Category: 49 History

Wed, October 04, 2017

Alaska Pacific University becomes a United Methodist Historic Site

By Larry Hayden [caption id="attachment_5480" align="alignleft" width="225"] United Methodist Historic Site No. 534 plaque to be installed at Alaska Pacific University. Image courtesy Larry Hayden.[/caption] Jesse Lee Home alumnus Rev. P. Gordon Gould, an Aleut from Unga, initiated the effort to establish a university in Alaska in 1948 with the intent of training local people for leadership in local employment. Alaskan communities and businesses provided great sums of money along with the Methodist Church to kick-start the educational institution that... (Read More)

Tue, July 18, 2017

Alaska Out of the Vault: Examining the Treaty of Cession through Unexpected Objects

By Anjuli Grantham A puffin skin parka. An Alutiiq whaling lance. A can of salmon from Klawock. A mountain howitzer and artillery shell. These are not the kind of artifacts that immediately bring to mind the Treaty of Cession, like William Seward’s cape or Emanuel Leutze’s iconic painting, Purchase of Alaska, might, for example. Nonetheless, as I started researching and producing Alaska Out of the Vault, a podcast that examines Alaska in the decades around the Treaty of Cession, I... (Read More)

Fri, May 26, 2017

70th Anniversary of the 4th Avenue Theatre Celebration

By Sara Piasecki and Angela Demma This weekend, Anchorage's iconic 4th Avenue Theatre turns 70. The aging lady is in peril, say the Friends of the 4th Avenue Theatre, since the current owners applied for and received a permit to demolish the structure. Last month, the state historical commission declared the site culturally and historically significant, and will be considering whether to ask the state to designate the theater as a state historic site or monument. The Friends have organized... (Read More)

Wed, May 03, 2017

Legends and Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940 Website

By Bruce Parham The Cook Inlet Historical Society is pleased to announce the launch of 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... (Read More)

Mon, April 24, 2017

The U.S. Entered the “Great War” 100 Years Ago: Denali and Other National Parks Recognize Connections to World War I

By Erik Johnson, Denali National Park Historian [caption id="attachment_5118" align="alignleft" width="300"] Boston National Historical Park Twitter feed from April 11, 2017[/caption] This month marks the 100th anniversary of the United States entering World War I, and National Park Service units throughout the country are observing the occasion by remembering their connections to the Great War. Although it is one of the most remote parks in the country, Denali National Park and Preserve also has connections to the War. Denali,... (Read More)