b'FOGHORN FOCUSWelcome to AlaskaRIVERBOAT DISCOVERY CELEBRATES 75 YEARS ON THE WATERI n 1898, an 18-year-old man left Fort Wayne, Ind., making his way to Alaska. It was the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, and masses of people were traveling across the U.S. to Skagway, Alaska, across the Chilkoot Pass and on to the Yukon River in search of riches. Having spent his life on the Missouri and Ohio River, working around and operating boats and building vessels in shipyards, Charles M. Binkley had knowledge and experience that would prove valuable on the Alaskan rivers. As thousands of gold seekers crossed the Chilkoot Pass, they were faced with the reality of traveling often-treacherous rivers in their hunt for fortune. There was opportunity for someone with the skills to build crafts and guide people through rap-ids and tricky sections of the river, and thats exactly how Binkley got his start. Charles Binkleys son, Charles Madison Jim Binkley Jr., would go on to found Riverboat Discovery, carrying passengers along Alaskas rivers like his father, though his riders were sightseeing tourists not the PHOTOS: RIVERBOAT DISCOVERYgold-seeking prospectors his father had ferried.On top are Discovery I and Discovery II and below is Discovery III at the mouth of the Chena RiverFOGHORN 22'