Anchorage 100 Lecture Series

Under the banner “Celebrating a Century of Anchorage History,” the Anchorage 100 lecture series features Friday evening talks by a number of local experts now through April 26. Here are the remaining lectures in the series. The series is hosted at UAA’s Chugiak-Eagle River Campus at the Eagle River Center Building, Room 150. All lectures begin at 6:30 pm and are open to the public.

Friday, February 22

“Captain Cook in Alaska and the North Pacific,” Jim Barnett

Jim Barnett is an attorney and former deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of National Resources and elected member of the Anchorage Municipal Assembly. He currently serves as the longtime president of the Cook Inlet Historical Society. Jim will be discussing his latest book, Captain Cook in Alaska and the North Pacific.

Friday, March 1

“A Salmon Cannery in Cook Inlet,” Katie Ringsmuth

Katie Ringsmuth is a historian with the National Park Service and a history instructor at UAA in Eagle River. She will be discussing the history of a Cook Inlet salmon fishery and the multicultural and mixed gender cannery crews who labored within it. The lecture provides an overview of her book, Beacon on the Forgotten Shore: Snug Harbor Cannery, 1919-1980.

Friday, March 8

“From Tents to Towers: Anchorage’s Built History,” Jo Antonson

Jo Antonson is Alaska’s State Historian, assistant State Historic Preservation Officer, and Executive Director of the Alaska Historical Society. She is the author of numerous articles and co-wrote the textbook, Alaska’s Heritage. Jo will be discussing how Anchorage evolved from a railroad construction camp to Alaska’s urban center.

Friday, March 29

“Attu Boy and the Lost Villagers project,” Rachel Mason

During WWII, Attu village residents were captured by the Japanese and taken to Hokkaido, where they were held prisoner. Dr. Rachel Mason, a cultural anthropologist at the National Park Service, will talk about her collaboration with Mr. Nick Golodoff, who was taken prisoner by the Japanese when he was six years old, and the compilation of their book, Attu Boy.

Friday April 12

“Anchorage and the 1964 Earthquake,” Kristen Crossen

Dr. Kristine Crossen is the head of the Geology Department at UAA. She teaches numerous classes that explain how geology shapes the northern landscape, and how those geological features and forces influence the course of Alaska’s human history. Dr. Crossen’s lecture will look at how Alaska’s largest recorded earthquake transformed Anchorage nearly 50 years ago.

Friday, April 26

“The Dena’ina of Cook Inlet,” Karen Evanoff

Karen Evanoff is the editor of the book Dena’ina Elnena: a Celebration, Voices of the Dena’ina, a linguistic and cultural treasure trove of Dena’ina history. She grew up in the Lake Clark / Lake Iliamna region of southwest Alaska, but currently resides in Eagle River where she works as the cultural anthropologist for Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.