Iñupiaq men in qayaqs, Noatak, Alaska, circa 1929. Edward S. Curtis Collection, Library of Congress Digital Collections.
Crossing the Chilkoot Pass, circa 1898. Courtesy Candy Waugaman and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
The Gold Rush boomtown of Nome on the Seward Peninsula, 1900. Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library.
Chanshtnu place name marker designed by Ahtna artist Melissa Shaginoff. Photo courtesy of Anchorage Park Foundation.
The Alaska Historical Society is honored to endorse an effort to introduce Native place names to parks and trails in Alaska to expose more Alaskans and visitors to the invaluable contributions of Native people to our state.
The Denaina Place Names Project in Anchorage recently installed a sign at downtown Anchorage’s Westchester Lagoon. The “Chanshtnu” sign shares the Dena’ina place name for nearby Chester Creek, which means “Grass Creek.” Support for this project has been provided by the Anchorage Park Foundation and the Rasmuson Foundation.
To learn more about the Chanshtnu sign project, watch the Indigenous Place Names Project video by Alyssa Yax Adi Yadi London for Culture Stories.
