In the early 1900s, the stage line from Skagway to Dawson required drivers known as “skinners”—manned by men like “Dummy” Coghland and “Hard Face” Ned Reeves, they hauled horses, freight, and passengers across wild terrain. These teams wore raccoon-coats cinched with red sashes, soft buckskin gloves, and at times one hand on the reins and the other pounding their shoulder to stay warm in Yukon nights.
On the White Pass route, as many as 275 horses were employed each season, fed imported oats and hay, shod with metal caulks for icy traction. Across the rivers, freight and passengers were loaded into canoes and reloaded on the other side when sleighs couldn’t make the river crossings.
