Stop 1 - The Visitor's Information Center Cabin on 4th & F
Maintenant, Regardez la cabane en rondins, construite en 1954 à partir de rondins de Homer, en Alaska. C'est un excellent exemple de cabane typique de mineur ou de trappeur. Remarquez le toit en gazon qui permet de retenir la chaleur en hiver et crée un effet de refroidissement en été.La cabane pourrait être fermée cet été en raison de son petit espace, mais juste derrière se trouve un centre des visiteurs entièrement équipé. Il est ouvert pendant la journée et est animé par une grand nombre de bénévoles qui sont impatients de partager leur connaissance d'Anchorage avec vous et de vous faire des recommandations sur les activités et les restaurants. Ils ont des brochures, des cartes et des feuilles avec des faits amusants sur l'Alaska.Cette énorme roche que vous voyez devant vous est en fait un morceau de jade de 5 114 livres de la vallée de Kobuk ici en Alaska. Elle a été donnée au centre des visiteurs par la boutique de photos de Stewart située de l'autre côté de la rue, derrière vous. Le jade, également connu sous le nom de "pierre du ciel", est la pierre précieuse de l'État de l'Alaska.Hôtel de ville historiqueLe bâtiment à gauche de la cabane est l'hôtel de ville historique. Terminé en novembre 1936, Anchorage a célébré son ouverture comme "l'un des plus beaux publics de l'Alaska".L'hôtel de ville d'origine abritait le bureau du maire, les conseillers municipaux, un central téléphonique, une bibliothèque, trois cellules de prison et une salle de dégrisement pour héberger les personnes prises de boisson pendant la nuit. Dans les années 40, juste après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, la population avait augmenté plus rapidement que les forces de l'ordre ne l'avaient anticipé . En raison du nombre limité de cellules de prison, les hommes d'affaires donnaient de l'argent pour envoyer les récidivistes hors de la ville avec un billet aller simple pour Seattle. Comme vous pouvez l'imaginer, cela devenait cher et le maire d'Anchorage a imaginé un plan. Ils ont envoyé vingt et un récidivistes à Seward avec des billets de train aller simple (il n'y avait que le train à l'époque, pas de route). Ce plan astucieux s'est retourné contre eux, le maire de Seward a entendu parler des voyous qui arrivaient chez lui et il a intercepté le train et les récidivistes avec un nombre égal de billets aller simple et ils sont retournés directement à Anchorage.En vous tenant face à la cabane et à l'hôtel de ville historique, vous remarquerez un petit parc vert à votre gauche, à l'angle de la 4ème et de la rue E. C'est notre prochain arrêt.
Peratrovich Park on 4th & E (SW Corner)
Here on the East side of the Historic City Hall, you’ll notice a lovely lawn and amphitheater. The amphitheater is host to many events over the course of the summer, including the weekly “Music in the Park Series.” The Downtown Anchorage Partnership plans the schedule. I have included their link at the bottom of this page if you are interested in attending one of their events.This park was named for Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlinget civil rights leader. Her moving testimony to the Alaska Territorial Legislature led to the passing of the first anti-discriminations law in the United States in 1945.She and her husband, Roy, fought for native rights and were considered icons in the community. Their oldest son, Roy Pertravich, Jr, an artist and engineer, created this piece of art on the lawn titled “The Flight of Raven.” The Raven is bronze and has a 4-foot wing-span. The gray metal base represents a trail of smoke. The artist uses the Raven’s legend of bringing light back to the world to symbolize escaping the darkness of discrimination.If it happens to be lunchtime, the Reindeer sausage stands in town provide a unique and tasty treat.From here, walk to the corner and cross over E street with the crosswalk, and then immediately turn left to cross to over 4th Avenue so that you are on the NE corner of 4th and E (Catty-corner, or diagonal from Peratrovich park).
Stop 3 -The Corner of 4th & E Streets
Once you are safely on the other side of the street, turn so that you are looking down 4th Avenue towards the mountains. On March 27th, 1964, a massive 9.2 earthquake struck Alaska. The four minutes of violent shaking buckled streets, sidewalks and buildings. Everything behind you and everything in front of you on the right hand side of the road was standing prior to the earthquake. However, everything on the left hand side of the road is new.If you were standing in this same spot 1964, you would have seen a large crack right down the middle of the street. Most everything on the left…land and buildings alike, slid and sunk 11 to 14 ft. Business owners along this stretch had to use ladders to get down into their establishments hoping to recover lost items. Others had to enter their buildings from second story windows.The building on this corner was Hewitt’s Drug Store. The story goes, the proprietor of the drug store, Lu Liston, was helping a lady purchase a camera when the shaking began. He told her to not be concerned, it was a common occurrence. Well, the shaking continued to get worse and soon both proprietor and customer were lying on the floor with cameras and other goods strewn about. When the quake had subsided Lu stood up and peered over the counter to check on his customer. She stood, straightened her hat, smoothed her dress and stated, "My Goodness, I don’t see how you people can live with this." Unlike its neighbors, the drug store stood through the ‘big one’ but was severely damaged and had to be torn down.This area was shored up with steel pilings and rebuilt upon. It now houses the Alaska Mint and the Sunshine Plaza Mall.Start to walk down the hill on E street. If you look across the street, you will see the awnings of the Historic Anchorage Hotel.———————————————————-The Anchorage Hotel was first established on the corner of 3rd and E in 1916. It was among the first handful wood-framed buildings in Anchorage, as many businesses were still operating out of tents. For a time, the Anchorage Hotel was the only place in town where guests could be served food on fine china with actual silverware.By 1936, an adjacent building, known as the hotel annex, was completed to accommodate the exploding population. The hotel accommodated guests arriving via steamship and dogsled. In fact so many people arrived by dogsled that they touted an on site dog kennel. The original building was eventually torn down to make way for what is now the Hilton hotel. Only the annex still stands and local lore claims that the building is the most haunted building in Alaska.One of the more famous ghosts is thought to be Anchorage’s first sheriff, Jack Sturgis. He was shot with his own gun in the alley behind the annex on February 20, 1921, just 6 weeks after being appointed as Anchorage’s one-man police force. It is thought that he returns to the scene of the crime to find his murderer. It is considered to be the longest standing unsolved murder in Anchorage. The hotel keeps a log of ghost sightings by employees and guests. To hear more about the hauntings, visit the link below.Continue to walk down the hill on E street towards the water. We will use the crosswalk at the bend in the road to cross over to the Statehood Monument, but please watch for cars coming from behind you. The sculpture there is our next stop. The cross streets are E and 2nd Avenue.
Stop 4 - The Alaska Statehood Monument & Anchorage/Ship Creek Overlook
The Statehood monument, a bust of President Eisenhower who signed the final papers designating Alaska as the 49th state, is a fine landmark for this waypoint. Alaska became a state on January 3rd, 1959, with Hawaii following on our heels becoming the 50th state a few months later.My favorite thing about this stop is actually the overlook behind the Eisenhower bust. There are a few historical placards with photo’s of the original tent city which would have been spread out below you from this viewpoint. This view shows the three major reasons that Anchorage grew to the size it is today. Firstly, the Railroad which is directly below you. Secondly the military bases, known at JBER or joint base Elmendorf Richardson, out of sight but over to the right beyond the bridge and the hill. And lastly, the Port of Anchorage, you should see the containers from the ships, peeking out behind the railroad.Before 1915, this area was mostly wilderness. The Alaska Natives in the area, known as the Dena’ina, travelled here in the summer to fish for salmon in Ship Creek. There were also a few Westerners, both “squatters,” and homesteaders, who had built homes in the area.Seward was one of the largest towns in this part of Alaska, along with the gold rush towns of Hope and Sunrise. Seward, as deep water, ice free, year-round port attracted a private Railroad company who wished to build a railroad from the gold town of Fairbanks, through the coal rich interior to the port in Seward. Thus creating an easy way to get mineral goods from Alaska to the market in the lower 48 states.It turned out that building a railroad in Alaska was way more expensive than anticipated due to high labor costs and the prices of getting the materials shipped up here. They went bankrupt, reformed and went bankrupt again, abandoning about 70 miles of rails.That is when the Federal Government stepped in as they were interested in a West coast supply of coal. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson designated funds toward building the second federally funded railroad in the history of the United States. (The first one was the Railroad for the Panama Canal). They decided to locate the headquarters in what is now Anchorage on Government owned land so that they didn’t have to buy privately owned land in Seward and also due to Ship Creek and their ability to unload goods in this area.Now, imagine that you were a gold miner searching year after year for a bit of gold. You are cold, hungry and eaten alive by mosquitos. You hear a rumor that a new government project is happening in the Ship Creek drainage and they are going to need workers. That translates to guaranteed food and wages.The Alaska Engineering Commission, or the AEC, should not have been surprised to have been met by a sea of tents upon their arrival, but they were.The tent city presented the AEC with easy cheap labor for beginning the railroad construction, however, it also created a bevy of problems. The first was that the crowd was polluting the only clean water source, even though they dumped their waste in the water at the outgoing tide. Commissioner Mears, in charge of the project, had his engineers plot out the city behind you into 655 lots to be auctioned off. There was plenty of complaining when the auction rates drove prices out of range for “the common man.” The lucky business men won lots along 3rd and 4th avenues. Homes were built up on the hill in front of you to the right, simply called “Government Hill” by the workers who lived there. The officers of the AEC purchase lots to build their “fancy” homes on 2nd and 3rd Avenues.Without the federal railroad, Anchorage wouldn’t exist. The government poured money into the city to keep the railroad afloat, and the railroad kept the city afloat. It took 8 years to complete the tracks running from Seward all the way to Fairbanks. They had labor problems due to WWI and the Spanish Flu epidemic. It was finally completed in 1923.President Warren G. Harding came to Alaska in July 15th, 1923 to drive in the ceremonial golden spike. What happened next became the scandal of the day. After the railroad ceremony, President Warren G Harding gave a speech in Fairbanks. On his way south, the train stopped in Talkeetna for a special lunch at the Fairview Inn. It was said later, that he got food poisoning that day. Whatever the case may be, he passed away roughly two weeks later in San Francisco.The doctors in San Francisco determined that he passed away from either a stroke or heart failure, depending on the source. His wife refused to allow an autopsy and had him embalmed within an hour of his passing. There was some speculation that he was poisoned due to the Teapot Dome scandal that swirled about his cabinet regarding bribes from oil companies for political favors. However, the real scandal that was bandied about was a little closer to home. President Harding was traveling through Alaska with, not only his wife, but also his mistress, Nanna Britton. The whispers about town were that his wife had poisoned him, unable any longer to bear the embarrassment of her husband cheating on her.The local military base, JBER, or Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson lies to the East of here, beyond the bridge spanning over Ship Creek. If you are interested in specifics about the base, you can touch the link below. Otherwise, continue West on Second Avenue to the end of the block.Walk up the steps to leave the Statehood Monument area, go right to follow 2nd Avenue to the end of the block. Cross over F Street to the corner of F & 2nd Avenue. The narration will continue there.
Stop 5 - The Leopold David House
On the corner of 2nd and F Street, you will notice a green and white 20th century bungalow built for Anchorage pioneer, Leopold David. Many of our early Alaskan pioneers had incredible, almost unbelievable life stories. These larger-than-life figures survived hardships and carved out unlikely successes for themselves in the harsh climate of Alaska’s wilderness. Leopold David was one such character.His journey to Alaska started in adolescence, when he altered his birth certificate to make it look like he was old enough to enlist in the army in 1899 at the age of sixteen. Before being deployed to serve in the Philippines during the Spanish-American war, he received some training as a pharmacist and physician’s assistant. He then served in the medical corps. The army eventually assigned him to Fort Egbert near Eagle, Alaska. He received a commendation during his tenure there, for mushing a team of dogs for 9 days through bad trails and -50F temperatures to save lives in a village that was suffering from a diphtheria epidemic.After his military career, he opened up a pharmacy in Seward, Alaska, also working as “Dr. David,” known to be able to perform surgeries. He met his wife in Seward and was appointed as Commissioner, US Marshal and probate Judge at Susitna station, and then Knik, both north of Anchorage. He had so much free time there, that he studied law, and passed the Washington state bar not long after that.In 1915, he was sent to Anchorage on another commission. He bought two lots in the original land auction and designed this house for his family. It was completed in 1917. It is a 4-bedroom property with 4.5 baths, was listed for sale in April 2021 at $750,000 “as is” and sold within the week. It is on the national register of historic places.Leopold was known as Judge David in early Anchorage and was highly respected in the community. As such, he was elected as the first mayor in 1920, as the Federal Government only committed to running the community for the first 5 years after starting the railroad. Judge David served three consecutive one-year terms. His house was in the center of what was then known as “snob hollow” or “Silk Stocking Row,” as all of the AEC officers and the city’s wealthier residents had homes along this street as well as up Christianson Road and along 3rd Ave.He passed away in 1924 and the city mourned his loss. He help form the foundation of this now bustling city.2nd Avenue dead ends at the entrance of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, an 11-mile paved path that follows the coastline.To continue the tour, however, you will go up the hill on F Street. Crossing over 3rd Avenue follow F Street all the way back up to 4th Avenue. This is the only uphill segment of your walking tour. When you reach 4th Avenue, turn right and walk until you are standing in front of the stairs leading to the entrance of the Federal building. Our next stop is there. You are allowed to grumble about inconsiderate tour guides as you trudge up the hill.
Stop 6 - Alaska Federal Building and the Public Lands Building on F & 4th
You are looking at the site of what was once Anchorage’s first post office. The original wooden structure was one of the busiest places in town. People would stand in line for blocks, catching up on the local gossip, as they waited their turn to pick up their mail.In 1938, word was received that the U.S. Postmaster, General James A. Farley, was planning to visit Anchorage. The locals put their heads together and came up with a devious plan. A new Federal Building had been promised to Anchorage for years, but no money had been delivered. Days before Farley’s arrival; the citizens descended upon the building to remove all of the good furniture from the post office. They replaced it with old broken bits and pieces, buckets were placed around the building randomly, filled with water to imply a leaking roof, and finally they posted signs declaring messages such as Unsafe, Falling Debris and Condemned.When Farley saw the state of ruin of what he considered to be his beloved postal service, he was appalled. He promised to get the funds needed for a new building pronto. Construction started in 1939 and the new million-dollar post office and federal building was opened, still under construction, in 1940. It housed every federal agency located in Anchorage, including the busy courthouse. It didn't take long for the building to fill up to capacity and new construction began on an extension before the initial building was even completed. The Alaska Public Lands Information Center currently occupies the eastern section of the building. This free resource, part of the National Park Service, is an opportunity to explore exhibits representing the natural, historical and cultural features of Alaska.As it is still a federal building, you need to go through a security checkpoint to enter. It is worth it. Once inside you will be greeted by park rangers, have access to free maps detailing the public spaces in Alaska and to free park sponsored films. If you are traveling with children, be sure to ask about their junior ranger program.Please continue West on 4th Avenue towards G Street.
Stop 7 - 4th Avenue Theatre, "Cap" Lathrop, & the G Street shopping district
Before crossing the road, as you continue West on 4th Ave, take a moment to look across the street. That gaping hole in the ground was the site of the glorious 4th Avenue Theatre, an Art Deco theatre that was once considered to be the most elegant building in town. It was built by "Cap" Lathrop, Alaska's first self-made millionaire. He had theatres all over Alaska in the early part of the 20th century. The inside was adorned with gold leaf and mahogany wood accents and murals depicting Alaskan scenes. When demolition began on the building, you could catch glimpses of the untouched interior through the giant holes in the walls. It was a bit sad for some of us locals.The private holding company that now owns this property allowed the building to fall into ruin so they could declare it unsafe and therefore secure permits to tear down the historic building. They tried to take possession of the entire city block, however the Polar Bear Gift store on the corner wouldn't sell out and the developers had to revamp their building plans. They will be putting a grand hotel here, complete with underground parking.A private group tried, unsuccessfully, for years to purchase and save the old 4th Ave theatre. The former landmark is now a footnote in the history of Anchorage.FlowersSummer visitors may notice the uniform color scheme of the flower baskets hanging in the historic district between 1st and 4th avenues. They have a special significance, sporting yellow Marigolds and blue Lobelia to represent the colors of the Alaska State Flag.G Street Shopping DistrictG Street stand for "goooood shopping!" Here, between 3rd and 5th Avenues, is a mini shopping district in downtown Anchorage. My favorite shops and galleries are sprinkled along this street. The photo’s above show a few our favorites.It's time to continue West on 4th avenue. Please cross over G street when it is safe to do so.
Stop 8 - The Totem Poles in Front of the Nesbett Courthouse
The Nesbett State Courthouse opened in 1996. The totem poles in front of the courthouse are just one example of Alaska’s 1% for Art program. The law was created in 1977, stating that any publicly funded project with a budget of over $250,000 must use 1% of its budget for art.These two totem poles were carved out of cedar by Tlinget artist Lee Wallace out of Ketchikan. The title of the piece is, “Attaining Balance Within.” The Eagle and the Raven represent the two different mow y I tees of the Tlinget people, intended to represent the balance of mankind, and in this case, the scales of justice.The totem pole on the right is entitled: “Eagle and the Giant Clam,” telling the native tale about the perils of arrogance.The totem pole on the left is, “Raven Stealing the Moon and Stars.” The tale tells how Raven stole the light from an old man that was hiding it in a box by posing as his grandson. Raven put the sun, moon and the stars in place in the sky, bringing light to the world.Continue walking west on 4th avenue if traffic is busy feel free to press pause until you are standing near the Boney Courthouse.Once you are across the street, the older "Boney Courthouse," will be on your right The two courthouses are connected by a 250-foot tunnel. The Boney Courthouse is said to be haunted by its namesake, Judge George Boney. It was also the first public building to incorporate publicly funded art into its design, paving the way for the 1% for art program that later became law. The art sprinkled throughout the courthouse includes intricately carved wooden doors, a Thunderbird Totem pole, and many wall panels. There is a newer sculpture in the courtyard. “Grizzly Sow with Cub,” by Mike Sirl, dedicated in 2004Notice that the sidewalks here are not square blocks. The sinuous shapes of the concrete suggest the flow of people through the court system and the shape of a braided glacial river bed.To continue our tour, cross over G Street and continue 2 blocks West on 4th Avenue. As you approach the corner of 4th and I Street, stop in front of the two totem poles on your right.
Stop 9 - The Last Blue Whale
In the courtyard of the Carrs-Gottstein Building at 310 K Street, stands one of Anchorage’s more famous sculptures, “The Last Blue Whale.” Some people call it the “Whale Drowns Men” statue. This bronze sculpture is three stories high. The artist, Joseph Priniciotti, used taxidermist's glass eyeballs to give his whale an eerie life-like quality when he created this piece in 1973.Don’t forget to look up! Notice the rings around the whale's tail high above you? They represent the ripples in the water as the whale dives. If you look closely, you will see that there are two whaling skiffs, one is tipped over with the men falling overboard as the whale gets his revenge on the hunters. Some people feel that the whale’s expression is rather smug as he turns the hunters into the hunted.Continue on K Street towards the water to 3rd Avenue. Cross 3rd Avenue, watching for cars, turn left or West on 3rd Avenue and walk to the large Statue of Captain Cook which will be on your right.
Stop 10 - Resolution Park
Resolution Park was named after one of Captain Cook’s ships. The life-sized bronze statue depicts Captain Cook gazing out over the waterways first explored by his sailing vessel in 1778. Although he was unsuccessful in finding a much sought after Northwest Passage, he did succeed in mapping a large section of what is now Alaska.Go to the railing and look out over the water. See all of those containers over there on the right? That is the Port of Anchorage, the busiest port in Alaska. It handles a little more than 80% of all of the container cargo coming into Alaska. That includes everything from toilets to toilet paper. .It wasn't always this way for the port of Anchorage. Prior to the 1964 earthquake, almost all freight came into Alaska via the natural deep water and ice free ports of Whittier and Seward, and then brought to Anchorage by train. This port was used so rarely, that the port actually closed during the winter due to the active ice floes and crazy tidal fluctuations.After the 1964 earthquake both Whittier and Seward’s docking facilities were washed away by the ensuing tsunami, the road from these communities was underwater and the railroad bed was a twisted tangle of track. Anchorage, seeing the need to receive freight during this critical time hurriedly put out the word that they were open for business and started offloading cargo.Once Anchorage had the cargo business, we realized how economically valuable that business was and we never looked back. Having a large port here in South Central Alaska is no easy task. Glacial silt accumulates quickly from shoaling and glacier fed rivers and must be removed frequently. In the winter, large slabs of ice litter the channel. And on top of all that, the arm has up to 30 foot of tidal swing.If you are visiting between May and November you may spot a red and white boat moving back and forth in the silty waters. Give a wave to the Westport, Anchorage’s trusty dredge, responsible for moving all that glacial silt from the shipping lanes and keeping Alaska’s largest seaport open for business.Straight out across the water is Mount Susitna, also known as the Sleeping Lady. Some people think that she is laying on her back, her hair flowing to the left and her legs and feet off to the right. Other swear they see her laying on her side. You decide what she looks like for you.The are signs placed at the overlook to tell you about the Sleeping Lady, The Cook Inlet pod of Belugas, an active local volcano and more.As you exit Resolution Park, turn right on L Street. Walk two blocks to the corner of L Street and 5th Avenue. Turn left on 5th Avenue and walk until you’ll see three flags on the top of the Captain Cook Hotel. That hotel is our next stop, on the corner of 5th and K Street.
Stop 11 - The Hotel Captain Cook
The three mustard-brown towers of the Hotel Captain Cook, with its’ distinctive flags flying on top (the American Flag, the Alaskan Flag and the British Flag) serve as a landmark from almost any point in downtown Anchorage. The British Flag is there as a nod to British explorer, Captain James A Cook, who explored this area extensively in 1778.Developer Walter J. Hickel came to Alaska in 1940 with, reportedly, just .37 cents in his pocket. He was a shrewd businessman and developer and he formed partnerships throughout the 40’s building rental units, shopping centers and eventually hotels. He is the definition of a modern self made millionaire.After the 1964 earthquake, people were nervous and many considered moving out of state. Wally, having secured the land on this site, started the first major new construction project after the earthquake, providing jobs and instilling confidence in residents that Anchorage was worth investing in. The first tower opened in 1965, the second in 1972 and the third in 1978. At that time, it was the largest conference center in the state.Wally Hickel became Alaska’s governor in 1966. He left that office early to become Secretary of the Interior for President Nixon in 1968. One of his early successes in the administration included convincing Nixon to sign the Native Claims Settlement Act. However, amid the tension between America’s youth and the government regarding the Vietnam War, Wally, a father of 5 sons, wrote a letter to Nixon, asking him to be more understanding of the young protesters. The letter went public and Nixon fired Wally in 1970. He came back to Alaska, where he continued running his successful properties with his family. He won a second term as Alaska’s Governor, serving again from 1990-1994. He maintained an office here at the hotel until he passed away in 2010. His family still owns and operates the hotel.The property is packed with art depicting the 3 major exploratory voyages of Captain Cook, including his last and fatal journey to Hawaii. One of Anchorage’s premier restaurants, The Crows Nest, is perched on the 20th floor of the tallest tower, offering spectacular views of Denali, the Cook Inlet, the Chugach Mountains and the whole of downtown Anchorage.Stop inside for a little shopping, a chance to view the artwork, or nip downstairs for a restroom break if you need it.Continue walking East on 5th Avenue, cross over I Street. On your way, take notice of the “Venus Placard for Planet Walk” on a post on the sidewalk. We’ll explain that later. Continue walking on 5th Avenue to the middle of the block.
Stop 12 - The Holy Family Cathedral
Turn your attention to the church across the street from you, the Holy Family Cathedral. This land was purchased by Tony Wendler in the original land auction in 1915 for $125.00. When the auctioneer started the bidding on these two lots, Tony yelled out his first and top bid. It was all of the money that he had on him. But before anyone else could place a competing bid, he yelled out that he wanted the lots for a church and hospital. The auctioneer closed the bidding and Tony won the lots. Tony turned the deed over to the church and they paid him back. The ladies of the church held bake sales to help raise money for building the first wooden church in Anchorage. The Art Deco structure that sits on this site today was built between 1946-1948.You can see a placard on the wall, detailing a visit from Pope John Paul II in February of 1981. He gave a Mass in that church and then gave a second Mass out on the frozen park strip (a park that is a block wide and runs the length of the City along 9th Avenue) to the largest single gathering of people in Alaska to that date, estimates of the crowd size vary from 46,000 to 80,000… One of my favorite stories of the Pope's visit begins with one of the more notable characters that used to live here, a man named Colonel Norman Vaughan. Norman was born in 1905. As a young boy he read stories about Alaska Natives and their dog teams. He and a friend built harnesses and sleds and taught their dogs how to mush. Norman honed his skills on his many great adventures including traveling to Antarctica with Admiral Byrd in 1928 and running the dog teams for that expedition. In 1965, he fulfilled his lifelong dream and moved to Alaska where he spent all of his free time mushing and training his dogs.In 1976, at the age of 71, Norman ran his first Iditarod sled dog race over a thousand miles from Anchorage to Nome. He completed the race thirteen times. He became a famous figure on the trail, not because he was fast, but because he was fun, friendly, and fearless.When Norman heard that the pope was planning a trip to Anchorage, Alaska. He was determined that the pope should get a dog sled ride on his trip here. He appealed to everyone but he could think of proposing first a trip on a local trail, then a trip on the park strip. He was told no due to security concerns. But he was a tenacious man and eventually proposed a plan to take the pope from inside airport security and mush him to his airplane on the tarmac. This was the winning idea, and the pope’s team agreed to it. When Norman met the pope and was about to put him in the sled, he said that he had a sudden realization that the pope should get to drive the dog sled. He asked the pope if he would like to try and Pope John Paul II agreed. Norman gave him a quick tutorial and went to get in the basket of the sled himself with the pope standing on the runners. As he looked out on his dog team he realized that he had not thought this thoroughly through. He turned to the pope and said, embarrassed, “I’m so sorry, but I've just realized that a few of the dogs in my team are inappropriately named. Give me a moment to remove them from the team and tie them to the fence and then we'll continue on.”The pope, curious, asked, “what are their names?” Norman told him sheepishly, “well, that one there is named “the devil” and the one next to him is “Satan.” The pope told him, “Don’t worry. As long as I'm in charge, you can leave them in.” So Norman climbed into the sled and they mushed off to the airplane without incident. The pope climbed the steps to his airplane, turned and blessed everyone on the tarmac and then disappeared as the door closed behind him. Norman told me later, “I didn’t realize until later in the day that the pope had just blessed the devil and Satan.” He was scandalized!Continue walking East down 5th Avenue two blocks to G Street, Cross G Street and turn right crossing 5th Avenue. Look for the big yellow tiled half sphere located at 5th and G Street. That is our next stop.
Stop 13 - The Anchorage Lightspeed Planet Walk
Welcome to the sun! This 6,000 pound tile model of the sun is the starting point for the Anchorage Lightspeed Planet walk. Eli Menaker was a senior in high school in 2003 when he teamed up with The Anchorage Rotary to create this scale model of the solar system. The approval from Anchorage Parks and Recreation followed in 2004. The sun is here on this corner, and placards with the 3-dimensional planets are precisely placed to the west along 5th Avenue and the Coastal Trail. It is designed so that if you were to stroll along from the sun to each “planet,” your pace would imitate the speed of light. For example, it should take you roughly eight minutes to walk from the sun to the Earth signage. Pluto, which was still classified as a planet when this walk was created, can be found eleven miles down the coastal trail at Kincaid Park. Click on the link in the tour stop to find a link to the Planet Walk brochure, map, and scavenger hunt.Walk east on 5th Avenue towards the skywalk. The construction here may make it difficult to hear the narration. If so, you may need to get closer to the building to be able to hear, continue to the end of this brick building on your right and take a right into town square. If needed you can manually play the narration again from there.
Stop 14 - The Performing Arts Center and the Egan Center
The brick building on your right is our Performing Arts Center, known locally as the PAC. It houses 3 theatres. The smallest has under 400 seats and the largest over 2,000. They host events such as visiting musicians and Broadway productions as well as supporting our local arts programs, including opera, children’s theatre, symphony, dance, and more.In the early days of Anchorage, a school stood here. In the 50’s they moved the schools out of town center and the building became an annex for city hall and a community gym. In the 80’s, the state was flush with oil money and dedicated a portion of that to fully fund infrastructure improvements around the state including, here in Anchorage, the PAC, the Egan Convention Center in the glass building across the street, the Sullivan Arena, the Loussac Library and more. These became known as “Project 80’s” buildings. The PAC was completed in 1988. The final cost of this facility was $70 million, double the original projected cost. Alaskan’s are the more grateful audience that most performers will see on a tour. I have never attended a show here that did NOT get a standing ovation.The Egan Convention Center, the glass building across the street, was completed in 1983, was named for our first Governor, William Egan, and replaced the original Loussac Library, which moved to a brand new facility in mid-town Anchorage. The skybridge connecting the Egan center to the PAC was built in the 90’s. There is a sculpture up there, a 10-year old boy on a tightrope, that was dedicated to the children of Anchorage by Marcel Marceau, the famous French mime.Continue walking under the skybridge and right into Town Square, walk to the center of the park.
Stop 15 - Town Square
You should be standing in the center of Town Square, a flower filled oasis, which was completed as a part of the Project 80’s building boom. This is the perfect place to get a taste of why we have the nickname, The City of Flowers. If you look closely, you will notice that the city uses cabbage and kale as ornamentals. This can attract an occasional moose to the downtown area. In the winter, this area hosts an ice skating rink and an ice carving contest. In the summer, there is a piano set out each day for anyone to play. This site is also host to the “Live After Five” music series every Thursday evening from mid-June to early August.Anchorage is known as the city of flowers and keeping that reputation up is not easy work.. The city plants and maintains over 76,000 annual flowers in 10 greenhouses. They work diligently to keep 460 flower beds and baskets watered and weeded. Being an Alaska gardener myself I have often wondered how the city is able to keep the flowers looking so fresh. I finally discovered the trick after looking out of my office window downtown. I observed a city gardener tending a local flower bed. One of the sprouts was looking a little forlorn, after inspecting it the gardener plucked it out and put a new perky one in its place. Clearly I will never keep up with the city.From the courtyard, you should be able to see a large underwater mural on the side of the building across E street.That mural was painted by Wyland, an environmental artist who painted 100 monumental marine life murals around the world from 1981-2008. The project, known as the Whaling Walls, is a reminder of the importance of clean water and a healthy planet. It remains one of the largest public arts projects in history and continues to be seen by an estimated one billion people each year.If you are facing the Whaling Wall, walk straight towards E Street and turn left. Go to the corner of E Street and 5th Avenue.
Stop 16 - The Kobuk (Historic Irving Kimball Building, 1915)
The yellow shop with the colorful moose paintings on the side, is another famous building in the downtown area. The Kimball Building is currently known as The Kobuk. Kimball's store, built in 1915, was constructed for Irving Kimball who purchased the property for $500 at the town site auction. He and his family lived in a tent in the back, as he built this wooden structure. After it was completed, the shop was in the front and the family quarters were in the back of the building. It is the only original commercial structure left in Anchorage that sits on its original lot.The business changed as different family members ran it. It has operated as a dry goods store, a hardware store and a fabric store. In 1965, Decema, one of Kimball's daughters, leased the back third of the building to her friend Patsy James. Patsy started selling candies and roasting coffee beans, selling her roast as Kobuk Coffee. Three Siblings, Mike, Nina, and Deborah, purchased the Kobuk business from Patsy in 1993. The Kimball family owned the building until 2002, when they sold it to the Bonita siblings, who run it today as the Kobuk. They are known for their amazing donuts, old fashioned candy, beautiful porcelain tea sets and of course, Kobuk coffee and tea.From the corner of E Street and 5th Avenue cross E Street and continue East towards the mountains to the corner of D Street and 5th Avenue.
Stop 17 - Club Paris
On your left across the street is Club Paris, the oldest steakhouse in town. They opened as a steakhouse in 1957. The building was built in the 20’s and has served as a home, furniture store, and as the original city morgue… You won’t find the city morgue... to best steakhouse history in any promotional material, but it makes me laugh when I sit down to a juicy steak. A photograph of the original structure, may be seen on the west wall near the front entrance. You will also find a chef’s hat and an original menu, hand drawn by Club Paris’ first chef, Jewel Hawkins.At the corner of D Street and 5th Avenue turn right or North to cross 5th Avenue. Continue on D Street to the corner of D Street and 4th Avenue.
Balto Statue
Balto The sled dog statue on this corner is Alaska’s most well-known sled dog, Balto. He was made famous for completing the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome thwarting a diphtheria outbreak and saving countless lives.In January of 1925, a doctor in the small town of Nome realized that a diphtheria outbreak was brewing. His previous order of Diphtheria Serum had not arrived before the shipping routes froze for the winter. Knowing that he had no viable serum, he sent word by telegraph to Anchorage requesting an emergency delivery of serum.Flying the serum would have been the best option if it were summer, but there were only two airplanes in Alaska at the time and both were disassembled and in winter storage. Knowing that they had to act quickly, the decision was made to transfer the serum by train to Nenana, the closest point by train. From there the serum was run, relay-style, by 20 dog teams, transferring the serum from one musher to another.Balto, being the lead dog for the final 55-mile leg into Nome, grabbed all of the fame and limelight. Many believe that the real heroes were lead dog Togo and his musher Leonhard Seppala. Together they traveled the farthest distance, roughly 260 miles, through a raging blizzard with -85F (-65C) degree temperatures.This statue also marks the ceremonial starting line of the world famous Iditarod sled dog race, one of the most unique sporting events in the world. The Iditarod race commemorates the 1925 Serum run and each year, mushers carried a vial of the serum all the way to Nome to commemorate that first “Great Race of Mercy.”All winter long, the city plows the streets to clear away the snow, but on the first Saturday in March they lug it back to town and pack it down on the city streets. The side streets are all closed and packed with dog teams and handlers waiting for their turn at the starting line. Thousands of locals and visitors alike pack the streets to watch the howling, barking, excited dogs and their trusty mushers depart downtown Anchorage for the ceremonial start. They run an 11-mile course with the lucky “Iditariders” in the sled. Iditariders bid at auction for a chance to ride in the Anchorage portion of the race. You can check out Iditarod.com for your chance to bid on a seat for next year. The official start of the race is the next day in Willow, 70 miles north of here. The race is approximately 1100 miles (1770 km) long and ends in Nome.Look down and notice the sample paw prints embedded in the sidewalk. This area has recently been designated as the Anchorage Mushing district with plans to revitalize and honor Alaska’s rich mushing history. If you would like to support this effort by having your own personalized paw print embedded in the concrete please click on the link below…Wendler BuildingBuilt in 1915, this is the only turreted building in Anchorage. It was originally a grocery store, then Anchorage’s first women’s club, Club 25. It wasmoved here from L St. and 4th Ave. in the 80’s and is now the Fur Rendezvous headquarters and Dog Mushing Hall of Fame. Fur Rondy, as the locals call it, was first formally celebrated in 1935. It’s origin is rooted in the tradition of trappers, company buyers and local natives whomet yearly to exchange furs for supplies. After business was conducted, they celebrated for days with spirits, food and dancing. The current Fur Rondy celebration takes place in late February and features dog-sled sprint races, running with the reindeer, ice bowling and a Mr. Fur Face beard competition to name a few.From the corner of D st and 4th Ave head left or west towards Grizzly Gifts we are heading back to the start..
The End... at the beginning. Visitors Center and Shuttle stop
Thank you for taking a tour with MyAlaskaGuide. We hope that you enjoyed learning some of the history of Anchorage with us. From here you can continue straight ahead (West) back to the Visitors Cabin. If you still want to explore, you can cross the street and walk through the Anchorage Timeline, which is along the Sunshine Mall (the yellow building). Check out our other tours. We will be adding more as the summer progresses, including some fun free tours.We would appreciate some feedback on your experience today. We will be updating this tour regularly, utilizing the helpful comments that you make. Please rate our tour on Trip Advisor or Google My Business!
Direction 1
You made it to the top, continue straight ahead crossing 3rd Avenue, be sure to watch for traffic. Continue on F Street to the corner of F Street and 4th Avenue.
Directions 2
Keep going! One more block to the West!
Directions 3
If you are in the courtyard facing the Boney Courthouse, you should exit back out the way you came in and continue down 4th Avenue, crossing over K Street at the light. Take a right on K street and walk to the middle of the block. There, on your left, you will find the Carrs-Gottstein Building and a large sculpture of a whale! Our next stop is there.
Directions 4
You should still be walking West on 3rd Avenue. When you see the wooden slatted fencing, you are on the right track. Follow the fence until it opens up to the right into a park looking over the Cook Inlet, an arm of the ocean.
Directions 5
Continue straight ahead until you get to 5th Avenue, take a right on 5th Avenue. The restaurant on your left is the popular Snow City Cafe, when President Obama was visiting Anchorage they added the “Obamalette,” which consists of “Barackoli,” Spam and cheese. President Obama did make a stop here but decided on the cinnamon rolls and muffins instead. Turn left or East on 5th Avenue and head towards the tall mustard colored buildings with the flags on top.
Directions 6
You need to turn left to cross over 5th Avenue onto D Street. If you passed D street, which is in the middle of the block, be sure to go back and cross over 5th Avenue to walk down D street until you get to 4th Avenue (away from the mall).
Directions 7
When the walk signal gives you the go-ahead, cross over 3rd avenue and keep walking down the hill. You should be able to see the bust of Eisenhower and the flags across the next street. Again, be careful at the crosswalk at 2nd Avenue as cars can come around that curve rather quickly.
Directions 8
Just a reminder! From here you will cross over 3rd Avenue and take a left
