On July 15, 2023, the Alaska Railroad will celebrate its 100th birthday.
But the roots of the railroad go back to 1903 when John Ballaine and a small group of Seattle-based investors decided to develop a rail line from the port city of Seward to the Matanuska coal fields.
Read MoreThe Cook Inlet Historical Society is mourning the passing of our longtime former Board member, Beverly “Bev” Beeton, who passed away on August 27, 2020 in Seattle, Washington, after suffering a stroke. She was 82 years old.
Read MoreOn November 21, 1942, the Anchorage Daily Times announced the holing through of the Whittier tunnel through a rock formation to provide access to the new port of Whittier on Passage Canal, an arm of Prince William Sound. The most prominent headline of the November 21st edition declared, “Open Alaska Railroad Whittier Tunnel.”
Read MoreThe recorded history of European contact in Prince William Sound is rich with stories of independent and adventurous men. Some years ago while reading “A History of Prince William Sound” by Jim and Nancy Lethcoe, I noted a depiction of a heroic event by the wife of fox farmer Jim Johnson. The narrative indicated that after accidentally shooting himself, she loaded her wounded husband and their son into their dory, rowing into open water to seek help.
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