The stone chimney seen on your left is all that remains of the Pullen House, once Alaska's most famous hotel. It was a popular stopping place for interior residents and tourists for more than 50 years. Harriet "Ma" Pullen ran it most of that time. This indomitable spirit arrived in Skagway in September 1897. In a story she later told to thousands of tourists, she first baked pies in a tent restaurant on the beach. Later, she rented out the majority of her three-story residence as a rooming house. She soon bought the building, and brought several other buildings onto the property. She operated them until her death in 1947. The hotel operated for another decade before being abandoned.
Note: The chimney sits on private property. Please do not trespass. To reach City Hall, turn left and travel up the dirt pathway. Pullen Creek, which you will cross, is home to many varieties of fish. In early summer, look for Dolly Varden trout and young Coho salmon; later, you may find pink and chum salmon in the creek. Fishing in the Skagway area has improved in the last several years, due to a hatchery program operated through Skagway School. The hatchery is located just north of City Hall.
