"150 Years: Defining Moments in the Great Land"
Cook Inlet Historical Society 2017-2018 Lecture Series
Auction sale of Wasilla townsite lots, June 20, [19]17. Alaska Engineering Commission Collection, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center.
Thursday, September 21, 2017, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Speaker: Mike Dunham, award winning author and editor and reporter (retired), Alaska Dispatch News
Topic: The Man Who Bought Alaska: William H. Seward and The Man Who Sold Alaska: Tsar Alexander II of Russia
Longtime Alaska reporter Mike Dunham has written a pair of short biographies that tell the stories of the most important diplomats in the 19th century—Tsar Alexander II of Russia and American Secretary of State William Henry Seward. He will discuss the lives of the men who arranged the United States’ acquisition of Russian America in 1867.
Thursday, October 19, 2017, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Speaker: Participants include Sergei Grinev of St. Petersburg Russia, Ilya Vinkovetsky of Simon Fraser University of British Columbia, Andrei Znamenski of the University of Memphis, Tennessee, archivist/historian Joaqlin Estus (Tlingit), and Andrey Khalkachan, a Native of eastern Siberia.
Topic: Treaty of Cession: Causes and Consequences: A Panel Discussion
UAA Distinguished Professor Emeritus Stephen Haycox will moderate a panel discussion with Russian historians about why Russian America was sold to the United States and three indigenous speakers who will examine the consequences of the 19th century Americanization of Alaska and the later Cold War.
Thursday, November 16, 2017, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Speaker: Katherine L. Arndt, Alaska and Polar Regions Bibliographer and Curator of Rare Books and Rare Maps, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Topic: Russia’s American Colonies in 1867: A Baseline
Though the Russian-American Company (RAC) was ostensibly a trading firm, as an imperially chartered monopoly it had many non-commercial responsibilities in Russia’s North American colonies, including medical care, education, support of the Orthodox Church, and assistance to company pensioners. With departure of the RAC following the transfer of Alaska to US ownership, any Company-supported institutions were significantly crippled or entirely swept away. It took time before they were restored or replaced under US rule.
No December Lecture
Thursday, January 18, 2018, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Speaker: Rex Wilhelm, President and COO of the North West Company International, Inc., owner of the Alaska Commercial Company
Topic: The Alaska Commercial Company, 150 years of Operation
The Alaska Commercial Company (ACC) began mercantile services in Alaska within months of the Treaty of Cession. Early company activities included fur trading, banking, shipping, and building infrastructure as well as operating an exclusive 20-year lease of the lucrative Pribilof Islands fur seal industry. This presentation details 150 years of ACC operations in Alaska.
Thursday, February 15, 2018, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Speaker: Bethany Buckingham Follett, Curator, Wasilla Museum and Visitor’s Center
Topic: Wasilla at 100: Where Mining, Agriculture, and Commerce Converge
Wasilla was founded in 1917 when the Alaska Railroad intersected the Carle Wagon Road that headed into the Willow Creek Mining District. Miners were supplied by merchants in Wasilla and a thriving community emerged. Well-known members of the early community, how their history shaped Wasilla, and the activities from the centennial celebration that brought these stories and history to life will be discussed.
Thursday, March 15, 2018, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Speaker: JBER Command Staff
Topic: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Mission and Units: Why We Are Here
Alaska’s strategic military position is based on geography. Alaska is an ideal hub for the great "Over-the-Pole” circle routes connecting the Orient with Europe and North America. JBER's location is much closer to the Orient and Europe than many parts of the contiguous United States, and provides an ideal staging for a rapid military response capability today, just as it did during World War II and the Cold War. In this lecture, JBER Command Staff will discuss the strategic geopolitical importance of Alaska today and in the past.
Thursday, April 19, 2018, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Speaker: Tim Bradner, economics and natural resources writer for Alaska professional and general-interest publications, with a specialty in energy and oil and gas
Topic: $141 billion since 1977! Where’d all the money go? A historical perspective of Alaska’s petroleum industry and state government
Mr. Bradner will review the history and development of Alaska’s petroleum industry from its early days until the present. He will discuss the interconnections between the industry and the development of Alaska’s state government and economy. He will speak to current problems and challenges facing both the state and industry as the worldwide energy industry appears to enter a period of surplus and lower prices.
Thursday, May 17, 2018, 7:00 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Panelists: TBA
Topic: ANILCA: A discussion about how the “Alaska Lands Act” of 1980 came to be, what it contains, and how it has shaped Alaska
This concluding lecture will discuss the federal government’s role in managing public land in Alaska. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), signed into law in 1980, was an achievement in the environmental movement and an important domestic achievement for the Carter administration, according to some. Others view it as federal overreach and a law that has continued to hinder Alaska’s economic development. Wherever your perspective, few would disagree that ANILCA profoundly transformed the management of Alaska’s public lands. The panel discussion features a diversity of analysis as we come to grips with, and better understand, this landmark legislation.
The 4th Avenue Theatre, the largest of the chain of theaters Austin E. “Cap” Lathrop built in Alaska, was begun in 1941, but construction was halted because of World War II; the building was completed in 1947. When built, the theater’s capacity was 960 people, and was embellished with a rose, chartreuse, and light blue color scheme. The theater measured 62 feet by 130 feet. Besides its size, the theater was known for its elaborate, world-class murals designed by A.B. Heinsbergen and Frank Bouman, flanked the stage and screen, representing Alaska life and industry. A casual look at the ceiling brought forth the familiar Big Dipper and North Star constellations, with additional lighting provided by large colorful glass baubles. The three-story reinforced concrete building contained more than a theater, with offices in the basement, second, and third floors; a restaurant on the first floor; and a penthouse apartment on the roof. Lathrop preferred to use the British spelling of “theatre” in officially naming these venues. The theater opened on May 31, 1947. The first movie shown was The Jolson Story. After the gala opening, Bob Atwood of the Anchorage Daily Times proclaimed that the 4th Avenue Theatre: “is a landmark in the transition of Anchorage from a frontier community to a city of permanence. It is a landmark in the development of a city in which families live, work, play and die.” The 4th Avenue Theatre is considered by experts to represent the culmination of the Art Deco movement in the United States, and one of the best examples in existence.
4th Avenue Theatre, interior and details, 1988.
Photo credit: B2009.020.21, 4th Avenue Theatre Collection, Atwood Resource Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK.
The 4th Avenue Theatre (630 West 4th Avenue) from the Federal Building steps, March 15, 1952.
Photo credit: B1983.091C206.1, Ward Wells, photographer, Ward Wells Collection, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK.
Public Launch of Legends & Legacies, Anchorage,
1910-1940, Website
Announced by Cook Inlet Historical Society
April 17, 2017
The Cook Inlet Historical Society has launched its new, upgraded website, Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940, and it is now available for use by students, teachers, researchers, and the public at http://www.alaskahistory.org. Featured are 175 individual and family biographical sketches of early residents of Anchorage and accompanying photographs (984 images). There is a list of additional resources (i.e., libraries, archives, museums, and Native cultural centers) and online research tools for Alaska history to direct users to local, state, and regional primary and secondary sources. The website also includes a timeline of Anchorage history.
Initiated by the Cook Inlet Historical Society (CIHS), the Legends and Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940 website was a designated Anchorage Centennial Celebration, 2014-2015, legacy project of the Municipality of Anchorage. With the support of the Atwood Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, and the John Bagoy Memorial Cemetery Fund of the Cook Inlet Historical Society, this site was developed to provide access to selected individual and family biographical sketches of early Anchorage individuals and families and to promote Anchorage’s cultural heritage.
This single use interface substantially upgrades and replaces the former Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1935, website. Coverage was expanded to include noteworthy individuals who lived in Anchorage prior to America’s entry into World War II. The user interface has been redesigned to improve usability on a variety of platforms (e.g., computers, cell phones, tablets, and other devices) and the site’s search capabilities.
Each of the 175 biographical sketches ranges from one to six pages in length, excluding endnotes and photographs. These biographies are representative of individuals from Anchorage’s founding families and others, with special emphasis on Dena’ina Indians, women, and the small number of members of ethnic groups who lived in Anchorage for an extended period during Alaska’s formative years. There is a wide range of individuals who built Anchorage during this period, ranging from early settlers such as Jack and Nellie Brown; bankers Warren Cuddy and Harry Hamill; formerly well-known, but now obscure figures such as druggist Z.J. Loussac, educator Orah Dee Clark, business tycoon and self-made millionaire Austin E. “Cap” Lathrop; many of the City of Anchorage’s early mayors such as James J. Delaney and Oscar Gill; pioneer aviator Russel Hyde Merrill; former Anchorage fire chief Tom Bevers; and Anchorage post-war real estate developer, hotelman, and politician Walter J. “Wally” Hickel. The site includes photographs from the Atwood Resource Center at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Alaska Collection at Z.J. Loussac Library; Archives and Special Collections at the University of Alaska Anchorage Consortium Library; Wells Fargo Heritage Library and Museum, Anchorage; Alaska & Polar Regions Collections & Archives, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks; and the National Archives at Seattle, Seattle, WA.
The Legends & Legacies project is part of the mission of the Cook Inlet Historical Society to foster discussion, research, and publication of the history and ethnology of the Anchorage and Cook Inlet region of Alaska. What began as John Bagoy’s book, Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1935 (Anchorage: Publications Consultants, 2001), has been developed into a popular Anchorage Museum atrium panel exhibit and, now, to the availability of an expanded number of new biographies through this website. The redesign of the website and the posting of 175 biographies will allow the project to remain timely, with the potential for additional entries to be added or existing ones to be modified in the future. For further information, please contact the Cook Inlet Historical Society, c/o Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, 125 C Street, Anchorage, AK http://www.cookinlethistory.org/contact-us.html).
An example is a biographical entry for Austin E. “Cap” Lathrop on the Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940, website. Included is a 1942 photograph of Lathrop, the builder and owner of the Midnight Sun Broadcasting Company’s broadcasting station KFAR, the most powerful radio station in Alaska.
In addition, there are two photographs of the 4th Avenue Theatre from the Ward Wells Collection and the 4th Avenue Theatre Collection, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, that is not on the website. The construction of the 4th Avenue Theatre by Lathrop was the culmination of a twenty-five-year effort by the energetic builder and self-made millionaire. He intended that the 4th Avenue Theatre be his legacy to the people of Alaska. We greatly appreciate the research assistance of the Atwood Resource Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, who provided these photographs.
Old Name Officially Returns to Nation’s Highest Peak
POSTED ON AUGUST 30, 2015 AT 5:15 PM
LAST UPDATE 8:12 AM BY: JON CAMPBELL, JONCAMPBELL@USGS.GOV
U.S. Department of the Interior press release
The story of America is told by the names on the land. When you hear names like Kentucky and Kennesaw, Klamath and Kodiak, your mind immediately starts to turn over all manner of associated thoughts of what you may have experienced or learned or even what you may imagine about that place. Geographic names often serve as a mental index and guide to help organize our knowledge of American geography and history.
Most of the time the names of places seem quite mundane because they are so basic in our everyday lives. They are invisible, unremarkable elements of the way we think and communicate. Yet, to borrow a phrase from Sir Francis Bacon*, names carry “much impression and enchantment.” When people disagree about the right name of a place, then the importance of geographic names becomes clearly evident.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has announced that the highest mountain in the United States and North America, formerly known as Mount McKinley, will now be officially designated by the name Denali in all federal records.
“This name change recognizes the sacred status of Denali to many Alaska Natives,” Secretary Jewell said. “The name Denali has been official for use by the State of Alaska since 1975, but even more importantly, the mountain has been known as Denali for generations. With our own sense of reverence for this place, we are officially renaming the mountain Denali in recognition of the traditions of Alaska Natives and the strong support of the people of Alaska.”
Secretary Jewell issued a Secretarial Order to make the name Denali official in accordance with her authority under the 1947 federal law that provides for the standardization of geographic names through the U.S Board on Geographic Names. Her action was heartily endorsed by President Obama who was participating in a meeting of the international Arctic Council in Anchorage.
Mount McKinley, the name
Mount McKinley was named in 1896 by William Andrews Dickey, a prospector who wrote an account of his adventures in Alaska in the January 24, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. He named the mountain “after William McKinley of Ohio who had been nominated for the presidency, and that fact was the first news we received on our way out of that wonderful wilderness.” McKinley championed the gold standard, a cause which Dickey supported. This article and an accompanying sketch map made the mountain known to the world outside Alaska.
But the mountain had older names.
A name before time
The word Denali is the accepted English spelling of an Athabaskan name for the mountain, meaning “the tall one.” Obviously, the first use of the name cannot be established; it is part of a long oral tradition that reaches far into the past. The official federal name record for Denali lists over 30 variant names for the feature, many of them from Native languages and from Russian.
The first written record of the Denali massif is by Captain George Vancouver, who when seeing it from Cook Inlet in 1794, referred to the “stupendous snow mountains.” The Russians descriptively called the mountain Bolshaya (Bulshaia) Gora, “big mountain.” Alfred Mayo and Arthur Harper, pioneer Alaska traders, after a trip up the Tanana River in 1878, reported “a great ice mountain to the south” but did not name it. A prospector, Frank Densmore, spoke so enthusiastically after seeing the mountain from Lake Minchumina in 1889 – that it was known for years among prospectors as Densmores Peak.
Standardizing America’s Names
In the nineteenth century, with the expansion of American maritime and commercial activities and the growth of interest in western lands and Alaska, inconsistencies among geographic names, spellings, and applications were a serious problem for the federal government. President Benjamin Harrison established the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as the geographic names authority for the Nation in 1890. An act of Congress, re-established the BGN in its present form in 1947.
The work of the BGN reduces duplication of effort among federal departments and agencies. State and local government officials generally follow the federal use of geographic names as a matter of efficiency, although there is no law requiring this. In ruling on hundreds of geographic name decisions every year, and in managing millions of geographic name records for the benefit of the American public, the BGN seeks to be deferential and consistently neutral in its interactions with Congress.
Names for the mountain at the turn of the 20th century
Recognized by the BGN in 1897, the official name Mount McKinley immediately began to appear on federal maps. Although President McKinley never set foot in Alaska or had any significant association with the area, his tragic assassination in 1901, just six months into his second term, likely contributed to a shared sense of public commemoration in the name Mount McKinley.
The summit of the mountain was first reached in 1913 by Hudson Stuck, Walter Harper, Robert Tatum, and Harry Karstens (Karstens later served as superintendent of the park now known as Denali National Park). Each of these first ascenders favored the name Denali for the mountain. Stuck, Episcopal Archdeacon of the Yukon, made a plea “for the restoration to the greatest mountain in North America of its immemorial native name [Denali]” in the foreword of the book he wrote about the ascent.
Denali goes to the U.S. Board
The Alaska State Board on Geographic Names, acting under state authority, made the name Denali official for state use in 1975. Soon afterward, Alaska Governor Jay S. Hammond petitioned the Secretary of the Interior for federal recognition of the name by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN).
The BGN, in accordance with its customary practice, did not act immediately on Hammond’s request in order to hear the views of many other interested parties. Due to continued reaction to the name-change proposal by the public and elected officials, the BGN took no decisive action until its July 1977 meeting, when it was agreed that public meetings should be held. The first meeting was held in October at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.; the second in November in Anchorage, Alaska.
An impasse with Congress and the Board
The BGN then indicated that it expected to render a decision on the name change proposal at its December 1977 meeting. Prior to that meeting, however, the Ohio congressional delegation introduced a Joint Resolution in Congress, which if passed, would “retain the name Mount McKinley in perpetuity.” As a result, the BGN deferred any action on the issue at that December meeting — and for many years afterward as the Ohio delegation to Congress continued to introduce legislation to keep the name Mount McKinley.
In order to distance itself from political considerations, the BGN adopted a policy in the 1960s that it would not consider geographic name issues that were the subject of pending congressional legislation, a policy later endorsed by the Secretary of the Interior in 1981. The consequence of this well-intentioned policy was that the repeated introduction of legislation by the Ohio delegation (1977-2015) had the effect of indefinitely deferring any further consideration of the McKinley-Denali controversy by the BGN.
“The 38-year impasse between the BGN and Congress was unique in BGN history, a situation that was never anticipated when the policy was adopted,” said Doug Caldwell, Chair, U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Meanwhile, the people of Alaska continued to show their support for the name Denali. Resolutions in support of BGN recognition of the name for federal use were adopted by the Alaska State Board on Geographic Names in 2001 and 2009. The Alaska delegation to Congress offered several bills in support of the name; the most recent was entered by Senator Lisa Murkowski in January 2015. As recently as August 12, 2015, the Denali Borough Assembly (the local government that encompasses the mountain) adopted a resolution to support “federal designation for the tallest North American peak as Denali.”
Enter the Secretary
Under the 1947 law that empowers the BGN to standardize and approve geographic names, the Secretary of the Interior has equal (“conjoint” is the term used in the law) authority with the BGN. In fact, under the law, the Secretary is responsible for overseeing the BGN’s actions. The law explicitly states that action “may be taken by the Secretary in any matter wherein the Board does not act within a reasonable time.”
Forty years have passed since former Alaska Governor Hammond first petitioned for a name change in 1975. In view of the expressed will of the people of Alaska and in keeping with the principles of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Secretary Jewell has now taken action to rename Mount McKinley as Denali under the authority granted to her office by the law.
All Americans can appreciate that the citizens of Alaska deserve to have national recognition of the ancient, sacred, and popular name that they favor for the preeminent mountain of North America.
LAST UPDATE 8:12 AM BY: JON CAMPBELL, JONCAMPBELL@USGS.GOV
U.S. Department of the Interior press release
The story of America is told by the names on the land. When you hear names like Kentucky and Kennesaw, Klamath and Kodiak, your mind immediately starts to turn over all manner of associated thoughts of what you may have experienced or learned or even what you may imagine about that place. Geographic names often serve as a mental index and guide to help organize our knowledge of American geography and history.
Most of the time the names of places seem quite mundane because they are so basic in our everyday lives. They are invisible, unremarkable elements of the way we think and communicate. Yet, to borrow a phrase from Sir Francis Bacon*, names carry “much impression and enchantment.” When people disagree about the right name of a place, then the importance of geographic names becomes clearly evident.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has announced that the highest mountain in the United States and North America, formerly known as Mount McKinley, will now be officially designated by the name Denali in all federal records.
“This name change recognizes the sacred status of Denali to many Alaska Natives,” Secretary Jewell said. “The name Denali has been official for use by the State of Alaska since 1975, but even more importantly, the mountain has been known as Denali for generations. With our own sense of reverence for this place, we are officially renaming the mountain Denali in recognition of the traditions of Alaska Natives and the strong support of the people of Alaska.”
Secretary Jewell issued a Secretarial Order to make the name Denali official in accordance with her authority under the 1947 federal law that provides for the standardization of geographic names through the U.S Board on Geographic Names. Her action was heartily endorsed by President Obama who was participating in a meeting of the international Arctic Council in Anchorage.
Mount McKinley, the name
Mount McKinley was named in 1896 by William Andrews Dickey, a prospector who wrote an account of his adventures in Alaska in the January 24, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. He named the mountain “after William McKinley of Ohio who had been nominated for the presidency, and that fact was the first news we received on our way out of that wonderful wilderness.” McKinley championed the gold standard, a cause which Dickey supported. This article and an accompanying sketch map made the mountain known to the world outside Alaska.
But the mountain had older names.
A name before time
The word Denali is the accepted English spelling of an Athabaskan name for the mountain, meaning “the tall one.” Obviously, the first use of the name cannot be established; it is part of a long oral tradition that reaches far into the past. The official federal name record for Denali lists over 30 variant names for the feature, many of them from Native languages and from Russian.
The first written record of the Denali massif is by Captain George Vancouver, who when seeing it from Cook Inlet in 1794, referred to the “stupendous snow mountains.” The Russians descriptively called the mountain Bolshaya (Bulshaia) Gora, “big mountain.” Alfred Mayo and Arthur Harper, pioneer Alaska traders, after a trip up the Tanana River in 1878, reported “a great ice mountain to the south” but did not name it. A prospector, Frank Densmore, spoke so enthusiastically after seeing the mountain from Lake Minchumina in 1889 – that it was known for years among prospectors as Densmores Peak.
Standardizing America’s Names
In the nineteenth century, with the expansion of American maritime and commercial activities and the growth of interest in western lands and Alaska, inconsistencies among geographic names, spellings, and applications were a serious problem for the federal government. President Benjamin Harrison established the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as the geographic names authority for the Nation in 1890. An act of Congress, re-established the BGN in its present form in 1947.
The work of the BGN reduces duplication of effort among federal departments and agencies. State and local government officials generally follow the federal use of geographic names as a matter of efficiency, although there is no law requiring this. In ruling on hundreds of geographic name decisions every year, and in managing millions of geographic name records for the benefit of the American public, the BGN seeks to be deferential and consistently neutral in its interactions with Congress.
Names for the mountain at the turn of the 20th century
Recognized by the BGN in 1897, the official name Mount McKinley immediately began to appear on federal maps. Although President McKinley never set foot in Alaska or had any significant association with the area, his tragic assassination in 1901, just six months into his second term, likely contributed to a shared sense of public commemoration in the name Mount McKinley.
The summit of the mountain was first reached in 1913 by Hudson Stuck, Walter Harper, Robert Tatum, and Harry Karstens (Karstens later served as superintendent of the park now known as Denali National Park). Each of these first ascenders favored the name Denali for the mountain. Stuck, Episcopal Archdeacon of the Yukon, made a plea “for the restoration to the greatest mountain in North America of its immemorial native name [Denali]” in the foreword of the book he wrote about the ascent.
Denali goes to the U.S. Board
The Alaska State Board on Geographic Names, acting under state authority, made the name Denali official for state use in 1975. Soon afterward, Alaska Governor Jay S. Hammond petitioned the Secretary of the Interior for federal recognition of the name by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN).
The BGN, in accordance with its customary practice, did not act immediately on Hammond’s request in order to hear the views of many other interested parties. Due to continued reaction to the name-change proposal by the public and elected officials, the BGN took no decisive action until its July 1977 meeting, when it was agreed that public meetings should be held. The first meeting was held in October at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.; the second in November in Anchorage, Alaska.
An impasse with Congress and the Board
The BGN then indicated that it expected to render a decision on the name change proposal at its December 1977 meeting. Prior to that meeting, however, the Ohio congressional delegation introduced a Joint Resolution in Congress, which if passed, would “retain the name Mount McKinley in perpetuity.” As a result, the BGN deferred any action on the issue at that December meeting — and for many years afterward as the Ohio delegation to Congress continued to introduce legislation to keep the name Mount McKinley.
In order to distance itself from political considerations, the BGN adopted a policy in the 1960s that it would not consider geographic name issues that were the subject of pending congressional legislation, a policy later endorsed by the Secretary of the Interior in 1981. The consequence of this well-intentioned policy was that the repeated introduction of legislation by the Ohio delegation (1977-2015) had the effect of indefinitely deferring any further consideration of the McKinley-Denali controversy by the BGN.
“The 38-year impasse between the BGN and Congress was unique in BGN history, a situation that was never anticipated when the policy was adopted,” said Doug Caldwell, Chair, U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Meanwhile, the people of Alaska continued to show their support for the name Denali. Resolutions in support of BGN recognition of the name for federal use were adopted by the Alaska State Board on Geographic Names in 2001 and 2009. The Alaska delegation to Congress offered several bills in support of the name; the most recent was entered by Senator Lisa Murkowski in January 2015. As recently as August 12, 2015, the Denali Borough Assembly (the local government that encompasses the mountain) adopted a resolution to support “federal designation for the tallest North American peak as Denali.”
Enter the Secretary
Under the 1947 law that empowers the BGN to standardize and approve geographic names, the Secretary of the Interior has equal (“conjoint” is the term used in the law) authority with the BGN. In fact, under the law, the Secretary is responsible for overseeing the BGN’s actions. The law explicitly states that action “may be taken by the Secretary in any matter wherein the Board does not act within a reasonable time.”
Forty years have passed since former Alaska Governor Hammond first petitioned for a name change in 1975. In view of the expressed will of the people of Alaska and in keeping with the principles of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Secretary Jewell has now taken action to rename Mount McKinley as Denali under the authority granted to her office by the law.
All Americans can appreciate that the citizens of Alaska deserve to have national recognition of the ancient, sacred, and popular name that they favor for the preeminent mountain of North America.
Cyrano's Theatre Company presents "Anchorage: The First 100 Years--A Theatrical Tour"
Playing during the summer of 2015 from July 1st - September 3rd at Cyrano's Off Center Playhouse located in the historic 1915 Building at the corner of 4th and D Street, Cyrano's Theatre Company will be presenting a different decade in Anchorage history in the form of a living newspaper, highlighting the headline stories and colorful characters of the day, with authentic music of the period and film clips, etc. There will also be fun extra-added attractions, such as the Antique Auto Mushers of Alaska, who will park a vintage car of that particular decade each week in front of Cyrano's Off Center Playhouse, as well as a "mini-museum art installation" in the lobby...and even the bathrooms!... highlighting the impact of the military, aviation, the railroad, the earthquake, and civic leaders. RSVP: centertix.net, 263-ARTS, PAC Box Office, Cyrano's Box Office.
August Lecture: “40th Anniversary of Anchorage Municipality"
Thursday, August 20, 2015, 7:30pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C Street (enter through 121 W 7th Avenue entrance)
Presented by former Municipal mayors and charter commissioners, as well as Dennis Wheeler, Municipal Attorney, Municipality of Anchorage
The celebration of the centennial of Anchorage would not be complete without recognizing the 40th anniversary of the merger of the city and borough governments and founding of the Municipality of Anchorage on September 15, 1975. Former mayors and members of the Anchorage Charter Commission have been invited to discuss their recollections of the deliberations that lead to the unified government and the functioning of our municipal government since that time. Dennis Wheeler will comment on the writing of the Anchorage Charter and importance of the community’s formative document today, including his efforts to transcribe commission deliberations as an oral history of our community.
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C Street (enter through 121 W 7th Avenue entrance)
Presented by former Municipal mayors and charter commissioners, as well as Dennis Wheeler, Municipal Attorney, Municipality of Anchorage
The celebration of the centennial of Anchorage would not be complete without recognizing the 40th anniversary of the merger of the city and borough governments and founding of the Municipality of Anchorage on September 15, 1975. Former mayors and members of the Anchorage Charter Commission have been invited to discuss their recollections of the deliberations that lead to the unified government and the functioning of our municipal government since that time. Dennis Wheeler will comment on the writing of the Anchorage Charter and importance of the community’s formative document today, including his efforts to transcribe commission deliberations as an oral history of our community.
Dedication: This year’s annual program is dedicated to Doug Beckstead, local Air Force historian, who served on the Society’s board of directors with distinction. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly in July 2014 while working on plans to commemorate the Air Force role in local Cold War history. His longstanding interest in local history and our
military will be missed.
military will be missed.
July Lecture: “Anchorage in 1915: Its Founding and Significance to the World"
Thursday, July 9, 2015, 7:30pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C Street (enter through 121 W 7th Avenue entrance)
Preston Jones, Professor of History, John Brown University, Siloam Springs, Arkansas
For most residents, the centennial of founding of Anchorage comes on July 10, 2015, exactly one hundred years after Andrew Christensen conducted the sale of lots on the newly established Anchorage town site on the bluff overlooking Ship Creek. Dr. Jones will commemorate this date discussing our community’s prospects at that time. When Anchorage was founded, much of the world was at war and the U.S. was becoming an industrial and economic power, growing rapidly with a large influx of immigrants. In Alaska residents wondered when leaders Outside would realize how great a national treasure the Last Frontier really was. What did the creation of the new settlement mean to its first settlers? What did it mean to other Alaskans? For much of the past century Anchorage has not only served as Alaska's largest city, but also as the base of American power in the far North. Celebrating a century of growth and progress, this lecture places the founding of Anchorage in this complicated context. Among his publications are books on early Anchorage, Nome, and Alaska during the First World War.
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C Street (enter through 121 W 7th Avenue entrance)
Preston Jones, Professor of History, John Brown University, Siloam Springs, Arkansas
For most residents, the centennial of founding of Anchorage comes on July 10, 2015, exactly one hundred years after Andrew Christensen conducted the sale of lots on the newly established Anchorage town site on the bluff overlooking Ship Creek. Dr. Jones will commemorate this date discussing our community’s prospects at that time. When Anchorage was founded, much of the world was at war and the U.S. was becoming an industrial and economic power, growing rapidly with a large influx of immigrants. In Alaska residents wondered when leaders Outside would realize how great a national treasure the Last Frontier really was. What did the creation of the new settlement mean to its first settlers? What did it mean to other Alaskans? For much of the past century Anchorage has not only served as Alaska's largest city, but also as the base of American power in the far North. Celebrating a century of growth and progress, this lecture places the founding of Anchorage in this complicated context. Among his publications are books on early Anchorage, Nome, and Alaska during the First World War.
Imagining Anchorage Symposium
June 18th - 20th, 2015
In order to celebrate the founding of Anchorage in 1915 and encourage a greater awareness of the city’s rich history, the Cook Inlet Historical Society (CIHS) is sponsoring a centennial symposium “Imagining Anchorage” beginning Thursday evening, June 18, and concluding Saturday, June 20, 2015. All symposium events, except for the John Bagoy Memorial Cemetery Tour, will be held at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center (625 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99501). The Symposium begins with a reception with the Anchorage Sister Cities Commission honoring our unique relationship with Whitby, England, near where Captain Cook was born. It will then feature a series of lectures and panel discussions from a host of knowledgeable scholars and friends discussing Captain Cook's third voyage to Alaska and our community's first 100 years.The Symposium is a community-wide event supported by a Centennial Grant from the Municipality of Anchorage, the Rasmuson Foundation and the Alaska Humanities Forum.
The celebration will be followed by the annual John Bagoy Memorial Cemetery Tour at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery (7th & Cordova Streets) on Sunday, June 21, 2015, where our guides, Audrey and Bruce Kelly, will remember ten key players buried at the cemetery who played critical roles in the development of Anchorage.
The Imagining Anchorage Symposium will complement related exhibitions at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, including a presentation on James Cook’s Third Voyage, Arctic Ambitions: Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage, which opens on Friday, March 27. The exhibit is also reflected in an expansive and beautifully illustrated anthology featuring eighteen scholarly essays, edited by Jim Barnett and Dave Nicandri, with a Preface by Robin Inglis, and published through the University of Washington Press. Copies of the anthology are available for sale at the Anchorage Museum Shop.
The celebration will be followed by the annual John Bagoy Memorial Cemetery Tour at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery (7th & Cordova Streets) on Sunday, June 21, 2015, where our guides, Audrey and Bruce Kelly, will remember ten key players buried at the cemetery who played critical roles in the development of Anchorage.
The Imagining Anchorage Symposium will complement related exhibitions at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, including a presentation on James Cook’s Third Voyage, Arctic Ambitions: Captain Cook and the Northwest Passage, which opens on Friday, March 27. The exhibit is also reflected in an expansive and beautifully illustrated anthology featuring eighteen scholarly essays, edited by Jim Barnett and Dave Nicandri, with a Preface by Robin Inglis, and published through the University of Washington Press. Copies of the anthology are available for sale at the Anchorage Museum Shop.
May Lecture: "Home Field Advantage: Baseball in the Far North”
Thursday, May 21, 2015, 7:30pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C Street (enter through 121 W 7th Avenue entrance)
Katherine Ringsmuth, Senior Curator, Alaska Gallery, Anchorage Museum
Topic: "Home Field Advantage: Baseball in the Far North.”
Beginning in the late 19th century, whalers and gold miners transported the national pastime northward. Once established, Alaskans adapted the game to fit a variety of
environments and seasons. As Katie Ringsmuth, the curator of this planned Centennial exhibit will show, Alaskans sought a more rugged brand of baseball. They carved diamonds from wilderness, transformed fields from ice and snow, and played ball under the midnight sun. It is this relationship with Alaska’s landscape that Alaskans made it “our” game.
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C Street (enter through 121 W 7th Avenue entrance)
Katherine Ringsmuth, Senior Curator, Alaska Gallery, Anchorage Museum
Topic: "Home Field Advantage: Baseball in the Far North.”
Beginning in the late 19th century, whalers and gold miners transported the national pastime northward. Once established, Alaskans adapted the game to fit a variety of
environments and seasons. As Katie Ringsmuth, the curator of this planned Centennial exhibit will show, Alaskans sought a more rugged brand of baseball. They carved diamonds from wilderness, transformed fields from ice and snow, and played ball under the midnight sun. It is this relationship with Alaska’s landscape that Alaskans made it “our” game.
Dedication: This year’s annual program is dedicated to Doug Beckstead, local Air Force historian, who served on the Society’s board of directors with distinction. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly in July while working on plans to commemorate the Air Force role in local Cold War history this fall. His longstanding interest in local history and our
military will be missed.
military will be missed.
Alaska Beyond Magazine Article Highlights Anchorage's Centennial
The 2014-2015 Lecture Schedule is continued here.
Thursday, April 16, 2015, 7:30 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Aaron Leggett, Associate Alaska Gallery Curator, Anchorage Museum
Topic: “The Arrival of the Underwater people: Captain Cook and his crew meet the Dena'ina.”
In late May of 1778 Captain Cook’s expedition arrived in Tikahtnu, which the British later renamed Cook Inlet, the first European to come into contact with the Dena'ina. Aaron Leggett will discuss what this meeting meant to the Dena'ina and discuss some of the artifacts that Cook and his men brought back to England and how these pieces and his encounter provide important information about the late pre-contact Dena'ina.
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Aaron Leggett, Associate Alaska Gallery Curator, Anchorage Museum
Topic: “The Arrival of the Underwater people: Captain Cook and his crew meet the Dena'ina.”
In late May of 1778 Captain Cook’s expedition arrived in Tikahtnu, which the British later renamed Cook Inlet, the first European to come into contact with the Dena'ina. Aaron Leggett will discuss what this meeting meant to the Dena'ina and discuss some of the artifacts that Cook and his men brought back to England and how these pieces and his encounter provide important information about the late pre-contact Dena'ina.
Cook Inlet Historical Society Honors Six Anchorage History Day Students with Centennial Awards!
The Cook Inlet Historical Society, on February 14th, awarded two $250 awards at the Anchorage School District's History Day contest! Cook Inlet Historical Society President Jim Barnett awarded the "Best in Show Award" for the Junior Division to Camille Griffith, Clare Howard and Leo McNicholas from Romig Middle School for their documentary titled "Elizabeth Peratrovich's Leadership to Change Native Rights and Her Lasting Legacy in Alaska." The Best in Show Award for the Senior Division went to Rebekah Johanson, Mariah Johnson, and Peggy Saddler from Chugiak High School for their entry, titled "Legacy of Alaska: Bob Bartlett." National History Day is a nationwide program for teaching history in our nation's school. Each year students in grades 6-12 select a topic related to an annual theme, research that topic, and present it for judging in local contests. Winners of local contests advance to the state contest, with winners of state contests advancing to the National History Day contest held at the University of Maryland each May. Winners of Anchorage School District's History Day contest will advance to the Alaska History Day contest in March, along with other students from around Alaska.
March Lecture: “Captain Cook in Alaska"
Thursday, March 19, 2015, 7:30 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Jim Barnett, Cook Inlet Historical Society President, Author and Local Attorney
Topic: “Captain Cook in Alaska.”
Mr. Barnett has studied the role of Captain Cook and other European explorers in the early history of Alaska for several decades and will discuss unique perspectives on his voyage to Alaska in anticipation of the exhibition opening at the Anchorage Museum later in the month.
Thursday, March 19, 2015, 7:30 pm
Anchorage Museum Auditorium, 625 C St. (enter through 121 W. 7th Ave. entrance)
Jim Barnett, Cook Inlet Historical Society President, Author and Local Attorney
Topic: “Captain Cook in Alaska.”
Mr. Barnett has studied the role of Captain Cook and other European explorers in the early history of Alaska for several decades and will discuss unique perspectives on his voyage to Alaska in anticipation of the exhibition opening at the Anchorage Museum later in the month.
Fall 2014 Brian Davies Memorial Grant Recipient Announced!
Illustration of the Slava Rossii at Unalashka.
Please join us in congratulating Evguenia (“Jenya”) Anichtchenko, Historian with the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology! Ms. Anichtchenko has been selected as the recipient of the Fall 2014 Cook Inlet Historical Society’s Brian Davies Memorial Grant for Alaska History. The grant was given to support Ms. Anichtchenko's research on the Russian North-Eastern Geographical and Astronomical Expedition of 1785-1794. Led by Captain Joseph Billings, this major Russian expedition collected an impressive body of geographical, geological, and ethnographic information about the coasts of eastern Siberia and northwestern North America. Most of this work is based on two archival collections held by the Russian State Naval Archives and the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Point Lay DEW Line Station, U.S. Air Force, ca. 1987.
November 20, 2014
Karlene Leeper, Archaeologist and Cultural Program Resources Manager, 611th Air Support Group, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
Topic: “Searching the Skies: Remote Alaska During the Cold War and After.”
Ms. Leeper will speak about the history of USAF radars in Alaska, how they were distributed across the landscape and how they have changed. Radar and communications systems in Alaska required updating after World War II. Dozens of small installations were constructed across remote Alaska. As technology changed, many of the sites became obsolete and their footprints, though extensive across the landscape, were greatly reduced.
Karlene Leeper, Archaeologist and Cultural Program Resources Manager, 611th Air Support Group, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
Topic: “Searching the Skies: Remote Alaska During the Cold War and After.”
Ms. Leeper will speak about the history of USAF radars in Alaska, how they were distributed across the landscape and how they have changed. Radar and communications systems in Alaska required updating after World War II. Dozens of small installations were constructed across remote Alaska. As technology changed, many of the sites became obsolete and their footprints, though extensive across the landscape, were greatly reduced.
Geopolitical map of Alaska, Hummel 2005.
October 16, 2014
Polaris Lecture, Alaska Day
Jointly sponsored by the University of Alaska Anchorage Honors College
Major General Mark Hamilton, U. S. Army (retired) and President Emeritus, University
of Alaska 1998-2010
Topic: "'He Who Holds Alaska': The role of Alaska in American Strategy"
UAA and Cook Inlet Historical Society are pleased to present former University of
Alaska President, General Mark Hamilton for our Alaska Day lecture. When Billy Mitchell made his famous statement about holding Alaska as the key to
controlling the world, he was talking about the future. For us the key role of Alaska is the story of the past, the present and the future. Alaska's strategic place in the world has been one of the cornerstones of U.S. defense posture since at least the late 1940s. And this keystone position will continue as technology, geopolitics and world affairs evolve in ways that we can't even yet begin to imagine.
Polaris Lecture, Alaska Day
Jointly sponsored by the University of Alaska Anchorage Honors College
Major General Mark Hamilton, U. S. Army (retired) and President Emeritus, University
of Alaska 1998-2010
Topic: "'He Who Holds Alaska': The role of Alaska in American Strategy"
UAA and Cook Inlet Historical Society are pleased to present former University of
Alaska President, General Mark Hamilton for our Alaska Day lecture. When Billy Mitchell made his famous statement about holding Alaska as the key to
controlling the world, he was talking about the future. For us the key role of Alaska is the story of the past, the present and the future. Alaska's strategic place in the world has been one of the cornerstones of U.S. defense posture since at least the late 1940s. And this keystone position will continue as technology, geopolitics and world affairs evolve in ways that we can't even yet begin to imagine.
RB-29 flying by Mt. McKinley, ca 1948, U.S. Air Force photo.
September 18, 2014
Terrence Cole, Professor of History, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Topic: “Watch the Skies: Alaska During the Cold War”
The impact of World War II on Alaska was phenomenal, but it was only the beginning. As the Cold War erupted between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in the late 1940s, the former allies that had together defeated the Nazis quickly became mortal enemies, with Alaska in the middle. The United States government fortified Alaska as the front line of American defenses, and even more than the Gold Rush of half-a-century before, the Cold War Rush transformed life in the territory, socially, economically and politically. If Alaska had truly been the "Achilles' Heel" of the U.S. in the 1930s, it had become the spear and shield of the 1950s, the polar front in a bi-polar world.
Terrence Cole, Professor of History, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Topic: “Watch the Skies: Alaska During the Cold War”
The impact of World War II on Alaska was phenomenal, but it was only the beginning. As the Cold War erupted between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in the late 1940s, the former allies that had together defeated the Nazis quickly became mortal enemies, with Alaska in the middle. The United States government fortified Alaska as the front line of American defenses, and even more than the Gold Rush of half-a-century before, the Cold War Rush transformed life in the territory, socially, economically and politically. If Alaska had truly been the "Achilles' Heel" of the U.S. in the 1930s, it had become the spear and shield of the 1950s, the polar front in a bi-polar world.
Rebuilding Anchorage after the 1964 Earthquake: Geologic Factors, Choices and Consequences
The Cook Inlet Historical Society lecture series for 2013-14 is jointly sponsored with the University of Alaska Anchorage Honors College and begins our retrospective of the centennial of the founding of Anchorage in 1915. The program is coordinated with Anchorage Museum exhibitions on the theme and continues next year as we commemorate important topics about the founding of our community. .
Unless otherwise noted, all lectures are held on the third Thursday of each month, starting at 7:30 pm in Anchorage Museum Auditorium, with snacks afterward. All programs are free and open to the public
November 21, 2013 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Karen Evanoff, Anthropologist, Lake Clark National Park
Topic: "Working as a Dena’ina Anthropologist Conducting Research with My People"
The presentation will highlight the important work that is being conducted by the staff of Lake Clark National Park to document the history and culture of the Dena’ina people of the area.
No December or January Programs
February 20, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Sara Piasecki, Photo Archivist, Bob and Evangeline Atwood Alaska Resource Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Arlene Schmuland, Head, Archives and Special Collections, UAA/APU Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage
Kevin Tripp, Archivist and Executive Director, Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA)
Topic: “Archives of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake"
Three local archivists will give an overview of their respective institutions’ photograph and film collections relating to the 1964 Alaska Earthquake. Sara Piasecki and Arlene Schmuland will highlight their earthquake-related collections. Kevin Tripp will show scenes of earthquake damage and recovery activity in Anchorage and other Southcentral Alaskan locations, drawn from a number of amateur motion picture film collections. Ms. Schmuland will also discuss a statewide archives, libraries, and museums collaborative project to create an online portal to primary sources on the earthquake.
March 20, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Polaris Lecture
Dr. Kristine J. Crossen, Professor and Chair, Geological Sciences Department, University of Alaska Anchorage
Topic: “Rebuilding Anchorage after the 1964 Earthquake: Geologic Factors, Choices and Consequences”
On the 50th anniversary of the disaster, Dr. Crossen will highlight important photographic collections to offer new details about the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, which is still the largest earthquake recorded in North America. She will discuss the earthquake in terms of geology: where and how the earthquake was generated, why it was changed from an 8.6 to a 9.2, and how geology affected different portions of the Anchorage Bowl. She will also discuss the important decisions that were made to rebuild Anchorage and the long-term consequences of these decisions, including how they affect our lives today.
April 17, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Patrick Saltonstall, Curator, Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak, Alaska
Topic: “Great Alaskan Earthquakes on Afognak Island - Yesterday (AD 1550) and Today (1964)"
In 1964 the Native village of Afognak was inundated by a tsunami and abandoned shortly thereafter. Archaeological excavations at Settlement Point, across from Afognak, uncovered a village that was similarly inundated and abandoned around AD 1550. Mr. Saltonstall illustrates how great Alaskan earthquakes have impacted the landscape and the people of Afognak and how the events of AD 1550 and 1964 were remarkably similar.
May 15, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Katie Ringsmuth, Adjunct Professor, University of Alaska Anchorage
Topic: “A Salmon Cannery in Cook Inlet”
From Homer’s female fish packers to teenaged MatSu colonists, Katie Ringsmuth will be discussing the history of the Snug Harbor salmon cannery and how the multicultural and mixed gender cannery crew shaped the lives of many in Cook Inlet.
June 21, 2014 (Saturday, 7:00pm) - 20th Annual John Bagoy Memorial Cemetary Tour
Hosts: Audrey and Bruce Kelly
Audrey and Bruce will select 10 gravesites to visit on our annual walking tour of the cemetery, focusing on early pioneers of the community in concert with the CIHS centennial theme. Please enter the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery at the Bagoy Gate—7th and Cordova Streets.
The Cook Inlet Historical Society lecture series for 2013-14 is jointly sponsored with the University of Alaska Anchorage Honors College and begins our retrospective of the centennial of the founding of Anchorage in 1915. The program is coordinated with Anchorage Museum exhibitions on the theme and continues next year as we commemorate important topics about the founding of our community. .
Unless otherwise noted, all lectures are held on the third Thursday of each month, starting at 7:30 pm in Anchorage Museum Auditorium, with snacks afterward. All programs are free and open to the public
November 21, 2013 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Karen Evanoff, Anthropologist, Lake Clark National Park
Topic: "Working as a Dena’ina Anthropologist Conducting Research with My People"
The presentation will highlight the important work that is being conducted by the staff of Lake Clark National Park to document the history and culture of the Dena’ina people of the area.
No December or January Programs
February 20, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Sara Piasecki, Photo Archivist, Bob and Evangeline Atwood Alaska Resource Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Arlene Schmuland, Head, Archives and Special Collections, UAA/APU Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage
Kevin Tripp, Archivist and Executive Director, Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA)
Topic: “Archives of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake"
Three local archivists will give an overview of their respective institutions’ photograph and film collections relating to the 1964 Alaska Earthquake. Sara Piasecki and Arlene Schmuland will highlight their earthquake-related collections. Kevin Tripp will show scenes of earthquake damage and recovery activity in Anchorage and other Southcentral Alaskan locations, drawn from a number of amateur motion picture film collections. Ms. Schmuland will also discuss a statewide archives, libraries, and museums collaborative project to create an online portal to primary sources on the earthquake.
March 20, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Polaris Lecture
Dr. Kristine J. Crossen, Professor and Chair, Geological Sciences Department, University of Alaska Anchorage
Topic: “Rebuilding Anchorage after the 1964 Earthquake: Geologic Factors, Choices and Consequences”
On the 50th anniversary of the disaster, Dr. Crossen will highlight important photographic collections to offer new details about the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, which is still the largest earthquake recorded in North America. She will discuss the earthquake in terms of geology: where and how the earthquake was generated, why it was changed from an 8.6 to a 9.2, and how geology affected different portions of the Anchorage Bowl. She will also discuss the important decisions that were made to rebuild Anchorage and the long-term consequences of these decisions, including how they affect our lives today.
April 17, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Patrick Saltonstall, Curator, Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak, Alaska
Topic: “Great Alaskan Earthquakes on Afognak Island - Yesterday (AD 1550) and Today (1964)"
In 1964 the Native village of Afognak was inundated by a tsunami and abandoned shortly thereafter. Archaeological excavations at Settlement Point, across from Afognak, uncovered a village that was similarly inundated and abandoned around AD 1550. Mr. Saltonstall illustrates how great Alaskan earthquakes have impacted the landscape and the people of Afognak and how the events of AD 1550 and 1964 were remarkably similar.
May 15, 2014 (Thursday, 7:30pm)
Katie Ringsmuth, Adjunct Professor, University of Alaska Anchorage
Topic: “A Salmon Cannery in Cook Inlet”
From Homer’s female fish packers to teenaged MatSu colonists, Katie Ringsmuth will be discussing the history of the Snug Harbor salmon cannery and how the multicultural and mixed gender cannery crew shaped the lives of many in Cook Inlet.
June 21, 2014 (Saturday, 7:00pm) - 20th Annual John Bagoy Memorial Cemetary Tour
Hosts: Audrey and Bruce Kelly
Audrey and Bruce will select 10 gravesites to visit on our annual walking tour of the cemetery, focusing on early pioneers of the community in concert with the CIHS centennial theme. Please enter the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery at the Bagoy Gate—7th and Cordova Streets.
Stories at the Cemetery
Memorial Cemetery Tour
August 10, 2014 at 6:00 pm
Stories at the Cemetery will be presented by costumed actors on a stage inside the cemetery grounds. Please enter the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery at the Bagoy Gate at 7th Avenue and A Street.
Featured stories:
public records, known facts and family memoirs.
Featured stories:
- Henra Sundt: early Gakona Lodge owner - presented by Linda Benson
- Muriel Pfeil: pioneer Pfeil family matriarch with tragic story - presented
by Audrey Kelly - Victoria Amundsen: pioneer Anchorage boarding house operator - presented by Rachel Gregory
- James Hill: murdered Deputy US Marshall - presented by Nate Benson
- Emma Gil: early Anchorage business family - presented by Scarlet Boudreaux
- Anna David: wife of first Mayor of Anchorage - presented by Sara Baird
- Elizabeth Flower: pioneer female Klondike entrepreneur - presented by Jane
Baird - Sydney Laurence: prominent Alaskan artist - presented by Bruce Kelly
- William Taylor: Alaskan 1964 earthquake victim - presented by Ron Holmstrom
- Frank Finnegan: Alaskan gold seeker with a strange tale - presented by Dick
Reichman - Edward Holland: known as the “Wolverine” - presented by Mark
Robokoff
public records, known facts and family memoirs.
The Cook Inlet Historical Society Announces its Annual John Bagoy Summer Solstice Cemetery Tour
The Cook Inlet Historical Society continues its annual John Bagoy Summer Solstice Cemetery Tour in 2013.
“There’s a lot of Anchorage out there” John Bagoy frequently stated and people in Anchorage became curious about who was buried in the cemetery. John was more than willing to tell them. He led the first Summer Solstice Tour in 1995 in conjunction with Cook Inlet Historical Society and continued leading tours until his death in 2005. A memorial honoring his work on behalf of Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery was dedicated by the Society in 2003 and can be seen at the entrance of the Cemetery, named the John Bagoy Gate by proclamation of the Anchorage Assembly, located at Seventh Ave. and Cordova Street. The chokecherry tree planted in 1940 remains a majestic marker for the Bagoy family plots where John Bagoy lies today. This will be the Cook Inlet Historical Society's 18th annual Summer Solstice Cemetery Tour, and will feature discussion on aviation prioneers in relation to this year's Cook Inlet Historical Society/Anchorage Museum theme, "Arctic Flight: A Century of Alaska Aviation."
There is no charge for the tour, which begins at 7:00pm on June 21st at the 7th & Cordova Street entrance.
“There’s a lot of Anchorage out there” John Bagoy frequently stated and people in Anchorage became curious about who was buried in the cemetery. John was more than willing to tell them. He led the first Summer Solstice Tour in 1995 in conjunction with Cook Inlet Historical Society and continued leading tours until his death in 2005. A memorial honoring his work on behalf of Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery was dedicated by the Society in 2003 and can be seen at the entrance of the Cemetery, named the John Bagoy Gate by proclamation of the Anchorage Assembly, located at Seventh Ave. and Cordova Street. The chokecherry tree planted in 1940 remains a majestic marker for the Bagoy family plots where John Bagoy lies today. This will be the Cook Inlet Historical Society's 18th annual Summer Solstice Cemetery Tour, and will feature discussion on aviation prioneers in relation to this year's Cook Inlet Historical Society/Anchorage Museum theme, "Arctic Flight: A Century of Alaska Aviation."
There is no charge for the tour, which begins at 7:00pm on June 21st at the 7th & Cordova Street entrance.
The Visual Flight Rules Route to Russia
May 16, 2013, 7:30pm
Felix Maguire, Aviation Historian, Alaska Airman's Association
Topic: Last July the Alaska Airmen
participated in the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA) General Aviation Cooperation Trip to Alaska. This program is part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s continuing flight safety cooperation with the Russian Federation. Given that the Russian military no longer controls Russian airspace, our speaker will explain recent Russian legislation that allows general aviation and more open airspace in Russia and the role Alaskans have played in developing this new aviation opportunity.
Felix Maguire, Aviation Historian, Alaska Airman's Association
Topic: Last July the Alaska Airmen
participated in the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA) General Aviation Cooperation Trip to Alaska. This program is part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s continuing flight safety cooperation with the Russian Federation. Given that the Russian military no longer controls Russian airspace, our speaker will explain recent Russian legislation that allows general aviation and more open airspace in Russia and the role Alaskans have played in developing this new aviation opportunity.
Anchorage 100 Speaker Series: Celebrating a Century of Anchorage History
The University of Alaska Chugiak-Eagle River campus is hosting a series of lectures in celebration of Anchorage's upcoming centiennial. Topics include Captain Cook, the 1964 Earthquake, and the Dena'ina of Cook Inlet. Lectures begin at 6:30pm in room 150. For a complete list of topics, dates, and speakers see the Anchorage 100 Speaker Series flyer or visit our Facebook page by following the link below.
World War II Comes to South-central Alaska
The U.S. Army used the port of Whittier as a second seaport railroad terminal to move troops and to handle increased tonnages of war materials and equipment that were shipped to Alaska and to provide an alternate port to Seward. In 1941, work was started on two railroad tunnels, the laying of a 14-mile railroad track from Portage to Whittier, and constructing a dock and terminal facility at Whittier. The shorter tunnel (Moraine Tunnel), 4,910 feet long, was on the west side of the project close to the moraine of nearby Portage Glacier. The second tunnel (Whittier Tunnel), 13,090 feet long, had an outlet near the Whittier Glacier. The two tunnels, separated by Bear Valley, provided a railroad linkage between the Army’s port at Whittier to the Alaska Railroad’s line at Portage, south of Anchorage. The rail line cut-off to Whittier shortened the distance from tidewater to Anchorage and Fairbanks by 51.5 miles and avoided the 50-mile mountainous section between Seward and Portage. With the Whittier port in operation, the railroad handled 75 percent more freight traffic than would have been possible through the port of Seward. The $11 million port project, with docks, power plant, rail yards, warehouses, and housing, was completed in 1943. With the rail cutoff in operation, the port of Whittier handled the military traffic; Seward handled the commercial traffic. More...
18th Annual John Bagoy Memorial Summer Solstice Cemetery Tour
When: Thursday, June 21, 2012, 7:00 pm
Where: Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, John Bagoy Gate, 7th and Cordova Streets
Hosts: Audrey and Bruce Kelly
Where: Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, John Bagoy Gate, 7th and Cordova Streets
Hosts: Audrey and Bruce Kelly
The Anchorage Cemetery was established in 1915 by presidential proclamation and is the only place within the original townsite designated for burials. John Bagoy was only 18 years old in 1940 when his father, John Bagoy Sr., died and was buried at the Anchorage Cemetery. By that time the cemetery grounds were overgrown and the Athabascan “spirit houses” used in Native burials were beginning to collapse. To mark the plot selected for John Bagoy Sr., John’s mother, Marie, planted a small chokecherry tree near the foot of the gravesite. This helped to offset the effect of the deteriorating cemetery grounds.
While the chokecherry tree planted by John's mother grew into a beautiful marker for the Bagoy family plot by the 1950s the rest of the cemetery had fallen further into disrepair. Half of the plots were sinking, the wire fence along Sixth Avenue had toppled over and many gravesite markers were missing. That was the year John Bagoy became an activist for the cemetery. His first act was to successfully lobby for the return of the cemetery tracts previously sold by the city in 1951 for public housing. This brought the cemetery back to the size decreed in the original town charter.
Next John worked to identify the unmarked graves in the Catholic section. He argued for historic recognition of the grounds and in 1993 the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery was listed in the National Register for Historic Places. Through 15 years of research John and former cemetery director Don Warden located and identified almost 3000 previously unmarked graves.
“There’s a lot of Anchorage out there” John Bagoy frequently stated and people in Anchorage became curious about exactly who was buried in the cemetery. John was more than willing to tell them. He led the first Summer Solstice Tour in 1995 in co-operation with Cook Inlet Historical Society and lead tours annually until his death in 2005. A memorial honoring his work was dedicated by the Society in 2003 and can be seen at the entrance of the Cemetery, located at Seventh Avenue and Cordova Street. The John Bagoy Gate, proclamed by the Anchorage Assembly, is where the Summer Solstice Tour begins. The chokecherry tree planted by Marie Bagoy in 1940 remains a majestic marker for the Bagoy family plots where John Bagoy lies today.
While the chokecherry tree planted by John's mother grew into a beautiful marker for the Bagoy family plot by the 1950s the rest of the cemetery had fallen further into disrepair. Half of the plots were sinking, the wire fence along Sixth Avenue had toppled over and many gravesite markers were missing. That was the year John Bagoy became an activist for the cemetery. His first act was to successfully lobby for the return of the cemetery tracts previously sold by the city in 1951 for public housing. This brought the cemetery back to the size decreed in the original town charter.
Next John worked to identify the unmarked graves in the Catholic section. He argued for historic recognition of the grounds and in 1993 the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery was listed in the National Register for Historic Places. Through 15 years of research John and former cemetery director Don Warden located and identified almost 3000 previously unmarked graves.
“There’s a lot of Anchorage out there” John Bagoy frequently stated and people in Anchorage became curious about exactly who was buried in the cemetery. John was more than willing to tell them. He led the first Summer Solstice Tour in 1995 in co-operation with Cook Inlet Historical Society and lead tours annually until his death in 2005. A memorial honoring his work was dedicated by the Society in 2003 and can be seen at the entrance of the Cemetery, located at Seventh Avenue and Cordova Street. The John Bagoy Gate, proclamed by the Anchorage Assembly, is where the Summer Solstice Tour begins. The chokecherry tree planted by Marie Bagoy in 1940 remains a majestic marker for the Bagoy family plots where John Bagoy lies today.
Co-Sponsors: Cook Inlet Historical Society and Anchorage Historic Properties, Inc.
True North: Contemporary Art of the Circumpolar North
Julie Decker, Anchorage Museum Chief Curator, Presents
The North has long worn the romanticized mantle of a sparsely populated frontier. To outsiders, it can seem unchanging and marginally inhabitable –– vast, cold, white, empty. Seen from the inside, however, the North is magnetic and multidimensional. Even as the frontier ideal fades into history, the North clings to its identity as a pristine place where people are independent in mind and spirit.
"True North: Contemporary Art of the Circumpolar North" is a new exhibition that will be on view May 18 through Sept. 9 at the Anchorage Museum. The exhibition features nearly 80 photographs, films and multi-media installations by 40 artists from Scandinavia, Russia, Canada and the United States, including many Alaskans.
Curated by Anchorage Museum Chief Curator Julie Decker over the past three years, “True North” highlights questions of indigenous identity and what it means to be ground zero for climate change.
Julie will be the featured speaker at the monthly CIHS lecture this Thursday night. She will speak about the project and her views of how artists have viewed the North from a historical and contemporary perspective, documenting and interpreting every day life in the North.
"True North: Contemporary Art of the Circumpolar North" is a new exhibition that will be on view May 18 through Sept. 9 at the Anchorage Museum. The exhibition features nearly 80 photographs, films and multi-media installations by 40 artists from Scandinavia, Russia, Canada and the United States, including many Alaskans.
Curated by Anchorage Museum Chief Curator Julie Decker over the past three years, “True North” highlights questions of indigenous identity and what it means to be ground zero for climate change.
Julie will be the featured speaker at the monthly CIHS lecture this Thursday night. She will speak about the project and her views of how artists have viewed the North from a historical and contemporary perspective, documenting and interpreting every day life in the North.
