Jack London Museum and a Graveyard of Old Paddlewheel Ships

 

It was a rainy, cold, and very muddy day. Spent the day on a walking tour of Dawson City, Yukon. 

The inside of Jack London's cabin that he built.

He was a prolific writer. Every day before breakfast he wrote 1,000 words for 17 years in a row.

I read a few of his more popular books like "The Call of the Wild" as a kid. I have lots more to read. The museum was fascinating and full of his life. 

My friend Rob and I took a ferry to West Dawson to explore the graveyard of the old paddlewheels. It was quite a mosquito infested walk.

When the road to Dawson City was built it was the death of the paddlewheel ships that plied the Klondike River bringing settlers. This is the firebox and boiler of one of them.

The ships were abandoned on the shores of the Klondike River. 

These were very old ships built in the 1800s.

The paddlewheel.

The port hull - very strong ships. It was interesting to see how the planks were laid. 

The engineering and craftsmanship are amazing.

Definitely built to last.

The engine piston on the right drives the paddlewheel.

A very well preserved firebox. Wood was loaded to feed the boilers' heat and steam for propulsion.

The ferry from Dawson City to West Dawson. This also leads to a campground and to the Top of the World Highway to Alaska.