The Wellesley and the Northland arrived in Anchorage on October 5th, 1915. The two steamers sailed from the Lower 48 for the Alaska Engineering Commission, carrying 1.5 million feet of lumber. The lumber was for the construction of the Alaska Railroad. Construction was taking place in Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley at that point in […]
James Wickersham, on September 28th, 1908, tendered his resignation as Judge for the Third Judicial District in the Interior of Alaska. He had been appointed to that position by President William McKinley in 1900. That year, he ran for the delegate position for the District of Alaska and won the election and began serving in […]
The construction of the Keystone Canyon Tunnel just outside Valdez came to an abrupt halt on September 25th, 1907. The tunnel, for which nine companies vied for right-of-way along the Lowe River, was being constructed to reach the abundant copper in the interior. construction stopped when a violent dispute involving gunfire from two U.S. Marshals […]
On September 10th, 1918, a lesser-known “Golden Spike” was driven in a ceremony signifying the completion of the railroad between Anchorage and Seward. The completion of this portion of the railroad linked Anchorage to the ice-free port of Seward, allowing year-round movement of people, supplies, and equipment to further construction. The spike was presented to […]