Skagway, Alaska. In 1896, gold was found in the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory. On July 29th, 1897, the steamer Queen docked at Moore's wharf in Skagway with the first boat load of prospectors. Very quickly, the population of the general area had reached 30,000, composed largely of American prospectors, leading to lawlessness, described by one member of the North-West Mounted Police as "little better than a hell on earth."