By 1905, many of mines were abandoned and town's population had shrunk to about 150. A fire in town's business district in 1912 destroyed many commercial buildings and death dealt a blow to remnants of Garnet. The coming of World War I drew most remaining residents away to defense-related jobs. By 1920s Garnet was a ghost town. Cabins were abandoned, furnishings included, as though residents were merely vacationing. F.A. Davey still ran store however, and hotel stood intact.

In 1934 when President Roosevelt raised gold prices from $16 to $32 an ounce, Garnet revived. A new wave of miners moved into abandoned cabins and began reworking mines and dumps.

World War II drew population away again. The use of dynamite for domestic purposes was curtailed, making mining difficult. Garnet again became a ghost town. Once again F.A. Davey and a few others remained.

Several new cabins were constructed following war, and in 1948 an auction was held with items from Davey store. Much remained however, and souvenir hunters soon stripped town not only of loose items, but of doors, woodwork, wallpaper, and even hotel stairway.

The future of this historic town now depends on work of volunteers and contributions from public..

Society in Garnet differed from that of earlier mining camps. While single males were predominant in early mining camp, Garnet had a larger number of families. Social life therefore was quite different. Although drinking, gambling, and houses of prostitution were still enjoyed by men, married women were far more numerous in Garnet. They rarely visited saloons and only went to business district to shop for necessary food and clothing. Also, unlike earlier camps, a school house was established in Garnet soon after it's founding.

A variety of social activities were available to residents of Garnet. Family-oriented activates, such as dinner parties, card games and hay rides were common. Family picnics, fishing trips, and shopping trips took place during summer months. Sleigh-rides, sledding parties, and skiing were favorites in wintertime.

One of largest community celebrations in Garnet was annual Miners Union Day gathering held at Miners Union Hall. Many of social functions wee held at Hall, which was completed in June of 1898. Community dances were held there every Saturday night, and in early years of Garnet's history, there were often three or four social functions a week. The Hall with its one large room and small stage often was scarcely large enough for crowd.

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Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

A quick tour of Whittier, named after poet John Greenlief Whittier, sees all dynamic sites within a few minutes. The local bards proclaim fishing port: "Nothing Is Prettier Than Whittier." There are three deep-water ports in Alaska: Whittier, Anchorage, and Seward. Most adventure cruisers joined in for bison burgers at one of local restaurants as Spirit of Glacier Bay was outfitted for our arrival.

There are eight adventure cruise ships in CruiseWest fleet, with Spirit of Glacier Bay smallest. Built in 1971, it cruises Prince William Sound in summer, moving to Columbia River for seven weeks of Fall river cruising, including a jetboat ride up Snake River, before dry-docked for winter. (Read The Jetsetters Magazine feature on that adventure entitled: "Cruising Historic River Roads.")

I got a great bunk on main starboard deck, close to lounge and small restaurant at stern. Our bags had arrived by earlier motorcoach transport. If you take this cruise, get berths 201, 202, 203 or 204. Some people paid more for below water and third deck (300 series) cabins that were not as convenient. The third deck cabin windows do not look over water directly, and gangway makes traffic by those cabins at all hours unnerving. The below deck cabins get engine noise complaints. My cabin, 202, allowed me to watch scenery glide by while in bed.

Cabins are equipped with spartan amenities, toiletries, shower (pull water spigot out of wash basin and snag it on a hook), and a loo. The bunks are narrow. There is an in-cabin intercom system with wildlife alerts at all hours. When in your cabin before dinner is served or special events on board switch intercom to 'B' for wildlife reports and 'A' for piped in music. This was a nice nature feature. I never missed sightings of whales, sea otters, or harbor seal colonies.

After mandatory life jacket use and safety lesson by Tahitian Captain Patrick Marere and then crew introductions, there is a free champagne and cheese and wine party before dinner. There is no open bar on boat, with an Alaska beer going for about US$4.50, so US$1.50 for a root beer looked pretty good. The 5:30 p.m. daily happy hour offers free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate and snacks.

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Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com