Early Cordovan fishing vessels photographed at Parks Crossing on Eyak River. Parks Crossing was named for the cannery that existed near the mouth of the Eyak River that was destroyed by fire in 1932. James Wilson Parks established the Eyak River cannery and later purchased the Lathrop Company’s Glacier Sea Foods on the Ocean Dock. He developed that business into one of the most modern canneries in Alaska during the 1930s, then established the Western Fisheries Company, which operated extensive cannery installations in Cordova and Kodiak. Parks died at the age of 68 in 1946, and his son Harold M. Parks carried on the family’s fishing interests.
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society housed within the museum. The museum is now open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Museum Memories
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This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society housed within the museum. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society housed within the museum. The museum is now open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
We’ve been going through some cannery and fishery related photos of late and this one especially stuck with us. This photo taken in 1931 shows a number of fishing vessels from the fleet out at Softuk. In this early era many of the boats were owned by the cannery’s and their parent corporations and leased to the fishermen. The boats often were of the same build and painted in the same colors with numbers to identify them. This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
While some things have changed in this picture, a lot has remained the same. The cannery in this photo, once St. Elias Ocean Products, is now Ocean Beauty Seafoods.Originally a floating cannery, brought to Cordova by Jim Poor to process crab,St. Elias became an onshore processor in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Look closely and you’ll see the large halibut being unloaded from the Nip n’Tuck!This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
When passing the Coast Guard Buoy tender the Sycamore, think of the vessels that came before her. A coastal town in the Alaskan Territory, Cordova has always been an important port to the Coast Guard. Here the Coast Guard Cutter Haida is at the dock in Cordova during its tour of territorial waters during World War II.The Haida was one of four 240-foot cutters that were conceived as the first true “multi-mission” Coast Guard cutters, equipped for police work in territorial waters, ice patrol, search and rescue, derelict destruction, and towing. Each ship had a remarkably heavy armament of two 5-inch guns, with a provision for the wartime installation of a third, and a 3-inch anti-aircraft gun. A turbo-electric drive system gave the cutters a top speed of 16 knots, which seemed plenty for the Coast Guard’s peacetime missions. The Union Construction Company of Oakland, CA built the four ships.The entry of the United States into World War II sent the Coast Guard on a search for hulls that could be turned into convoy escorts. The 240-foot cutters were fitted out with depth charges, additional guns, sonar, radar and any other gear that could be crammed into them.The Modoc and two of its sisters, Mojave and Tampa, were assigned to the treacherous Greenland Patrol; the fourth ship in the class, the Haida, spent the war in Alaskan waters.All four were decommissioned and sold in 1947.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Bob Dundas (left) and Box Epperson exchange blows during the 1974 Iceworm Festival in one of the last boxing matches in Cordova history. Photo from Cordova Museum archives
Recently the Cordova Times received a research request for information on J.J. Carscadden, an early business owner in Cordova and forwarded it on to the Cordova Historical Society and Museum. What fun we had with this request! Our summer interns, Robin Pegau (Mt. Holyoke) and Dagny Felker (University of Pittsburgh) dug into the 1910 Cordova Times to find as much as they could about Mr. Carscadden.Carscadden was an early proprietor of an establishment known as “The Workingman’s House” that featured ‘furnished rooms’ and ‘free bunks’ and the ‘finest meal in the city for 35 cents. He also operated “Carscadden’s,” a local watering hole, which he opened in a grand flourish with ‘nearly every business man in town’ present and a ‘feast of good things to eat’ only to close his saloon the next day until his liquor license arrives! The Cordova Times in 1910 noted, “The friends of Jimmie Carscadden are sorry that he had to close his saloon until his license arrives but it will give him a chance to have another opening and that will help some.”This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Miles Glacier Bridge was the world’s first example of arctic engineering. The techniques for setting the foundations and steelwork for the bridge became standards for future arctic construction. Work started March 1909 and E.C. Hawkins, engineer for the CRNWR kept it on schedule constantly reviewing the design for the tracks and structures. The piers and abutments were completed late in 1909; steel for the spans arrived in March 1910. Work continued throughout a snowy, wet April and May, with the men working round the clock to beat the rapidly breaking river ice literally finishing with minutes to spare. By June of 1910 the hard-working crews had completed the final fourth span of this engineering feat. The bridge was in full service transporting supplies further north by July 1910. Now known as the Million Dollar Bridge, it actually cost $1,424,774.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
One of the earliest floating canneries in Prince William Sound was brought in for the crab harvest. To prepare the crab for market, the meat was forced from the shell by jets of water. Workers would break the ends of the shell and push the meat against the water jet shaking it free to create piles and piles of delicious goodness.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
A crab fishery developed during the late 1920s and in 1929 a record shipment of crab left on the S.S. Alaska from Cordova’s port. Between 1935 and 1940 half a million pounds of crab were processed at the seven area plants. King crab, Dungeness crab and Tanner (now marketed as snow) crab were all abundant in Orca Inlet.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Natives at the nearby traditional village of Eyak began relocating to the new town to be near the canneries and by 1890. Odiak was a thriving town of 200 people. In 1892, the village of Alaganik was abandoned following a major epidemic and around this same time, the name changed from Odiak to Eyak. When gold is discovered on the Klondike in 1896, mining and transportation become important in the development region. The influx of prospectors up the Copper River begins to change the Eyak and Ahtna’s way of life. During the Alaskan expedition of U.S. Army Lt. Henry S. Allen it is notable that Allen and his men not only recorded information about the people they found, but became trusted enough that on one occasion the Taral Chief Nicolai, led him to the secret outcropping of nearly pure copper ore.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
The fishing boom in Cordova didn’t revolve just around salmon. Clamming began in the mid-teens with the opening of the Lighthouse Canning and Packing Co. quickly to be followed by G.P. Halferty who completed a two-line cannery in 1916. Together these plants heralded the commencement of the Alaska razor clam industry. In 1916, 35 diggers dug nearly half a million pounds of clams and in the following year which was the peak for the industry 135 diggers unburied three and a half million pounds of razor clams. The heavy exploitation of Cordova’s beaches led to the nickname of “Razor Clam Capitol of the World” and the distinction of generating over half the clam pack produced for the entire United States. This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
A second cannery was built at Odiak in 1888 by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company, but after a fire, it was rebuilt at nearby Orca, and was visited in 1898 by the Harriman American expedition. Harriman’s journal detailed their visit: “The idea of stretching their legs on solid ground appealed to most of the expeditioners [sic] and several boats were soon splashing through the water toward town. Dominated by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company’s salmon cannery, Orca boasted three buildings and the foul odor of rotting fish. For miles along the coastline discarded salmon heads and fins littered the ocean lending the water an oily look. About 200 Chinese laborers worked long hours in the cannery and [naturalist John] Muir sadly shook his head at the sight of the men brought up from San Francisco to work for low wages. ‘Men in this business,’ he wrote, ‘are themselves canned.’”This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Things began looking up for Cordova by the spring of 1963. The Copper River Highway was on the horizon, fishing was about to start and spirits were high, when sometime in the very early hours on the morning of May 2 the fire started. The conflagration began in the center of the business district on First Street inside the Club Café. The Club had received 1,500 gallons of fuel the day before and now the furnace room fed the flames. By the time the fire was discovered, it had spread the full length of the Café and adjacent bar and within minutes flames had moved north to neighboring wooden buildings.Before anyone knew it, the fire was consuming the entire city block. Cordova’s volunteer firefighters, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sedge and everyone who could help waged the battle against the devastating fire. Friends began assisting friends in evacuating stores and apartments of merchandise and personal belongings. Calls for help from other communities went out and Anchorage began preparing flights with men and equipment. A desperate attempt to dynamite the fire wasn’t enough to stop the well-fueled blaze. It was nearly 2 pm in the afternoon before the fire could be declared actually under control. By the time assistance arrived the following morning only smoldering remains of what was once a thriving business district were left.
The first trainload of ore from the Kennecott Mines reached Cordova on April 8, 1911, carrying 1,200 tons of high-grade copper ore with an estimated value of a quarter of a million dollars. Declared “Copper Day” in Cordova, a special train was sent to escort the ore train to the dock where the steamer Northwestern awaited the shipment. A reduced rate was given to the residents of Chitina to come to Cordova and special excursions fares were made by the steamship companies to bring residents from neighboring towns to join the celebration. Five big steamships were in port and all of Cordova turned out for the celebration. The Eagles Band played, church bells rang, horns and engine whistles blared as the ore train approached town.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Asian market and herring roe on kelp, long a Native delicacy, became very lucrative as a commercial harvest. Herring kelp pounding became a unique undertaking with fisherman building floating ‘pounds’ that would suspend the long pieces of kelp enticingly for the herring to deposit roe on. The kelp was then easily harvested, boxed and shipped to an Asian market; willing to pay top dollar for this specialty product. It was a huge boon to Cordova’s economy. Fishermen could partake in the early spring herring harvest and then still have time to ready their boats and nets for the return of the salmon and the commercial harvest in May.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
By the mid 1980s, the economy of Cordova was booming again as many of the fisheries took on a new life with improved methods of harvesting, preparation and transportation. Herring had always been an important harvest to the Natives of the area and had also developed commercially in the early 1900s. There were herring reduction and salting plants throughout Prince William Sound at places such as Port Ashton and Latouche. Cordova Historical Society
By the mid 1980s, the economy of Cordova was booming again as many of the fisheries took on a new life with improved methods of harvesting, preparation and transportation. Herring had always been an important harvest to the Natives of the area and had also developed commercially in the early 1900s. There were herring reduction and salting plants throughout Prince William Sound at places such as Port Ashton and Latouche.The herring roe fishery started in 1969 and this early spring event became a major economic boost to Cordova. Although sometimes only allowed to fish for an hour a year, it was a very lucrative hour. Boats would stand by for days or even weeks waiting for the ‘opener.’ Spotter planes circled above advising on the best place to set; with only one or two chances, the stakes were high.More next week on this lucrative fishery.These photos came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
The 1964 Good Friday earthquake struck the Prince William Sound Region on March 27th. This magnitude 9.2 earthquake wrought major changes in the physical landscape of the Cordova and Prince William Sound area. Some structural damage occurred in town along the waterfront and there was one fatality at Point Whitshed; however, the tectonic uplift which took place had a much greater impact than was the case in some other Prince William Sound communities which suffered more structural damage.While the earthquake did little structural damage in town, it had a devastating effect on the Copper River Highway. All bridges between town and the airport, which crossed the delta, were either destroyed or badly damaged while the roadway itself settled differentially and was cut with fissures. At the time of the earthquake, construction on the Copper River Highway route had advanced to the Allen River at Mile 59. A survey made just after the quake showed that nearly all of the smaller bridges between Mile 27 and Mile 49 along the Copper River Highway had collapsed and one span of the Million Dollar Bridge was in the river; forcing a re-examination of the entire project.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Twenty-eight years ago, the spring dawned bright for Cordova but once again, tragedy was about to strike our working fishing community. Focused marketing had built the Copper River Salmon’s reputation into an unheard of fish phenomenon. Prices were climbing through the roof and fishermen were rewarded for proper handling of their cargo. It couldn’t have been going much better that spring of 1989 – until the early morning hours of March 24th.That morning just after midnight, the tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef spilling 11 million gallons of North Slope crude oil and creating the largest environmental disaster in North American history at the time. Immediately following the grounding the response was slow, poorly coordinated and largely ineffective. Cleanup equipment was limited and not readily available. Then three days later, a storm hit, spreading the oil along 1,400 miles of shoreline.And no one knew what was to come after those first few days. During the next three years, approximately $2.2 billion would be spent on the cleanup and it involved 11,000 workers, 1,400 vessels and 85 aircraft.And for that, 3 percent — 11 percent of the oil was recovered.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
For the first twenty miles the Copper River and Northwestern Railway route followed old Eyak trails from the lake to Alaganic. Plenty of gravel was available from all the outwash in the glacial streams and the route was fairly flat so construction was relatively easy and the crews made good progress. The first 49 miles of the line which crossed over the delta of the Copper River contained more than 100 wooden trestles, some of considerable length. The longest was the Gilahina trestle that was wooden, 880 feet long and 90 feet above the river. Built during 1911 it required almost a half a million board feet of lumber. When the Railroad was completed in 1911, a distance of 196 miles, about 15 percent of the track was on bridges or trestles.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
For the first twenty miles the Copper River and Northwestern Railway route followed old Eyak trails from the lake to Alaganic. Plenty of gravel was available from all the outwash in the glacial streams and the route was fairly flat so construction was relatively easy and the crews made good progress. The first 49 miles of the line which crossed over the delta of the Copper River contained more than 100 wooden trestles, some of considerable length. The longest was the Gilahina trestle that was wooden, 880 feet long and 90 feet above the river. Built during 1911 it required almost a half a million board feet of lumber. When the Railroad was completed in 1911, a distance of 196 miles, about 15 percent of the track was on bridges or trestles.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Upper Odiak Slough before a railway trestle was built across it in the early 1900s
Photo courtesy of the Cordova Museum
The Cordova Historical Society and Museum are pleased to announce the opening of a unique and interactive exhibit now on display in the Copper River Gallery. Curated by Paula Payne, “The Stories You Tell” is based on an exhibit at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. Stories connect us to one another and help us make sense of our experiences. They can be funny, dramatic, sad, fact or fiction-based, perplexing, transforming, or confirming. So can works of art.
The “Stories You Tell” creates a space where visitors are invited and encouraged to respond to artworks by crafting their own stories. The staff of the Cordova Museum has chosen a number of very intriguing objects, photos and paintings from the Cordova Historical Society’s collection for you to view. Then you need to write and post a six-word story next to the object. Or you can riff on other visitors’ ideas for larger collaborative stories and then respond to artworks and stories using emojis.
The Stories You Tell creates a wonderful point of departure for getting to know, connecting ideas and narratives to some of the amazing works in your museum’s collection.
On display now through the end of March. Gallery hours: Wednesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
The next series of pictures we publish will be in association with the 2017 Iceworm Tail Clues, since we do LOVE history!The fourth clue was: “As the night lengthened, those old ghosts formalized their ideas – a $15 round trip flight from Anchorage to Cordova would include the crab feed in the price. The beard contest and the crowning of Miss Iceworm on the High School stage and the Ski Race? Why straight down Council Street of course”If you’ve been following along, you learned in the last article that Cordovan skiers were very creative and had put together an amazing ski jump that ran the length of Council Street the whole way to the waterfront. The police would even cooperate and block the little bit of traffic during special ski events.This clue should have you focused in on Council Street … and the public areas you might have searched would have included around Bidarki Rec Center, the parking lot/snow dump across from the Reluctant Fisherman and if you were really getting the gist of the clues down to the public waterfront area at the end of Council Street, which is of course, where the tail was found.The final clues would have led you closer and closer to the Reluctant Fisherman and the public waterfront area of Council Street! Thanks for playing and good luck next year!This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
All right, no complaining about shoveling snow or winter weather. Take a look at this photo from the archives. Yes, that’s a locomotive and a couple of train cars they are digging out! And you think brushing off your car is a pain! Rotary snowplows on the fronts of the engines sometimes could clear the tracks efficiently ... sometimes not.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Sometimes the work week starts out alright….and this week at the museum it did! Our first phone call of the week came from Sydney Calhoun, once a former resident of the Mile 7 Naval Radio Station called to ask about coming back to Cordova for a visit.
Mrs. Calhoun, now 88 recalled her first memories were of living at Mile 7. Her strong memories led us through a story of her brand-new tricycle falling off the wooden boardwalk that provided walkways over the swampy delta grounds. ‘I was sure,’ she said, ‘I would never see my trike again!’ Mrs. Calhoun and her sister Eve and two twin sisters lived at Mile 7 until 1933. We look forward to hearing and learning more about her time there when she visits Cordova!This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Following up on our visit with Mrs. Sydney Calhoun who is a former resident of the Mile 7 Naval Radio Station; here is another image of the Copper River and Northwest Railway Station loaded with families and personnel about to head into Cordova for a special day in town!Mrs. Calhoun, now 88 recalled her first memories were of living at Mile 7. We are looking forward to hearing more from Mrs. Calhoun as we correspond with her. The museum has many oral history recordings of folks who lived at Mile 7. In the new exhibit space, we plan to have tidbits of these so you can learn what life was like at the Naval Radio Station.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
The next series of pictures we publish will be in association with the 2017 Iceworm Tail Clues, since we do LOVE history!The first clue was: “The story goes that it was two old friends sitting up on bar stools, who dreamed up the very first Iceworm Festival. One of those ‘ghosts of the past’ was Merle K. “Mudhole Smith.”Supposedly the two ‘ghosts of the past’ who dreamt up the festival idea were Omar Wehr and Merle Smith. ‘Smitty’ as he was commonly known in Cordova took over Cordova Air Service after the death of M.J. Kirkpatrick. Soon there was service to all the remote canneries and gold camps of Prince William Sound and the interior. With the railroad gone, people needed transportation and Smitty set out to give it to them by air, even though it required a special faith and courage to make the necessary investments in those days when aviation was still in its infancy.This clue could have led you close to Smitty’s original home, a local watering hole or the city airstrip … It would have been impressive if you had found the tail on this first clue!Photo courtesy of the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Merle Smith, aka Smitty, on the city airstrip.
The next series of pictures we publish will be in association with the 2017 Iceworm Tail Clues, since we do LOVE history!The second clue was: “Those two old dudes wanted to have a mid-winter party for Cordova like Anchorage’s Fur Rendezvous. A crab feed, bowling tournament, beard contest and a ski race.”During the first Iceworm Festival, the Elks Lodge sponsored a crab feed which was included in the ticket price of $15 for a round trip flight from Anchorage to Cordova! The bowling tournament was a huge hit and teams came from outside Cordova to participate.This clue could have led you close to the Elks Lodge (Wells Fargo building), the Mt. Eyak Ski Area or the alleyways between the Prince William Motel and Nichols Front Door Store where the bowling alley used to be located. Again, it would have been impressive if you had found the tail with the first and second clue!This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society
The next series of pictures we publish will be in association with the 2017 Iceworm Tail Clues, since we do LOVE history!The third clue was: “The ideas kept flowing as they sat at the bar with their libations. The ski race, where could they hold that? The Golden Stairs? Tripod Hill?”Skiing was an incredibly important pastime in Cordova from the early 1920’s on. The Coast Guard crews stationed here, the Forest Service personnel and all the fisherman and other immigrants of Scandinavian heritage loved to ski. The CGC built the cabin at Tripod Hill and the Coast Guard had a warming hut as well.This clue could have led you to skiing areas, but the trick here is that Council Street was at one time one of the most popular ski areas in Cordova. A ski jump was created at the top of 4th and Council and folks would ski on down the hill. Again, it would have been impressive if you had found the tail but this might have gotten you focused in on Council Street…if you were in the know!This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
And on this day before Christmas Eve, we share a photo of a snowy Christmas Eve in Cordova circa 1920, looking as pretty as it is today, although it is a nighttime picture and not the best quality the view is looking southwest down Main Street. On the right-hand side of the picture you can just make out the First Bank of Cordova, which now houses Lures Salon and Spa and beyond that the Union Hall and the Lathrop Building which now houses Wells Fargo.
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Virginia Lacy’s grandmother Matrona was half Russian and half Aleut. She was born in Nuchek, in Constantine Harbor, some 50 miles from Cordova, and was one of the daughters of Chief Makari Chimoviski.
Photo courtesy of City of Cordova Museum
Look at this elegant holiday party taking place in Cordova circa 1930s. The wallpaper or mural is reason enough to delve deeper into this photo from our past. We recognize Will Chase sitting at the left-hand side of the table with the bow tie. Whom do you recognize? Do you know the location of this lovely dinner event? Stop by the museum and take a closer look if you would like. Maybe this was in the elegant Windsor Hotel?
Photo is courtesy of the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Cordova’s first city hall was an old wooden structure that dated back to 1935, but conveniently housed the administration, civil defense, fire and police departments, as well as the local gymnasium. This picture shows the Volunteer Fire Department.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Recently the City of Cordova Port and Harbor hosted a booth at the 2016 Fish Expo in Seattle. Not only is it a great opportunity to share information about Cordova’s 150 travel lift and our growing shipyard but it’s an excellent opportunity to meet former Cordovans.On Nov. 17, city staff met Dan Ayers, whose father served on the Coast Guard Cutter the Haida in 1936 and 1937. While, he was very young during his time in Cordova, Dan did recall how there were often festive dances held on the Haida. A gala event for many Cordovans.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
During the early days in Cordova, there was a small gold rush to Shushana and Cordova was the starting point for those gold seekers. Some enterprising folks started impromptu games of chance and luck for anyone willing to spare a little of that hard-earned gold. Look close at this photo – there’s a lot of detail and the attire of all is interesting to observe.Photo courtesy of the Cordova Historical Society.
Clamming began in the mid-teens with the opening of the Lighthouse Canning and Packing Co., quickly followed by G.P. Halferty who completed a two-line cannery in 1916. Together these plants heralded the commencement of the Alaska razor clam industry. In 1916, 35 diggers dug nearly half a million pounds of clams and 1917, which was the peak for the industry, 135 diggers unburied three and a half million pounds of razor clams.
Photo courtesy of Cordova Historical Society.
Cordova had a lot going on in the roaring ’20s, but no air service until 1929, when the first airplane, a Gorst Air Loening amphibious plane piloted by Clayton Scott, flew in from Juneau. The plane, named ‘Alaskan’ was greeted by steam whistles, sirens and bells, ringing as Cordovans came down to the dock. Scott stayed for a time in Cordova, providing flights to residents, service to Valdez and even performing a marriage aloft. Here the plane is docked near the spit at Nirvana Park.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
The history of formal schooling in Alaska is really two stories. One covers the origins and development of schools for those – mostly Euro-Americans – who have immigrated into the country during the last 250 years. The other story is about the education and institutions for the Native population of Alaska. These stories intertwine in CordovaIn Cordova, during this early time period, a Native school was created in a converted apartment house across from the ballpark. It had living quarters at each end of a large room used for school purposes. Myra McDonald was the first Bureau of Indian Affairs teacher in Cordova. She and her fellow teacher Margaret Harper O’Farrel, had about 30 pupils. The younger children were taught at one end of the room and the older ones in the other end.By 1927 a new Bureau of Indian Affairs school was built in Eyak or the Old Town area. In the new school there were two rooms. Myra McDonald taught there until 1932.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Cordova’s first school perched high on the crest of Browning Avenue. This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Here’s a great image of Cordova’s past. Taken over 100 years ago, this photo shows “Old Town” once known as Eyak and then Odiak it was where our community first started out. This image was probably taken close to where Center Drive is located today. The tram tracks ran through the middle of the street and were used to push carts of salmon from Lake Eyak to the canneries on Odiak Slough. Wooden boardwalks were the sidewalk of the day and if you look closely you can see Cordova Drug in the background. There’s even a dog hiding in the this photo….can you find it?This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
The push for conservation by President Theodore Roosevelt led to the establishment of the Chugach National Forest surrounding the Cordova area, over 6 million acres. Forest Service employees spent years in Cordova with their families, maintaining lengthy relationships with the community. The Cordova office had a gas-powered vessel, the Chugach. The Chugach was one of the largest of the Forest Service vessels in Alaska; 60 feet long with a 14-foot beam and sleeping accommodations for eight in the bow, a four-berth stateroom, three berths in the salon and one berth in the pilothouse. The Chugach operated year-round throughout Prince William Sound carrying out a myriad of tasks such as scaling timber, administering permits for fox farm, clam cabins, trapping cabins and transporting Civilian Conservation Corps to work camps.Today’s photo comes to you courtesy of the Cordova Historical Society and Museum collection.
At the turn of the century, the Alaska Packers Association and Alaska Syndicate were powerful entities based out of San Francisco that owned nearly all the canneries in Alaska and canned 85% of the statewide salmon pack. These operations dominated by non-residents; fished Alaska waters with short-sighted aggressiveness. They consolidated to keep prices paid to fisherman low and lease prices high; leased the boats, owned the fish traps and canneries and controlled the shipping of salmon to the west coast markets. In short the Packers and Syndicate monopolized the fisheries.Photo Courtesy of the Cordova Historical Society — preserving Cordova’s past for the future.
It’s not Texas! This is our neighboring community of Chitina, up the Copper River and the photograph was likely taken in the early 1900’s. Chitina was a railroad junction town, even though the railroad was never extended to Fairbanks, the Copper River and Northwestern remained, until the Alaska Railroad was completed in 1923, the only route to the Interior other than the government wagon road out of Valdez.
Chitina was reached by rail in October of 1910 and immediately sprang into life as a small and bustling Alaskan City. In November, the Chitina-Tonsina road was completed and the Orr Stage Lines soon inaugurated wagon service. Matched teams of six white horses met the northbound trains from Cordova and carried passengers and freight on into the Interior. Mail contracts were let the same month. The Hotel Chitina, one of the finest hostelries in early Alaska, was finished in November and was advertised as ready to serve interior travelers.
And the cattle, well….you tell us?
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Here’s a photo from the archives that captures an early view of the City airport with some summertime strollers. The first plane landed in Cordova in 1929 and from that point on Cordovans were hooked on flight service! In 1934, Cordova dedicated its city airstrip. The landing field parallel to the lake was great for wheeled planes, pontoons and in the winter the freezing lake made it perfect for skis.
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Recently the Society published a photo of the M/V Chugach, the US Forest Service’s original ranger boat in Prince William Sound. The Cordova Historical Society recently completed a proposal to the US Forest Service to bring the M/V Chugach home to port in Cordova. Ellen Jacobsen Blendheim, of Vashon Island, Washington got wind of the proposal and called to talk!Ellen, who will turn 93 next month, grew up in Cordova where her father Earl Jacobsen was the Forest Service District Ranger when the Chugach arrived. Ellen said, “At home, Mama was the boss, but on the boat, Dad was in in charge.” Ellen reflected on how life in Cordova was so safe, warm and wonderful and how she cherished growing up here. This photo shows Ellen and her sister and some other Forest Service children at their beautiful CCC constructed home on the hill.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
The Rasmuson Foundation Board and staff members recently visited Cordova and toured our community. As a part of their onsite visit they gifted Cordova a $25,000 grant for use in the development and restoration of Nirvana Park.
Here’s a photo of Nirvana Park from the 1930s when local Henry Feldman was in love with the special place he called “Heaven.” Feldman devoted years of his life to building fountains, gazebos, bridges, statues and fancy gates to make the already special place a true delight.
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Since it’s the fishing season, we thought we’d throw out a couple of boat pictures to bring back some memories. There is very little in the archives about the boats that fished our waters. Take a good look at this line up of handsome vessels … do you know anything about them? If so, stop by the museum and tell us more! We’re open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
During the summer 118 years ago, the cannery at Orca and was visited by the Harriman American expedition. Harriman’s journal detailed their visit: “The idea of stretching their legs on solid ground appealed to most of the expeditioners [sic] and several boats were soon splashing through the water toward town. Dominated by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company’s salmon cannery, Orca boasted three buildings and the foul odor of rotting fish. For miles along the coastline discarded salmon heads and fins littered the ocean lending the water an oily look. About two hundred Chinese laborers worked long hours in the cannery and [naturalist John] Muir sadly shook his head at the sight of the men brought up from San Francisco to work for low wages. ‘Men in this business,’ he wrote, ‘are themselves canned.’ ”
This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
Regular contact between the Chugach and Europeans was established in 1791 when the Russians set up a permanent Russian trading post, called Fort Constantine near the Chugach native village of Nuchek on Hinchinbrook Island. The primary motivation for the Russian presence was the acquisition of furs, especially sea otter, for the thriving markets in Asia and Europe. Nuchek became the focus for this trade, not only with the Chugach, but also with the Tlingit to the southeast, and the Ahtna and Eyak of the Copper River area. The Russians forced local inhabitants of the Sound and elsewhere to work as hunters. Native males between the ages of 18 and 50 were required to work for the Russian American Company for three years. Women were required to dry fish and gather materials needed by the company. After the sale of the Alaska Territory to the United States in 1867, the trading company at Nuchek was taken over by the Alaska Commercial Company.This photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society.
There were two labor forces in the early Alaskan fishing industry – the fishermen and the cannery workers. Unfortunately, cannery work offered few opportunities for the local labor force as the Alaska Packers Association and the Alaska Syndicate had a pool of cheap immigrant labor in the ports of Seattle and San Francisco. Shipped off to Alaskan canneries, the workers, upon disembarking would learn that the price of their passage and their room and board would be deducted from their wages. Clothing and equipment could be purchased at the company store on credit along with other necessary items.This crew worked at Northern Lights Packing Company which was located on Eyak River. Today’s photo came from the archives and collections of the Cordova Historical Society – preserving the past for Cordova’s future!
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