Seattle, Wash.
NPS Website; Klondike Historical Database
WHAT IS IT?
The NPS site commemorating Seattle’s part in the 1897 Yukon gold rush.
BEAUTY (4/10)
The symmetrical brick warehouse-like buildings of the Pioneer Square District are nice if you are working with the notion that older is better. Michael prefers Seattle’s many new exciting architectural gems, all descendents of the city’s grandfather skyscraper, the Smith Tower.
The towering white 1914 Smith Tower reaches up an astounding 41 stories, its base and tower both undulating with subtle soaring triangular bends. The Historic Pioneer Square buildings gather below, utilitarian castoffs stuck to the ground gathering dirt promoting a seedy underworld.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (5/10)
In 1890, Seattle was just a tiny dot on some obscure map. When miners struck gold in the Yukon Territory, some 2,000 miles to the north, Seattle’s enterprising citizens went to work. They spent thousands of dollars marketing their city as the ideal place to outfit your trip and depart for the Yukon.
Their ploy was extremely successful, bringing in not only miners but also businessmen, hoteliers, outfitters, speculators and assorted swarthy types. Seattle grew by leaps and bounds and was a rich vibrant city by the time the Yukon Gold Rush ended in 1900. The NHP also explores Seattle’s odd turn-of-the-century construction that involves the destruction of mountains, a raised street and rapid construction.
CROWDS (6/10)
Our 10:00am guided Ranger tour was full of tourists eager to take advantage of the free NPS offerings. The Site’s guest register indicated that a few of our fellow tourists were also from Harrisburg, Pa. We did not recognize anyone.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
The current Visitor Center is located in the southern end of the Pioneer Square District at 117 So. Main Street just north of the gargantuan Qwest Stadium, home of the Seattle Seahawks. The Park will be moving by October 2005 into the Historic Hotel Cadillac located at the corner of Jackson and 2nd or two blocks from the current location.
Be careful, the Park’s Annual Report states the Site is located in a high crime area. We had no troubles. We even found an open parking spot on the street. Seattle is a difficult city to navigate. The town seems to have grown quicker than expected. Traffic is difficult and the only public transportation is the bus. We visited the Gold Park on a slow Sunday morning because we feared the weekday traffic.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (3/5)
The bookstore is short on books and merchandise. Nevertheless, a few interesting titles and merchandise caught our eye. Books like Two Women in the Klondike, Gold Rush Fever and Staking Her Claim all seemed very interesting. We oohed and aahed over Gold Rush Dogs, which profiled, with ample photographs, some of the more famous sled dogs of the Yukon.
We think that the book selection will improve dramatically when the Visitor Center relocates. The ideas are there, just not the space.
The current museum is just two doors down from Elliott Bay Bookstore, Seattle’s top independent bookseller. If you cannot find a book there, then you are just not looking hard enough.
COSTS (5/5)
Everything at the Seattle Park is free, even the 10:00am Ranger-led walking tour. That tour comes with an added bonus: a free trip to the 35th Floor of the Smith Tower, the tallest building west of the Mississippi for nearly forty years. From there, the vistas of Seattle’s quirky skyline are spectacular. Regularly, the elevator ride up the skyscraper costs $6 per person. With the NPS tour, it is free.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (4/5)
A mix of Rangers and volunteers staffed the VC info desk while another Ranger intermittently walked around the small museum.
TOURS/CLASSES (5/10)
The Park’s Summer Schedule includes a 10:00am Ranger-led guided tour of the Pioneer Square District, a noon Ranger Program and a 1:00pm gold panning demonstration.
The films shown in the auditorium are good but dated. The Museum exhibits have lost their luster. The new Visitor Center and Museum are more than welcome and long overdue. We wish we could travel back to Seattle to see its grand opening.
FUN (6/10)
Strolling through Seattle’s Pioneer Square is not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning. By 10am, clubs were just starting to close from the night before and sidewalk cafes were beginning to fill. (We wish we had brought our coffee mugs along.) We drank in the atmosphere of the city’s diverse scene as we dutifully followed the Ranger and listened to his theories on the true “Seattle Spirit.”
The Smith Tower was certainly the highlight of the tour. We shuffled into the ancient elevator and waited expectantly as the operator dropped us off at the Tower’s 35th floor, home of both the elegant Chinese Room and the Observation Deck. The 360 degree view of the city, as well as photos of the one penthouse apartment upstairs was well worth the price of admission – oh wait, it’s free! Free is always fun.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (5/10)
At least three cruise ships are always docked in Seattle’s Harbor, ready to make the scenic journey through Alaska’s Inside Passage. Most stop in Skagway, the place where the miners began their difficult trek to Dawson City, Yukon. Skagway is also home to the other Klondike Gold Rush NHP. If you are one of the 10,000 cruise ship denizens spending the day in Seattle, you should come to Seattle’s NHP. A trip here will put your Alaska trip in context. You are mimicking the route of the hardy pioneers.
If you are just vacationing in Seattle and happen to be in the Pioneer Square District, the Klondike Gold Rush NHP offers a daily free walking tour (with skyscraper vistas) and a nice museum. The very popular Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour leaves from nearby and covers much of the same historical grounds but costs $11 per person (cash only).
The NPS tour discusses the Seattle Underground but does not travel into its depths. Be forewarned that the free NPS walk might spark interest in taking Bill Speidel’s touristy journey down.
TOTAL 47/80
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