The closest slice of civilization along this rugged stretch of the Alaskan panhandle is the town of Haines nestled along the coast of the Chilkat Peninsula. During the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898-1899, Haines briefly became a major boom town serving as a supply and transit point for the gold fields across the border in Canada. At that time there were also major gold finds in the Porcupine District about 40 miles northwest of town where the Hoffmans and their team are mining again.