The News Depot gives an interesting anecdote of why they use the spelling of Skaguay: "The original accepted spelling of our city was "Skagua," a Tlingit word meaning "windy place." When the stampeders landed here in 1897, they anglicized it by adding a "y." However, by the fall of 1898 some local businesses, including the DAILY ALASKAN, had replaced the "u" with a "w." The issue came to a head when the U.S. Post Office put a "w" in the city's new postmark. The rival SKAGUAY NEWS lambasted the change in the following editorial on October 14, 1898:"We note what might be termed an idiotic tendency on the part of a few people in this city to change its name from 'SKAGUAY' to SKAGWAY.' It is true someone connected with the post office department away back in Washington has seen fit to denominate the name of our city be spelled with a 'w' instead of a 'u,' this making the name of our city two syllables instead of three. But the fact that the post office department has seen fit to do away with the rhythm of our city name and substitute a more harsh, if shorter one, is no reason why we should adopt it.The name of our city has always been known to the commercial world as Skaguay, with a 'u',and as such it should be known. If Skaguay owes the post office department any tanks for anything, let the bill be presented. In the meantime, spell it with a 'u.' By the end of the gold rush in 1900, even the SKAGWAY NEWS had made the switch, but we continue to spell some of our names with a "u." It's our history to be different.
