Dyea in Skagway, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Harsh Realities
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 24, 2024
1. Harsh Realities Marker
Prostitutes came to Skagway to seek fortunes, but few succeeded. They lived in tents, boarding houses, and cramped cribs such as this building. Some had to share their income with madams and pimps. Others were brought here as "white slaves" from foreign countries and forced to pay their managers for the voyage. Prostitutes also suffered violent attacks in disputes with pimps, clients, or each other. Diseases and suicides took a toll, too.
[Background photo reads]
One or two women lived and worked in the cribs. This unidentified woman was photographed in a crib in Fairbanks in the early 1900
[Newspaper clippings read]
DROWNED Former Burlesque Girl of Skagway Meets Death.
Last Friday morning, Miss May Conners was drowned at Dawson, by the capsizing of a row boat. Miss Conners was an employe of the Orpheum.
Several years ago she was employed at the Clancy's, in this city, and when going inside, three months ago, stopped here for several days.
STILL LIVES Girl of Half World Attempts Suicide
A girl of the half world, who formerly lived in Skagway, and known as "Gyp," attempted suicide at Atlin last week by taking
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"Gyp" or Elsie, as she was also called, lived in a house in this city kept by Eva Lambert for a time, before she went to Atlin. She came here from Juneau.
The rash attempt upon her own life by the girl "Gyp," was caused by despondency over the loss of a newly found lover and a home. The madam of a notorious house at Atlin had gone out of the county for a short visit, leaving the key to her house with her lover. She staid [sic] longer than was expected, and returned to find that "Gyp" had been installed in her place. She threw the latter out after a big row, and reclaimed her sweetheart. The rejected woman attempted to end it all with strychnine but failed.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 59° 27.329′ N, 135° 18.873′ 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
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 24, 2024
2. Harsh Realities 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: "Necessary Evil" (here, next to this marker); Perceptions and Misconceptions (a few steps from this marker); Goldberg Cigar Shop (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); Peniel Mission (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Skagway.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 28, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
