Skagway, Alaska

Gold-rush port at the head of the Lynn Canal, Alaska. In The Call of the Wild Buck’s worn-out team reaches it before being sold to Hal, Charles and Mercedes.

At a glance

Source	Author	Role	In one line
The Call of the Wild	Jack London	turning point	The mail team ends its run here and Buck is sold to Hal’s party.

The Call of the Wild — Jack London (1903)

Source: Original · Readwise highlight

And on the last night of the second week they topped White Pass and dropped down the sea slope with the lights of Skaguay and of the shipping at their feet.

• Role: turning point
• In the book: Perrault and François finish a record fourteen-day run at Skaguay and are celebrated, then pass out of Buck’s life. Later the worn-out mail team returns to Skaguay, is sold to Hal, Charles and Mercedes, and their overloaded sled spills along the main street.
• Why it matters: Two handovers of Buck’s ownership happen here, and the town’s streets stage the comedy of the incompetent newcomers.