The Golden North Hotel, Skagway, Alaska

The original Golden North Hotel was a two-story building that was located on the corner of 3rd and State Street. It had an onion-shaped gold dome on top of the second floor. It was built during the Alaskan gold rush years; in 1898 by the Klondike Trading Company. 

The beautiful dome in done is a Russian or Slavic design, courtesy of an unnamed Montana carpenter. It's unusual appearance was a way to advertise their business to illiterate gold rush participants, folks who were either lacked or were denied an education for one reason or another. 

It was a trading post, offering goods and merchandise in exchange for gold or furs, etc. for trappers, local folks and gold prospectors as well. After the Alaskan Gold Rush petered out, the U.S. Army leased the building for their barracks. 

By the turn of the century, new prospective patrons emerged as there were homesteaders coming to Skagway to start a new life here. In 1908, the Klondike Trading Company, no longer finding it profitable to stay in business, sold this building to George Dedman and his partner Edward Foreman, who saw the opportunity to serve these new travelers. 

Dedman and Foreman bought the two-story building and moved it one block to the southwest corner of 3rd and Broadway. They build a third floor made complete by the original building's golden dome.

This original onion-shaped dome had a practical use for these new owners with their new business. Many of their would be guests couldn't read, and this dome would tell them where The Golden North Hotel was located. 

In 2002, The Golden North Hotel returned to its original use; as a commercial building, becoming the new home for businesses in Skagway. A descendant of either George Dedman or Edward Foreman had his camera shop in one of the rooms. 

As of 2019, Frontier Excursions & Adventures have moved inside, using most of the rooms in this historic building.

The Spirit of Young Woman was named Mary by the staff of the hotel when it was still open for business. Mary still waits and interacts pleasantly with the living. Rooms 23 and 14 are her favorite haunts. She also traveled on the other floors of rooms and hallways. Room 23 was located on the third floor in the northwest corner of the building, while Room 14 was (presumably) on the second floor. All of her activity listed below happened when The Golden North Hotel was still in business. 

The living have felt cold breezes that are there one minute but gone the next, as the unseen presence of Mary streams by, perhaps dressed in white, her wedding dress. 

Sometimes she is seen; if only for a minute. 

Other guests had reported that after waking up, they would see the transparent form of a female spirit person hovering above them, looking intently to be sure that they were breathing, or perhaps to make sure, if they were female, that he man wasn't in bed with them. 

The owner and one of the maids together saw Mary standing by the window in Room 23, looking outside. 

Mary had fully appeared to various hotel employees, mainly for the chambermaids and maintenance men. 

The hotel's guest singe from Juneau had his girlfriend take his picture while standing in the them empty third floor Hall. Imagine his surprise that the developed picture showed a detailed apparition of a young woman, known as Mary, standing right next to him. 

Other people visiting Room 23 had felt the sensation of being choked, as if they were suffering from pneumonia. 

While staying in Room 14, some hotel guests had felt really sick, to the point of almost passing out. 

Then, a grayish light form appeared to them, and gradually faded away. 

The guests then suddenly don't feel sick anymore. 

During The Golden North Hotel's inn days, from 1898-2002, owners, staff and guests had plenty of personal experiences with Mary

Paranormal investigators used to flock here to have a personal experience with her and/or try to prove that the female spirit, Mary, was still waiting. They not only had personal experiences, but caught some hard evidence as well. 

Four paranormal investigators spent the night in Room 14. 

The next morning, they found a ring around the tub, that wasn't there the night before, as if some unseen entity had taken a bath. They had not used the tub at all. 

Apparently, Mary felt at ease with them, and borrowed their tub. 

If there is a second spirit person in Room 14, he or she hasn't been identified by a medium or a paranormal investigation group.