Dyea in Skagway, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Skagway's Shifting Shoreline
Pullen Creek StreamWalk
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 24, 2024
1. Skagway's Shifting Shoreline Marker
A story of a changing shoreline.
During the gold rush, people wanted to build close to the water. When they ran out of suitable land, they began to fill in the mudflats, wetlands, and estuaries You can see the difference between Skagway's old and new shorelines on the photo below. The mouth of Pullen Creek is now twice the distance from where it was before the gold rush. Pullen Creek now moves through land that was created by people, rather than natural processes.
Despite these changes, fish, birds, mammals, and insects continue to make this creek corridor their home. While it certainly doesn't look like it did 150 years ago, the habitats of Pullen Creek continue to evolve and naturalize over time.
[Aerial photo caption, from left to right, reads]
Taiya Inlet
Present Day Shoreline
Present Day Pullen Creek
Filled Area for New Land
1948 Pullen Creek
1948 Shoreline
The Moore House
Down from the dock, do you see this unique structure?
This is a pool-weir fish ladder salmon use to swim up Pullen Creek.
Don't they look more like ramps than ladders?
Fish ladders are only 'ladders' in the fact
this page online
Fish wait until high tide before they can make the jump into the ladder.
Erected by the Municipality of Skagway.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1948.
Location. 59° 27.086′ N, 135° 19.334′ W. Marker is in Skagway, Alaska. It is in Dyea. It is on Broadway, on the right when traveling south. Marker is near the head of the Broadway Dock for cruise ships. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 295 Congress Way, Skagway AK 99840, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 24, 2024
2. Skagway's Shifting Shoreline Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 196 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 1, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of the nearby pool-weir fish ladder • Can you help?
