1900 Skagway, Alaska Area Analysis
The 1900 Census was the first taken in the District of Alaska. The data collected in this Census in and around the town of Skagway (District 7 of the Southern Supervisors District) is particularly interesting to analyze because it was an area significantly impacted by the Klondike Gold Rush that started several years earlier.
In 1900 about 3,000 individuals were enumerated in Skagway. This population not only included the town itself, but also surrounding tent cities, as well as a number of ships moored at the Skagway docks. The area's population was significantly higher during the Gold Rush's peak in 1897 and 1898, but it was constantly changing as miners continued to travel through the town going to and from the gold fields in the Klondike Territory. But the 1900 census still provides a unique snapshot of Gold Rush boom.
The chart below shows how Skagway's 1900 population looked like by age and gender. Notice how the younger ages for males and females are generally the same, but ages above 14 are heavily skewed to males. The age differences are especially noticeable 30 and above. For every female 30 and above there were 4.5 males.
The 1900 Census taken in Skagway also noted the home of each person before they came to Alaska. The modern map below visualizes the home locations of those enumerated in Skagway. The west coast, especially the Pacific Northwest, accounted for the majority of home locations. Also note the number coming from mining towns in the west.
