Russ Merrill, Alaska Aviation Pioneer
He was a graduate of Cornell University and a World War I Navy pilot.
Did you know that his flying time, in Alaska, was only four years? If you look across Cook Inlet at the Alaska Range, you’ll be looking at Merrill Pass.
Meet Russian Jack
Well, as you might have heard, Russian Jack was a scoundrel, and the local citizens decided not to elect him Mardi Gras King.
Early Pioneer Ladies and Mosquitos
The good ol’ summer in early Anchorage brought with it a special problem for ladies.
Those early pioneer ladies used to wrap newspapers around their legs, wear leather gloves, and even nets over their heads to protect them from… you guessed it. Mosquitoes.
Martha “Babe” White
On April 24, 1915, Martha White, the daughter of “Mother White,” drove the first spike on the Alaska Railroad at Ship Creek Flats.
Joe Spenard Did What?
You’ve probably heard that the town of Spenard and Spenard Lake are named after a flamboyant character named Joe Spenard.
Joe talked an early Anchorage club into helping him create a road from tent city to the area now known as Spenard.
His purpose was to cut trees in the area and transport them back to the citizens of Anchorage as they began building their community.
But the forested area was actually the Chugach National Forest Reserve, and cutting down trees was prohibited. Apparently, Joe did not get caught.
BONUS
To learn more, take a look at the following Joe Spenard video.
From Our North Stars (that’s you)
Pat has this memory:
“The Army told me I would serve in Anchorage, Alaska, even though I had written that my top three duty station selections were “Hawaii”.
I served at Fort Richardson and spent more time in town than most of the others I served with.
One night I met Ron Moore, the Anchorage radio personality known as The Royal Coachman, at a dance in Carpenter Hall. I was so impressed with his ability to speak, his selection of music and his overall gentlemanly demeanor, that one night I ask if he would recommend a broadcast school where I could train to go into radio broadcasting.
I eventually chose one of the schools he recommended and ended up becoming a radio announcer”
Connect with Mike and Mary
Can you imagine what it was like in 1915, when people from all over the world began coming to the mouth of Ship Creek to build what would become Anchorage, Alaska?
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Until Next Time
Mike and Mary
Anchorage Memories Club