In 2015 Bob King and Katie Ringsmuth embarked on a journey to Bristol Bay to preserve the history of the Diamond NN Cannery at South Naknek, Alaska, resulting in the seven-year public history endeavor called The NN Cannery History Project. Uncovered along the way was the story of the Cannery Caretakers, which looks at cannery work from the perspective of village residents.

David Tarcy and Jennifer Romer will explore the less well-known impacts of the 1964 earthquake on smaller communities in Prince William Sound and the Kodiak Archipelago. These were predominately Alaska Native, Alutiiq communities, or communities largely comprised of Alaska Native inhabitants.

Speaker Hig (Bretwood) Higman will lay out how historic tsunamis in Alaska and around the world have helped advance our understanding and preparedness for tsunamis, but all too often caught locals and scientists by surprise with disastrous consequences.

Colleen Mondor, author of The Map of My Dead Pilots: The Dangerous Game of Flying in Alaska, will dive into the records of several of these missing aircraft, both infamous and obscure, and discuss how myths can develop when investigations must remain incomplete and final answers are elusive.

Drawing on work for his new book, Cold Mountain Path, author and journalist Tom Kizzia will discuss the evolution of the Wrangell Mountains community in the half-century between the departure of the last copper train and the coming of the National Park Service.

Fifty years ago, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) marked a shift in the Congressional approach to federal policy for Indigenous communities. The landmark passage of ANCSA created visionary for-profit corporations tasked with promoting the social, cultural, and economic advancement of their Alaska Native people and communities in perpetuity. Join the Cook Inlet Historical Society for a panel discussion on ANCSA’s past, present and future legacy.