Category: 49 History

Thu, May 02, 2013

Eight Stars of Gold…

By Katie Myers Eighty-six years ago today, the Alaska Legislature adopted the official flag of the Territory of Alaska. The flag, designed by 13-year-old John Ben “Benny” Benson, an Aleut originally from Chignik, was the winner in the Alaska Department of the American Legion’s 1926 contest for 7th-12th graders. In his original entry, Benny wrote: “The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the... (Read More)

Wed, May 01, 2013

USS Anchorage Arrives!

Orin Seybert of Anchorage sent along this photo - taken Wednesday afternoon from his living room window - of the USS ANCHORAGE arriving for its commissioning this Saturday.Below we are re-posting a January column by Pennelope Goforth about the ANCHORAGE and other Navy vessels in Alaska waters.First USN Ship in Alaskan Waters on Humanitarian MissionBy Pennelope GoforthThe U.S. Navy has long and wide wake in the state’s history and is about to make history again with the commissioning of its... (Read More)

Wed, April 17, 2013

Wrangell Mountain Skyboys: Making History above the Copper Belt

Lee Ramer and his dog team and Gillam’s Swallow biplane inthe saddle of Bremner pass in the early 1930s. Bertha RamerCollection, McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum,McCarthy, Alaska.By Katie RingsmuthThe Wrangell Mountain Skyboys are represented by pilots whose names are recalled today by even the youngest Alaskans: Harold Gillam, Merritt D. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick, Merle “Mudhole” Smith, and Bob Reeve, “the Glacier Pilot.” Their competitive rivalries brought reliable air service to eastern Alaska, and eventually formed the primarily stops along a regularly scheduled flight route called,... (Read More)

Sat, April 06, 2013

Pacific Fisherman Digitized Collection Now Online

Pacific Fisherman, a fishing industry journal published for six decades in the early- to mid-twentieth century, was a vital source of information for fishermen in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Today, its countless thousands of articles, photographs, advertisements, and data on various species is an incredible resource for scholars in several fields, historians included.The Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington recently digitized more than five thousand pages of Pacific Fisherman. The collection is available at:http://content.lib.washington.edu/pacfishweb/index.htmlAccording to Special Collections at... (Read More)

Mon, April 01, 2013

Opening Day

By Katie Ringsmuth“We have observed several parties of youngsters playing base, a certain game of ball….Let us go forth awhile and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our close rooms….the game of ball is glorious.”—Walt Whitman Baseball players in Anchorage,July 4, 1915 (UAA-hmc-0778-5-14)April 1, 2013 is Opening Day, the start of a new baseball season. It’s hard for a historian not to love baseball, for our national pastime is steeped in tradition. In the PBS documentary Baseball,... (Read More)