Frequently Asked Questions about Alaska!
- How big is Alaska?
- Where did the name Alaska come from?
- What is the climate of Alaska?
- What languages are spoken in Alaska?
- What is the population of Alaska?
- What is the ethnic make up of Alaska?
- When did Alaska become a State?
- What is the capital of Alaska?
- When and how much was Alaska purchased for?
- What is the largest city in Alaska?
- What is the Alaska State gem?
- What does the Alaska State flag look like?
- What is the Alaska State song?
- What is the Alaska State flower?
- What is the Alaska State seal?
- What is the Alaska State motto?
- What is the Alaska State fish?
- What is the Alaska State marine mammal?
- What is the Alaska State land mammal?
- What is the Alaska State insect?
- What is the Alaska State bird?
- What is the Alaska State tree?
- What is the Alaska State mineral?
- What is the Alaska State fossil?
- What is the Alaska State sport?
- How many different animals are in Alaska?
- What are the major industries in Alaska?
- Who is the Governor?
- Who are the political leaders of Alaska?
- Is there a big military presence?
- Why are Russians important in the history of
Alaska?
- How tall is Mount McKinley or "Denali"?
- How much oil does Alaska produce?
- What is the difference between a reindeer and a caribou?
- How close is Alaska to Russia?
- How much coastline does Alaska have?
- How many volcanoes exist in Alaska?
- How many glaciers are there in Alaska?
- How much of Alaska is covered by ice?
- How many lakes exist in Alaska?
- How many rivers flow through Alaska?
- Where are Alaska's largest national forests?
- What is the northernmost city in Alaska?
- Is it dark or sunny all the time in Alaska?
- Is it true you have a surplus of men in Alaska?
- When is the sport fishing season?
- Are there earthquakes in Alaska?
Alaska is the biggest of the United States. If it were superimposed over the
contiguous states, Alaska would stretch from Georgia to California! Take your hat off and stay
awhile; there is lots to see and do. Check the Chart I created below to
see how many of your states could fit inside Alaska.
Area: Land 570,375 sq miles (1,477,268 sq km), or Land and Water 656,425 sq
miles, Alaska is one-fifth the size of the Lower 48 states combined.
| States Ranked for
Total Area & Size Comparison with AK |
|
Rank |
State |
Total
Sq miles |
Size Comparison |
| 1 |
Alaska |
656,424 |
1 Alaska= 1 Alaska |
| 2 |
Texas |
268,601 |
1 Alaska= 2.44
Texas(s) |
| 3 |
California |
163,707 |
1 Alaska= 4.01
California(s) |
| 4 |
Montana |
147,046 |
1 Alaska= 4.46
Montana(s) |
| 5 |
New Mexico |
121,598 |
1 Alaska= 5.40 New
Mexico(s) |
| 6 |
Arizona |
114,006 |
1 Alaska= 5.76
Arizona(s) |
| 7 |
Nevada |
110,567 |
1 Alaska= 5.94
Nevada(s) |
| 8 |
Colorado |
104,100 |
1 Alaska= 6.29
Colorado(s) |
| 9 |
Oregon |
98,386 |
1 Alaska= 6.65
Oregon(s) |
| 10 |
Wyoming |
97,818 |
1 Alaska=6.70
Wyoming(s) |
| 11 |
Michigan |
96,810 |
1 Alaska= 6.76
Michigan(s) |
| 12 |
Minnesota |
86,943 |
1 Alaska= 7.53
Minnesota(s) |
| 13 |
Utah |
84,904 |
1 Alaska= 7.71
Utah(s) |
| 14 |
Idaho |
83,574 |
1 Alaska= 7.83
Idaho(s) |
| 15 |
Kansas |
82,282 |
1 Alaska= 7.95
Kansas(s) |
| 16 |
Nebraska |
77,358 |
1 Alaska= 8.46
Nebraska(s) |
| 17 |
South Dakota |
77,121 |
1 Alaska= 8.48
South Dakota(s) |
| 18 |
Washington |
71,303 |
1 Alaska= 9.18
Washington(s) |
| 19 |
North Dakota |
70,704 |
1 Alaska= 9.26
North Dakota(s) |
| 20 |
Oklahoma |
69,903 |
1 Alaska= 9.36
Oklahoma(s) |
| 21 |
Missouri |
69,709 |
1 Alaska= 9.39
Missouri(s) |
| 22 |
Florida |
65,758 |
1 Alaska= 9.95
Florida(s) |
| 23 |
Wisconsin |
65,503 |
1 Alaska= 9.99
Wisconsin(s) |
| 24 |
Georgia |
59,441 |
1 Alaska= 11.01
Georgia(s) |
| 25 |
Illinois |
57,918 |
1 Alaska= 11.30
Illinois(s) |
| 26 |
Iowa |
56,276 |
1 Alaska= 11.63
Iowa(s) |
| 27 |
New York |
54,475 |
1 Alaska= 12.01 New
York(s) |
| 28 |
North Carolina |
53,821 |
1 Alaska= 12.16
North Carolina(s) |
| 29 |
Arkansas |
53,182 |
1 Alaska= 12.31
Arkansas(s) |
| 30 |
Alabama |
52,423 |
1 Alaska= 12.48
Alabama (s) |
| 31 |
Louisiana |
51,843 |
1 Alaska= 12.62
Louisiana(s) |
| 32 |
Mississippi |
48,434 |
1 Alaska= 13.51
Mississippi(s) |
| 33 |
Pennsylvania |
46,058 |
1 Alaska= 14.21
Pennsylvania(s) |
| 34 |
Ohio |
44,828 |
1 Alaska= 14.60
Ohio(s) |
| 35 |
Virginia |
42,769 |
1 Alaska= 15.30
Virginia(s) |
| 36 |
Tennessee |
42,146 |
1 Alaska= 15.53
Tennessee(s) |
| 37 |
Kentucky |
40,411 |
1 Alaska= 16.19
Kentucky(s) |
| 38 |
Indiana |
36,420 |
1 Alaska= 17.97
Indiana(s) |
| 39 |
Maine |
35,387 |
1 Alaska= 18.49
Maine(s) |
| 40 |
South Carolina |
32,007 |
1 Alaska= 20.45
South Carolina(s) |
| 41 |
West Virginia |
24,231 |
1 Alaska= 27.01
West Virginia(s) |
| 42 |
Maryland |
12,407 |
1 Alaska= 52.75
Maryland(s) |
| 43 |
Hawaii |
10,932 |
1 Alaska= 59.86
Hawaii(s) |
| 44 |
Massachusetts |
10,555 |
1 Alaska= 62.00
Massachusetts(s) |
| 45 |
Vermont |
9,615 |
1 Alaska= 68.06
Vermont(s) |
| 46 |
New Hampshire |
9,351 |
1 Alaska= 69.98 New
Hampshire(s) |
| 47 |
New Jersey |
8,722 |
1 Alaska= 75.03 New
Jersey(s) |
| 48 |
Connecticut |
5,544 |
1 Alaska= 118.04
Connecticut(s) |
| 49 |
Delaware |
2,489 |
1 Alaska= 262.93
Delaware(s) |
| 50 |
Rhode Island |
1,545 |
1 Alaska= 423.56
Rhode Island(s) |
The name Alaska is derived from
the Aleut word "Alyeska," meaning "great land". Our State nicknames
are the Last Frontier, Land of the Midnight sun, Seward's
Icebox, or Seward's Folly. When you visit Alaska, you might see it referred to as
the "Great Land of the Last Frontier".
The biggest misconception of Alaska is that it is cold all the time.
Summer is by far the best; visitors are consistently surprised at how nice the
weather is in the summer. However, always keep in mind southeast Alaska is
a rainforest....hence, expect rain at some point. By the way locals can
pick out a tourist by the use of an umbrella. :)
Keeping in mind how large Alaska is, the weather conditions vary
greatly from the rain forests of the southeastern coast to the cold, relatively
dry Arctic. Cold Bay is the cloudiest place in Alaska, averaging 304 overcast
days a year. Sun worshippers are best advised to visit Bettles, with an average
of 178 sunny (or at least partly sunny) days annually.
The FAA has weather cams, as well as a place where you
can calculate exactly how many hours of day light there will be on any given
day...check out this website for more information.
http://akweathercams.faa.gov
| Highest Temperature |
The highest temperature recorded in Alaska is 100° Fahrenheit. This
record high was recorded on June 27, 1915 at Fort Yukon. |
| Lowest Temperature |
The lowest temperature in Alaska, -80°, was recorded on January 23, 1971
at Prospect Creek Camp. |
| Average Temperature |
Monthly average temperatures range from a high of 71.8 degrees to a low
of -21.6 degrees. |
The main language is English however there are over 20 Alaskan Native
Languages spoken. Several of these languages are on the verge of extinction. At
one time Tlingit was used by select military to communicate because of the
limited people who knew the language. The map above gives an idea of the
languages spoken and where. Many Alaskans also use terms that are unique
to the area- see "Understanding the Local Lingo". Alaska is very
cosmopolitan with the number of people speaking different languages; the
Anchorage school district reported that the student body speaks 83 languages.
German, Japanese, and Spanish are important languages in tourism. If you are
interested in learning more about Alaskan Natives, I recommend visiting the
State of Alaska website.
There are approximately 635,000 residents or about 1.1 persons per square mile. In the
lower 48, there are approximately 79 people per square mile. Plenty of elbow room!
The state's population ranks 47th.
75% Caucasian, 15% Inuit and other indigenous groups, 4% black, and
3.2% Asian.
On January 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state.
The first Capital was Sitka when Alaska was Governed by the Russians. In 1867
the United States purchased Alaska from the Russians. Sitka remained the Capital
while it was a Territory until 1906 when the Territory moved the capital to
Juneau.
Currently Juneau is the Capital. It is the largest city in the Southeast region
and is the 3rd largest city in Alaska with 30,684 residents. Juneau is the only land-locked capital in the United States.
A capital move has been on the voting ballot several times in recent years to
move the capital to Wasilla, a town near Anchorage. So far it hasn't
passed.
Secretary of State William H. Seward arranged for the United States to give
Russia $7.2 million in 1867 for Alaska, 2 cents per acre! At the time when it was
known as Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox, the United States thought
Seward made a bad purchase. Well, Seward now has the last laugh. Alaska is
now the richest natural resource State in the Union. We now have buildings that
cost that much.
Anchorage, with 250,000 residents, is the largest city. This is
approximately half of all the residents in Alaska.
Our Gem is Jade. Jade is a very popular medium for Alaskan carvers and
can be found, and purchased all throughout Alaska.
Created by Benny Benson, the blue field is for the sky and the forget-
me-not is the state flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of
Alaska, the most northerly State of the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear,
symbolizing strength. See the Alaska State Song for a detailed description of
the our simple but proud flag.
"Alaska’s Flag" was written by
Marie Drake, a long-time employee of the Alaska Department of Education and set
to music composed by Elinor Dusenbury. The Territorial Legislature adopted
Alaska’s Flag as Alaska’s official song in 1955.
Our Song Lyrics:
Eight stars of gold on a field of
blue,
Alaska’s flag, may it mean to you,
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes and the flowers nearby,
The gold of the early sourdough’s dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams,
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear," the "Dipper," and shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
O’er land and sea a beacon bright,
Alaska’s flag to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.
 Our
flower is the For-Get-Me-Not. These small flowers with their delicate blue
and periwinkle appearance are known to withstand the harshest of climates.
The state seal was originally designed in 1910 while Alaska was a territory
and not a state. The rays above the mountains represent the Northern Lights. The
smelter symbolizes mining. The train stands for Alaska’s railroads, and ships
denote transportation by sea. The trees symbolize Alaska’s wealth of forests,
and the farmer, his horse, and the three shocks of wheat represent Alaskan
agriculture. The fish and the seals signify the importance of fishing and
wildlife to Alaska’s economy.
Our motto is “North to the Future”. This
motto was chosen in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase Centennial and was created
by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The motto is meant to represent Alaska as a
land of promise.
 King Salmon or Chinook
is our state fish. This is a picture of my father in his younger years.
Growing up in Juneau Alaska, King, Silver, Pinks, and Halibut were a regular
part of our diet. You can compare it to someone who grew up on a cattle
farm; they would tend to eat beef, we ate fish.
The Bowhead Whale is our marine mammal. They spend the winters in the Bering
Sea and the summers in the Arctic Ocean...brrrr! If they were smart, they would
winter in Hawaii like most of our Humpback Whales.
The Moose is our state land mammal. The moose was made the official Alaska
land mammal on May 1, 1998. It took us awhile to think of what animal we wanted
to have represent the state. Well, they are big, muscular, hairy, and have the
brain the size of pea- I wonder who thought the Moose was a good representative?
Moose can be found from the Unuk River in Southeast to the Arctic Slope but are
most abundant in second-growth birch forests, on timberline plateaus and along
major rivers of South-central and the Interior of Alaska.
This really isn't a frequently asked question, but even I didn't know we had
an official insect. I'm sure your expecting the mosquito, but it's not, the four spot skimmer dragonfly
is our official insect. It became the state insect in 1995; it must
have been a slow year for the legislators.
 Our bird is the Willow
Ptarmigan. This bird is unique; in the summer they are brown and in the
winter their feathers are white. I took this picture in the spring; there was
still snow on the ground, but the Ptarmigans feathers started to change. A
small town in Alaska was going to name their town "Ptarmigan" (pronounced
tar-me-gan), but they couldn't spell it so it's now known as our beloved "Chicken, Alaska".
Our tree is Sitka Spruce. The Tongess National Forest have a high
concentration of Sitka Spruce.
Our Mineral is Gold. The Gold Rush of 1898 lured thousands of Men, Women, and
even children to Alaska in search of gold. The most well know mining towns or
gateways were Fairbanks, Juneau, Skagway, and Dawson City (in the Yukon).
Each gold nugget is very distinct, so much so, miners can tell from the look of
a gold nugget where it was mined. In the picture above, well it's not a
gold nugget, but I'm sure you can tell where it came from! (I took this
photo of "Bae's" ring; she is of one of the eldest ladies of Skagway, and in
memory of her friend, she went to the dentist where her friend was a patient,
asked for her friends teeth, and had her friends teeth mounted on a ring).
I love Alaskans; I couldn't make this up if I tried.
Our fossil is the Wooly Mammoth.
Our state sport is dog-sledding. I can't say I know how, but we do host
the Iditarod- the largest dog sled race in the world. If there is no snow
on the ground, most owners will train with specially built sleds; some have
wheels. There has been a lot of misunderstanding regarding this sport in the past
and whether or not it is cruel to animals. Malamutes (the typical dog sled
dog) are happy when they are pulling. It can be compared to a retriever
that loves to fetch or a hound dog that loves to sniff; Malamutes love to pull.
Knowing and talking with some Mushers, like Mary Sheilds (first time woman
Iditarod runner), Jeff King (several time Iditarod winner), and Susan Butcher
(Iditarod winner), I have seen the love, devotion, and trust the dogs
and the Musher share.
Tons! Instead of going through each animal in detail, click on the link
below; this will give you an idea of the types of animals Alaska has to offer.
http://www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/notebook/notehome.htm
Our major industries are oil/ gas (25% of US production), commercial fishing,
mining, timber, tourism, and Government.
Frank H. Murkowski
Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski are our current US Senators. Don Young
is our one and only seat in the US House of Representatives.
Yes, all the branches of the military are represented in Alaska. The global
location of Alaska makes it a prime strategic area for the United States.
I guess you could say we're a small population but large and mighty where it
counts!
Naval Air Facilities:
Adak NAF: Adak, Alaska
Coast Guard Air Stations:
Kodiak CGAS: Kodiak Island, Alaska
Baranof CGAS: Baranof Island (Sitka), Alaska
Army Airbourne:
Allen AAF: Fort Greely Delta Junction, Alaska
Bryant AAF: Fort Richardson, Alaska
Fort Wainwright AAF: Fairbanks, Alaska
Air Reserve, Air Rescue Stations, and Air Stations:
Eareckson AS: Shemya Island, Alaska
Air National Guard:
Kulis: Anchorage IAP
Air Force Bases:
Eielson AFB: North Pole, Alaska
Elmendorf AFB: Anchorage, Alaska
Army Bases:
Fort Richardson AB-
Fort Richardson, Alaska
Fort Wainwright AB- Fairbanks, Alaska
Air Force:
Clear Air Station: Clear, AK
Us Alaskans tend to have a special place in our hearts for the Coast Guard.
They protect our coastline which consists of 6,640 miles, and including islands, we
have 33,904 miles of shoreline. The Coast Guard have aided in numerous rescues
and play an important role in almost all of our coastline communities. Thanks!
Not only did Russia own us, they sold us! Trader Alexander Baranof
arrived in 1799 to establish a fort in the town we now call Sitka. Russians
brought the fur trade and part of the Alaskan culture we still enjoy today.
Sitka and Seldovia Alaska are a couple towns that still embrace these Russian
traditions through dance, architecture, and religion (Russian orthodox).
Mt. McKinley, in Denali National Park, is the tallest peak in North America
at 20,320 ft. Mt. McKinley includes two separate peaks; South Peak 20,320
feet and North Peak 19,470 feet. Mt. McKinley rises 18,000 feet above the
surrounding area, greater than Mt. Everest which begins on a 14,000 foot
plateau.
Denali is so large it creates it's own weather pattern, and many times the
highest peak will be covered in clouds-as in the picture I took above.
Mt. McKinley was named after a U.S. President that never visited Alaska.
In the mid 1990's the name officially changed to "Denali", a native word meaning "The Great One". If
you ever hear someone talking about Mt. McKinley or
Denali, it's the same thing. "Tomatoe-Tamato", "Potatoe-Patatoe",
"McKinley-Denali"; we're Alaskans and it doesn't have to make sense.
"There-z oil in them there hills". Alaska produces about 1.8 million
barrels of oil and 1.25 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily. This is
about 25% of the total United States production. Alaska has the two
largest producing oil fields in the USA are Prudhoe Bay and Kuparak River.
Alaska holds an estimated 30 percent of the total proven United States oil
reserve. Under Alaska's outer continental shelf lies an estimated 41
percent of U.S. offshore gas reserves. A portion of this money from oil is given
to the State government. They invest it and then a percentage of the profits on
the investments are given back to the residents in the form a "Permanent Fund
Check".
Reindeer are domesticated. The easiest way to remember
this is Santa Claus had
pet reindeer; I just don't think it would sound right if you said Rudolph the
Red Nose caribou?!?! Above is a Reindeer. I wouldn't suggest getting this
close to a caribou; they just don't feel the love like Reindeer do :).
Off a point on the west coast, Alaska is only 2.5 miles from Russia's
Big Diomede Island. Anybody up for a swim?
Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline (longer than that of all of the rest of
the lower 48 states) and including islands has 33,904 miles of shoreline. This is
why the Coast Guard are our friends.
Alaska contains over 100 volcanoes and volcanic fields which have been active
within the last one and a half million years. There are more then 70 potentially
active volcanoes in Alaska. In the 1980's one morning of April 1st Sitka,
Alaskans woke up to black smoke billowing out of the dormant volcano, Mt. Edgecombe; people were
in a panic. The biggest joke had just been played on a
whole town. Porky, a local that liked to stir things up a bit, used a
helicopter and brought truck tires to the opening of the dormant volcano and lit
them on fire to produce the black smoke. I've got to hand it to you Porky, if
you're going to do something, you might as well go BIG- right?!?!
How many glaciers are there in Alaska?
Alaska has an estimated 100,000 major and minor glaciers, with more than 5,000 glaciers
that are major. Both the Bering and the Malispina
Glaciers are the largest glaciers in North American, approximately 2,900 sq
miles, making each glacier larger than the State of Delaware.
Ice fields cover 28,800 of Alaska's 570,375 square miles, or just 4 percent
of the state!
Alaska has more than three million lakes over 20 acres each. One of these,
Lake Iliamna, is America's second largest fresh water lake. Above is a
picture of Emerald Lake located on the road between Skagway and Whitehorse.
Alaska has over 3,000 rivers.
The Yukon River discharges 240,000 cubic feet
per second at the mouth, making it the fifth ranked U.S. river. The Yukon River
(2,300 miles total, 1,875 in Alaska) ranks third in length of U.S. rivers behind
the Mississippi and Missouri. Above is a picture I took of the five finger
rapids on the Yukon River.
Where are the Alaska's largest national forests?
The nation's two largest national forests are located in Alaska: Tongass in
the Southeast has 16.8 million acres and Chugach on South-central has 4.8
million acres. From the amount of precipitation the Tongass National Forest
receives annually, it can be considered a rain forest. It's just not tropical
:).
Barrow, the northernmost city in the U.S., is only 800 miles from the North
Pole. After the sun rises in Barrow on May 10, it doesn't set again for nearly
three months. When it sets November, Barrow residents don't see the sun again
for more than two months.
Is it dark or sunny all the time in Alaska?
We refer to daylight at
midnight in the summer as "the midnight sun". Daylight hours during summer
solstice in Barrow observes the midnight sun for 84 days of continuous sunshine
from May 10 to August 2nd. In the winter the situation is pretty much
reversed. The sun sets at noon on November 18 in Barrow and doesn't show again
until midday of January 24th. Again Alaska is a very large area, and the
midnight sun varies in each location. Here is a chart I created with
information from the State of Alaska that shows the location and times you
can expect to see the sun rise and set during Solstice in Alaska.
May - between 17 and 18 hours of sunlight
June - between 19 and 21 hours of sunlight
July - between 18 and 20 hours of sunlight
August - between 15 and 16 hours of sunlight
September - between 12 and 13 hours of sunlight
|
Solstice
|
Sunrise
|
Sunset
|
Hours of daylight |
|
Anchorage |
June |
4:21 am |
11:42 pm |
19:21 |
|
December |
10:14 am |
3:42 pm |
5:28 |
|
Barrow |
June |
Up |
Up |
24 HOURS |
|
December |
Down |
Down |
0 HOURS |
|
Bethel |
June |
5:13 am |
12:24 am |
19:09 |
|
December |
10:58 am |
4:34 pm |
5:36 |
|
Cold Bay |
June |
5:10 am |
10:35 pm |
17:25 |
|
December |
9:16 am |
4:23 pm |
7:07 |
|
Fairbanks |
June |
2:59 am |
12:48 am |
21:49 |
|
December |
10:59 am |
2:41 pm |
3:42 |
|
Juneau |
June |
3:51 am |
10:09 pm |
18:18 |
|
December |
|
|
|
|
Ketchikan |
June |
4:04 am |
9:33 pm |
17:29 |
|
December |
9:12 am |
4:18 pm |
7:06 |
|
Kodiak |
June |
5:08 am |
11:15 pm |
18:07 |
|
December |
9:53 am |
4:24 pm |
6:31 |
|
Kotzebue |
June |
Up |
Up |
24 |
|
December |
1:01 am |
2:41 pm |
1:31 |
|
McGrath |
June |
4:15 am |
12:33 pm |
20:18 |
|
December |
10:59 am |
3:42 pm |
4:33 |
|
Nome |
June |
4:19 am |
1:48 pm |
21:29 |
|
December |
|
|
|
|
Prudhoe Bay |
June |
Up |
Up |
24 HOURS |
|
December |
Down |
Down |
0 HOURS |
|
Seward |
June |
4:32 am |
11:27 am |
18:55 |
|
December |
10:00 am |
3:30 pm |
5:50 |
|
Yakutat |
June |
4:00 am |
10:42 pm |
18:42 |
|
December |
9:16 am |
3:17 pm |
6:01 |
Cory Heimbuch
Back to Top
If you're interested in sport fishing, April thru October is the best time.
To insure all types of fishing, July and August are your best fishing months
however May through September provide a wide variety of fish. Generally speaking
the list below is a good reference.
King Salmon (Chinook) May thru July
Red Salmon (Sockeye) May
20-August 20
Silver Salmon (Coho) Mid July thru September
Pink Salmon (Humpy) Mid July thru mid August in even years
Halibut
May thru September
King Salmon (Saltwater) April
thru October
Rainbows, Dolly Varden, Steelhead June 15 thru September
Ling Cod May thru Mid-September
Black Sea Bass May thru Mid-September
Red Snapper May thru September
Yes indeed! Each year Alaska has approximately 5,000 earthquakes,
including 1,000 that measure above 3.5 on the Richter scale. Out of the 10
strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the world, 3 have occurred in Alaska.
On Good Friday March 27, 1964 North America's strongest recorded earthquake
measured 9.3 on the Richter scale. In comparison, the big one that rocked
California was about a 6.8. When it hit, it created a tidal wave that
dropped Seward by 6 feet and water logged most of Valdez. The pictures
above are taken by my mother in 1964 after the Earthquake. While
my father (an engineer) was re-building new Valdez, my mother and friends where
selected to burn down old Valdez after the water damage.
|
