History
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The native tribe in the area is the Athabascans, whose culture was nearly wiped out when the Russian fur and whale hunters came through around two hundred years ago. You can visit an old but active Athabascan/Russian Orthodox chapel and cemetary in the nearby village of Eklutna.
1964 - The Good Friday Earthquake
Edit ThisMost visitors to Alaska have heard of the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964. This massive earthquake struck at dinner time; the shaking lasted for five minutes and measured 9.2 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake was centered near Seward, which was almost completely leveled by the subsequent tidal wave. Despite Anchorage's distance from the epicenter, much of downtown Anchorage was destroyed. Entire houses in the neighborhood of Turnagain slid into the ocean when the silt beneath the homes liquefied.
The casualty rate for Anchorage was relatively low. At 5:30pm, when more..
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1970s - Oil development
Edit ThisAnchorage didn't exist during the Gold Rush. Anchorage isn't anywhere near the Alyeska oil pipeline, either. But because of its mild climate and nearby military bases, Anchorage had the population to support the headquarters of the oil companies as they stormed into the state after large oil reserves were discovered along the North Slope.
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