Even President Warren Harding became one of Cordova’s visitors in the booming era of resource extraction. During his 1923 visit to Alaska, Harding arrived via steamship and traveled on the Copper River and Northwest Railway to see Childs and Miles Glaciers, where the secret service men fired their guns in an effort to make the glacier calve. The president also spoke to the gathering of Cordovans from their newly built bandstand placed at the end of First Street adjacent to the community’s World War I memorial flag pole and cannon. The memorial honored those Cordovan veterans who had lost their lives in battle. Unfortunately, President Harding also succumbed to illness just three days after visiting the territory.
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. Tuesday through Friday from and noon until 5 p.m. Saturdays.
