June 24, 1903  – “Never in the history of Skagway has there been such a quantity of freight discharged as this year. The customs records show that more than twice as much freight arrived at Skagway for shipment to the interior in May of this year than in May of last year, and during the first 12 days of this month the incoming tonnage was greater than that for all the month of June, 1904. The advices from the south are to the effect that the second half of the present month will witness the arrival here of still greater quantities of goods for the interior.

Much of the incoming cargoes are made up of mining machinery, more of which is coming north this year than ever before. It consists of great hydraulic plants for Atlin, the Klondike and the American Yukon, and of smaller plants for all of these districts.

There has been a great increase in the shipments of live stock also. This is on account of the greater demand by the increased population of the Tanana district and other sections of the lower Yukon.

The increase in the shipments to the north is not confined to the demand of any one section. More merchandise is being sent to both the American Yukon and the Klondike than ever before. The percentage of the growth of the lower Yukon trade is larger than the Klondike, but the latter remains the greatest consumer of the north.

The White Pass is being forced to keep more rolling stock moving than ever before at this season of the year.”

(Alaska Forum – Rampart, Alaska)