The Soap Gang ruled Skagway by scamming the gold miners and paying off the police and the politicians. Soapy Smith stands in the middle of his gang.
Skagway was the staging ground for two of America’s most infamous characters: Soapy Smith and Klondike Kate. They lit up the headlines during the Gold Rush Days at the turn of the 20th century, and, today, their stories excite 21st century tourists.
Jefferson Smith was born in 1860 on a wealthy Georgia plantation that suffered Sherman’s wrath. The Smiths moved to Texas after the Civil War to start new lives.
By the early 1880s, he had earned the name “Soapy” for his con game using bars of soap to swindle unsuspecting “customers.” His success led to the organization of the Soap Gang and his title as “King of the Frontier Con Men.”
The Soap Gang worked scams from Fort Worth to Denver and Skagway, opening fake businesses to cover their illegal activities and bribing police and politicians along the way. Soapy became rich, gave to charities, built churches, and buried destitute prostitutes. And became famous. He served as marshal of the 1898 Fourth of July parade in Skagway, riding a gray horse and throwing money into the crowd.
Frank Reid is buried just a few yards from Soapy Smith in the Skagway Cemetery.
Four days later, Soapy became a legend at the Shootout on Juneau Wharf. After a miner was scammed of $71,093 (today’s value), a vigilante group demanded the gold be returned by Soapy’s gang. Soapy refused. In the confrontation that followed on the wharf, Soapy yelled, “My God, don’t shoot” and pulled the trigger of his Winchester rifle. Soapy, the villain and Frank Reid, the hero, were both mortally wounded.
The graves of Soapy Smith and Frank Reid are the most visited places in Skagway even today.
Next week: Skagway, Hustlers
& Bustlers – Klondike Kate
Soapy Smith’s grave is a most visited site in Skagway.
The funeral of Frank Reid, the man who killed (and was killed by) Soapy Smith was a popular event in Skagway.
Soapy Smith reigned supreme f rom his saloon in Skagway.
Loading Comments