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On to Alaska with Buchanan
In 1932, Detroit coal merchant George Buchanan began a program where he would take some 50-60 local boys on a multi-week tour of Alaska. He would pay for 1/3 of the cost of the trip, the parents another 1/3, and the final third paid by the boy himself, selling kitchen appliances door-to-door. The boys were expected to be well-dressed and on their best behavior during the trip. After some pressure, Buchanan finally allowed girls to accompany the trip as well, paying for the cost through laundry, babysitting and selling cakes. At some point in the late 1930s-40s, one of the boys returned to paint the words "On to Alaska with Buchanan" on what is now Buchanan Rock immediately below the US Customs. The sign is visible at Mile 8.8 on the White Pass Railroad.
The US Customs Building is located here, about 20km from the Canadian border, as it was thought the Alpine conditions ahead were too harsh.
White Pass Unit, Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site, Tongass National Forest, Skagway, Alaska
On to Alaska with Buchanan
In 1932, Detroit coal merchant George Buchanan began a program where he would take some 50-60 local boys on a multi-week tour of Alaska. He would pay for 1/3 of the cost of the trip, the parents another 1/3, and the final third paid by the boy himself, selling kitchen appliances door-to-door. The boys were expected to be well-dressed and on their best behavior during the trip. After some pressure, Buchanan finally allowed girls to accompany the trip as well, paying for the cost through laundry, babysitting and selling cakes. At some point in the late 1930s-40s, one of the boys returned to paint the words "On to Alaska with Buchanan" on what is now Buchanan Rock immediately below the US Customs. The sign is visible at Mile 8.8 on the White Pass Railroad.
The US Customs Building is located here, about 20km from the Canadian border, as it was thought the Alpine conditions ahead were too harsh.
White Pass Unit, Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site, Tongass National Forest, Skagway, Alaska