Andrew Beierly

Andrew "Andy" Beierly was born in 1940 in Juneau, Alaska and grew up in Skagway, Alaska. He attended the Mission School in Skagway, and then graduated from Skagway High School. In 1957, while he was still in school, he started working for the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad on a section crew,  and then worked full-time for them from 1962 to 1982, as an engine mechanic, on the bridge crew, and in the car shop. After the White Pass Railroad shut down, Andy went to work for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park as lead carpenter on the restoration of the old railroad depot/administration building in downtown Skagway. He worked as a carpenter and did maintenance of a number of other National Park Service buildings in Skagway, until his retirement in 2003. Andy serves as the vice-president of the Skagway Traditional Council, a position he has held for nearly 20 years, is an avid photographer and birder, and is a member of the Skagway Bird Club. In 1965, he married his wife, Joanne, and together they raised two children. As nature lovers and outdoors people, Andy and Joanne are keen observers of their local environment and the natural world. They walk Skagway's beach everyday observing the birds, the changing seasons, the weather patterns, and collecting a variety of items along the shoreline. Andy has a vast collection of photographs of the Skagway area, including images that document the shrinking glaciers on the surrounding mountains.