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The summit of the Chilkoot Pass (3680') marks the boundary between Alaska and British Columbia. It was one of two main portals (the other being the nearby White Pass) to the Klondike Goldfields in the Yukon Territory during the Goldrush of 1897 - 1899. The warming hut shown here is in Canada and the internaional boundary runs along the height of land just behind the building. Canada maintained a customs house here during the Goldrush and defended its sovereignty over the northland with a Maxim machine gun mounted right at the top of the pass (never fired). During the first winter of the Goldrush 70 feet of snow piled up here.
July 1, 2005