscape: The Homestead Becomes an Urban Residence (within shouting distance of this marker); Bank of Alaska (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Skagway.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 279 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 28, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
