A Tent City in the Wilderness

How Anchorage, Alaska began.

Spring,1915

Over 2,000 prospective workers and merchants assembled at the mouth of Ship Creek.

And more were arriving every day.

A “tent City” quickly sprang up out of the wilderness. It was filled with a rag-tag collection of tents and temporary wood buildings. The conditions were rugged and unsanitary.

What Caused This Rush? It Wasn’t Gold

May–June 1914

11 survey parties were sent from Seattle to Alaska.

The purpose of these 11 survey crews, was to determine possible routes for a proposed Alaska Railroad.

BONUS

Take a look at this information about the Alaska Railroad Survey Crews and enjoy.

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson Decided

April 1915

President Wilson made the decision that the Alaska Railroad would run from Seward to Fairbanks. The route would take the railroad past the coal deposits of the Matanuska Valley and would end in Fairbanks.

Construction headquarters would be established at the mouth of Ship Creek at Cook Inlet.

The Alaska Railroad Act

1915

The United States Congress authorized construction of the only Federally owned railroad in the history of the U.S.

Enter the Alaskan Engineering Commission (AEC)

Spring 1915

Work began on the Alaska Railroad.

A construction site was set up at the mouth of Ship Creek.

Driving the First Spike

April 29, 1915

Martha “Babe” White drove the first spike on the Alaska Railroad at Ship Creek.

BONUS

Take a look at this fascinating story about “Babe” White’s mother and enjoy.

The Plateau Above Ship Creek

Lots were then laid out for a 240 acre town site under the supervision of Andrew Christensen of the General Land Office.

First House Built in Anchorage

Located in Elderberry Park at 420 M Street in Anchorage, this home, built in 1915 by Oscar Anderson, still stands today as an Anchorage tourist attraction.

Oscar Anderson claimed to be the 18th person to set foot on what is now Anchorage. He lived in this house until his death in 1974.

BONUS

Take a virtual tour of the Oscar Anderson House and enjoy.

What Would They Call This New “Town”?

August 9, 1915

An election was held to decide on an official name for the town that was springing up before their eyes.

Names to consider included:

Alaska City

Gateway

Homestead

Lane (named after Secretary of the Interior, Franklin D. Lane)

Matanuska

Ship Creek

Terminal

Winalaska

There were 538 votes cast.

The winner was Alaska City with 146 votes.

Lane came in second with 129 votes. Third choice was Anchorage with 101 votes.

Then Governor J.F.A. Strong wanted “Matanuska”.

The Alaska Engineering Commission (AEC) wanted the name “Ship Creek”.

Enter the United States Post Office

Yes, the U.S. Post Office gave the area the name Anchorage.

They appointed Roydon Chase as the first postmaster, and all mail was then sent to “Anchorage, Alaska.”

The new name was quickly added to maps and news stories covering the building of the railroad and the town.

June 5, 1915

From it’s ragged tent office, the first issue of the Cook Inlet Pioneer & Knik News was issued as volume 1, number 1 as a weekly newspaper.

BONUS

Knik was once the largest settlement on Cook Inlet.

Goods were shipped from Knik to interior Alaska. But when the Alaska Railroad by-passed Knik in favor of Ship Creek, and when the railroad reached Wasilla, Knik lost its place as a shipping point.

As a result, most of Knik was abandoned and many of the buildings were moved to other communities.

Published Daily with a New Name

That October, the name of the first newspaper in tent city (Anchorage) was changed to the Cook Inlet Pioneer, and it became Anchorage’s first daily newspaper.

*It would later become the Anchorage Daily Times.

Anchorage Railroad Station, Today

From that first spike in 1915, to this image today.

Ship Creek Today

Do you think those 2000 workers and merchants who journeyed to the mouth of Ship Creek in 1915 could have imagined the picture above?

A Note from Mike and Mary

Have you taken a trip on the Alaska Railroad?

Just think about those 1915 pioneers who came to the mouth of Ship Creek and built a town from nothing.

Those pioneers who went before us were a hearty breed. No cell phones or streaming video on their mobile device. But they built a railroad and a town. And now, over a hundred years later, you read about them right here and marvel at what they accomplished.

Mary and Mike are proud to have grown up and worked in that place called Anchorage, Alaska. Thank you to all those pioneers who made the long journey, saw the potential and worked hard to make a dream come true.

Without them… there would be no Anchorage Memories.

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From a tent city, to modern-day Anchorage, Alaska, the largest city in the largest state.

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Until Next Time

Mike and Mary

Anchorage Memories Club