PBS Show Highlights NW/Alaska Maritime History

The PBS series History Detectives highlighted a bit of Pacific Northwest and Alaska maritime history when it aired a program about the possible discovery of the wreck of the SS Portland, the ship that carried the famous "Ton of Gold" to Seattle's waterfront, sparking the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. As described in "The Lost Gold Ship," the rush put Seattle on the map, and began a long romantic episode in the history of the Northwest and Alaska. You can learn all about the rush at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle, one of the few, if not the only national park without a single tree or trail, except for a 100-year trail of memories.