1955 aerial view of Lakes Spenard & Hood. The Dena'ina collectively call the lakes Niłkidal'iy (ones that are joined together). Before Joe Spenard entered the area, Lake Spenard was also called Jeter Lake for area homesteader Thomas Jeter. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
British Pathé newsreel about the March 27, 1964 Good Friday Earthquake aftermath in Anchorage. The earthquake occurred sixty years ago today. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
Downtown Anchorage damage shortly after March 27, 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. This is looking south. K St to left, L St to right, 4th Ave at bottom. Bottom right is building that now houses Snow City Cafe. The earthquake was 60 years ago today #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
Aug 28, 1967 aerial view of Anchorage over Spenard. The long building near the middle is the Northern Lights Shopping Center, what today has Title Wave. Minnesota Blvd at right. Spenard Rd at left. Interesting to see the change to the neighborhood, what buildings are still there (e.g. Carrs and Center Bowl) and what is long gone. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
July 1954, elephants marching in Anchorage. These were the first elephants ever in Alaska, part of the first circus--Cristiani Bros--to perform in Alaska. Via Anchorage Museum. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska
1984 aerial view of downtown Anchorage looking east with the Hotel Captain Cook in the lower left. This is before the Performing Arts Center and the Fifth Avenue Mall. Via Curt DeBaun on Flickr. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
1988 Performing Arts Center in Anchorage, which opened later that year. The original proposal was to name the PAC after Martin Luther King Jr. After a severe racist backlash, a negative city vote, several alternative suggestions (e.g., 9th Ave) & many years, a stretch of road that no one lives on was named for MLK in 2010. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
1977 silent footage of Anchorage recorded by Austrian tourists on a Super 8 camera. Most of the footage is of downtown, including the lost downtown McDonald's and rotating First National Bank rooftop sign. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
Seven-year-old Frances Iyakitan discusses Anchorage, school life, her family, & heritage in this short from a 1977 episode of Vegetable Soup, an educational children's TV show that aired 1975-1978. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
The most famous snowstorm in Anchorage history is probably the 2002 St. Patrick's Day storm that dropped up to 29 inches of snow in parts of town over March 16 to 17, around two inches of snow per hour for long stretches. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska#akwx
1/3 Did you know some Black residents of Anchorage described the 1964 Good Friday earthquake as the Passover, as Blacks & other minorities were largely barred from the areas that were most damaged? Here from May 2, 1964 Pittsburgh Courier. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
Newsboy wears a mask to sell copies of the Anchorage Daily News after the July 9, 1953 Mount Spurr eruption dropped ash over Anchorage. See the ash on the ground. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
Sep 30, 1976, Muriel Pfeil was killed by car bomb across the street from what is now Snow City in broad daylight. Hit ordered by exhusband Neil Mackay who was never charged & even won custody of their son. In 1985, Mackay ordered murder of Muriel's brother Bob, another crime for which Mackay escaped culpability. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska
1916 Alaska Labor Union Hall in Anchorage. During the night of Oct 15-16, 1916, it burned to the ground, likely arson from anti-union elements in town, which would be the railroad. #alaskahistory#alaska#anchoragehistory
Aug 23, 1989, 34 years ago today, a naked man climbed the flagpole at the Mountain View McDonald's in Anchorage, jumped off, & died. There were no drugs in his system. He had no ID, tattoos, scars, or noticeable birthmarks. All these years later, he still has not been identified, one of the great Anchorage mysteries. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska
Circa 1960 postcard of Highland Fling, an Anchorage lounge and restaurant on Fourth Ave. Opened in 1955, closed mid 1960s. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska
August 3, 1977 Star Wars opened in Anchorage, 46 years ago today. The movie opened nationwide on May 25, 1977. It didn't reach Fairbanks until October. Movie releases were different back then. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska#starwars
June 28, 1972, actor Steve McQueen arrested for reckless driving around 1 AM in Anchorage. He was weaving across lanes & spinning donuts in a 1972 Toronado on 4th Ave. Posted $250 bond & was out of AK by 1:30 PM. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska
The 1973 Anchorage Central Business District (aka downtown) Plan called for increased landscaping & a protected bike route down F St & 4th Ave. Landscaping happened; bike route obviously did not. Looking back through planning documents from decades ago, it is astonishing what the city could have have looked like, could have offered. In the same way, skepticism towards current promises and plans is warranted. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory
1938, 1947, and 1951 Canadian Club whisky ads using Alaska imagery. It's always interesting to see what aspects of Alaska are used in advertisements to sell products. #alaskahistory#anchoragehistory#alaska