Volume 47, No. 1 !uarterly of the Alaska Historical Society Spring 2019 crowell2/189dancers_lg.jpg https://www-tc.pbs.org/harriman/images/log/lectures/ FACING OUR HISTORY September 25-28.2019, Kodiak, Alaska —.— Alaska Historical Society Annual Conference KodiakIsland mask from Les masques de la Pinart. Alphonse collection Call for Papers Winter hunting ceremony on Kodiak Island, 18th century. Illustration by Mark Matson. Courtesy of the Arctic Studies Center. he theme for the 2019 conference of the Alaska Historical Society is “Facing our History.” Many of the events subjected to historical inquiry may be interpreted in very different ways. While some historians may represent T ǡ ϐ ǡǡ Ǥ of Kodiak Island, for example, involves many such events, including the subjugation of the Alutiiq people in the Russian colonial period, the American military rule prior to statehood, the effects of the Aleutian Campaign of World War II, and the Exxon Valdezǯ ϐǤ ǯϐ ǡ ϐ Ǥϐ disturbing history. Ǥ ǡ Ǥǡǯ ǤǤ ǯ ǯ ǡͳ͹ͺͶ massacre of perhaps thousands of Alutiiq people on the south end of Kodiak Island at the hands of Russian fur trader ǯǤǤ Giinaquq, Like a Face: Sugpiaq Masks of the Kodiak Archipelago. Please join us in Kodiak this September. As always, we welcome presentations on all Alaska history topics. ʹͲǡ Ǥ proposal, please send your presentation title, an abstract of no more than 100 words, and two sentences about yourself to Rachel Mason, Program Chair, [email protected]. Proposals are due May 15, 2019. "History never really says goodbye. History says, 'See you later.'" —Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist Message from the President "The tale is the product of the teller." History, at its most basic, is an account of past events. Preparing history involves collecting and interpreting the available fragments of information to develop an argument about the past. History, however, is not science– ȋȌǤ philosophical and cultural ideas in interpreting them. ǡǡ Ǥ Ǥ seems obvious, but it has immense consequences when it comes to thinking about history. Every historical account is as ϐǡǡǡǡǡ ǡǤ ǡ Ǥ ȂȂ of the historian. ʹͲͳͻ Dz Ǥdzϐ ǡϐ Ǥ ϐ Ǥ ϐ Ǥ events from other points of view. ǡ Ǥ ǤǯǡǨ Ǥ —Averil Lerman, President 2 Alaska History News Notes from Local Historical Societies Alaska Law Enforcement Museum in Juneau-Douglas City Museum has downtown Anchorage, also known as the an energetic group of knowledgeable and ǡ ǡ Ǥ ϐ Ǥ ʹͲͳͺǯǡ Ǥ ǡ ǡ Ǥ ǡͶ͵ǡ have exhibits on marshals, the highway patrol, Dzdz territorial and state police, state and wildlife walking tour, and many shifts at the front troopers, women, and more—including Safety desk, the museum was able to offer visitors Ǥ If anyone one is interested in volunteering or being an intern, please contact Harnett at ͻͲ͹Ǥʹ͹ͻǤͷͲͷͲ[email protected]. ! Next to the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, the "Historical photographs tell Ancestors’ Memorial Park is taking shape. many of the stories [at the ǡ Alaska Law Enforcement Museum]. !ey start the the City of Kodiak, will honor Alutiiq history, minute you walk in the door encourage respect of archaeological sites, and with the mug shot* and invite all people to remember their ancestors. arrest record of actor Steve Mc"ueen, who got busted It is another reason to attend the Alaska for doing "brodies" in an Historical Society and Museums Alaska Oldsmobile Toronado in annual conference that will be held this year downtown Anchorage in 1972. Mc"ueen, with a ding on his ǡʹͷǦʹͺǤ nose, is looking mighty ragged a#er his night on the town here, a raggedness exceeded only by his seismographic with Alutiiq heritage, and offer a taste of signature." its exhibits, the museum has been testing —Anchorage Daily News the Mobile Museum, a tent full of Alutiiq and locals alike a variety of interesting artifacts and treasures from the museum’s learning experiences. In November, George "My recollection is that teaching collection. While patrons learn Dz Mc"ueen was roaring up and down 4th Avenue at very high about the different eras of Alutiiq history, Construction of Glacier Highway,” based on speed and turning brodies— ϐ 260 photographs taken between 1911 and drunker than hell. It was not Ǥ ʹͲͳͺ ͳͻͶ͵Ǥ ǡ just a time or two—he really raised hell for quite a while. ǡ an exhibit entitled Plein Rein on Location When they did $nally get him Native Corporation’s annual meeting, and a with Sydney Laurenceʹ͵Ǧ stopped they administered number of schools and cultural celebrations paintings by local artists and three by Sydney a $eld sobriety test, and he somersaulted down the white around Kodiak Island. Laurence. Plein-air is a style of outdoor line. Once they got him arrested it was a pretty good time— nasqulut. In Ǣ sort of an autograph party in handcu%s." the past, Alutiiq people made good use of painters in the plein-air style. —Lynn Burlingamet this giant brown seaweed, using it as food, ! to bail boats, and to make line. Kelp pickles Ketchikan’s Tongass Historical Museum *A mug shot is a photographic portrait can still be found in many Alutiiq kitchens. opened a new exhibit, Solving Problems, Telling of a person from the waist up, typically taken after arrest. The original purpose Kelp is the subject of a traveling exhibit, Stories: Handcraft in a Harsh Environment, on of the image was to provide law Underwater Forests of the Aleutians, at the ͳǤǡǡ enforcement with a visual record of an DUUHVWHGLQGLYLGXDOIRULGHQWLÀFDWLRQE\ ǤǦ regalia, and stained class, along with other YLFWLPVWKHSXEOLFDQGLQYHVWLJDWRUV examines the life history of Alaska’s kelp objects made by hand throughout Ketchikan’s However, in the United States, HQWUHSUHQHXUVKDYHUHFHQWO\EHJXQWR forests, their importance to sea mammals Ǥ PRQHWL]HWKHVHSXEOLFUHFRUGVYLDWKH ϐǡǯ Ǥ ϐ ǡ PXJVKRWSXEOLVKLQJLQGXVWU\0XJ (QJOLVKVODQJIRUIDFHGDWLQJWRWK A team of scientists developed the exhibit but also on what is created to make a home century. in partnership with the Museum of the and community, and to explore how this work Aleutians with funding from the National ties people to ancestors and descendants. Science Foundation. It will at the Alutiiq ǡ Museum through April 6. making and doing. Alaska History News 3 Notes from Local Historical Societies Tongass Historical Society held its annual meeting 25thBagheera on their Arctic ͳ͹Ǥǡ ǡ sailing adventure, and at their March 6th annual meeting was a presentation about his recent book, Alaska’s Inside Passage: followed by stories around the topic of “the slime line.” Nature, History, Native Culture, Industries. ! ȋǣ±Ȍ Ǥ splitting the big waters at the south end of Kuiu Island in and volunteers are working to make repairs and building Southeast Alaska, and the location of an historic lighthouse. Ǥ For the past 21 years, volunteers in the Cape Decision ǯϐ Lighthouse Society have worked to make the site safer Ǥ and more hospitable, and to create an environment that for exhibit ideas and asks folks to visit their website and on Ǥ ʹͲͳͺǡǯ the exhibit page share ideas, www.sitkamaritime.orgǤ Ikkatsu Project brought volunteers from Washington State society has put videos of past annual meetings and oral to clean up and monitor marine debris on the beach near the ǡǡ lighthouse. It was a great adventure for everyone involved. and Women in Fishing on its website as well. Check it out at ǣȀȀǤ ǤǤ ! Historical Commission just funded a project for Skagway- Cook Inlet Historical Society’sϐ based conservator Nicole Peters to assess and recommend ǣ preservation treatments for the iconic Lantern Room atop ǡ ǡ the lighthouse’s tower. Dz ǫ ! and Alaska’s Economy.” In March, Ross Coen will speak on ͵ͲǡʹͲͳͺǦ ǡͳͺͺͻǦͳͻʹͶǢ Eagle River particularly hard, the Chugiak-Eagle River Historical Society ran an article in their newsletter from the about the Alaska constitution and resource development; Knik Arm Courierͳǡͳͻ͸Ͷǡ and in May, Larry Persily will speak on the efforts to develop ͳͻ͸Ͷ Ǥ a North Slope gas pipeline. other Alaska cities, the Courier reported, the Greater Chugiak ! ǤǦ Resurrection Bay Historical Society in Seward building was apparently the Eagle River School, where the ʹͲͳͺǡ walls of the multipurpose room cracked and leaned inward Leslie Fried. Leslie Ǥ worked at the Alaska a call for volunteers to help a few hours a month, and for Ǥ̈́ͳͷȀǡ̈́ʹͷȀǡ years as its curator. In ǡǤǤ͸͹Ͳͷ͹͵ǡǡ November, Marie Gage ͻͻͷ͸͹Ǥ ͻͲ͹ǤʹͶʹǤͳ͸ʹ͹Ǥ spoke to the society on ! Seward’s Woodlawn Palmer Historical Society holds History Night, Cemetery, where notable an evening of entertainment and history, on the third Seward resident and town ͹ founder Mary Lowell p.m. PHS kicked off the new year with a combined History is buried. Audience ͳ͸Ǥ members were aghast to shared his latest mountain climbing adventures in the Stok learn the grave marker for Ǥ Lowell is nowhere to be by author Helen Hegener talking about Palmer, the old town found. A few years ago, a of Matanuska, the Matanuska coal region, with a side trip to City of Seward employee Wasilla. Helen’s books include The 1935 Matanuska Colony offered to take Lowell’s and The Alaska Railroad: 1902-1923, Blazing an Iron Trail gravestone to Anchorage Across the Last Frontier. to get an estimate for !e "Angel" of Woodawn Cemetery, ! repairs. Now, it appears Seward, Alaska. Sitka Maritime Heritage Society that no one knows its Ǥ location. Marie checked shared his experiences sailing on the Grays Harbor Historical ǡ ϐ Seaport’s tall ship Lady WashingtonʹͲͳͺǤ answers as to the whereabouts of the marker. 4 Alaska History News Other Notes Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association Alaska Native Media Group is sponsoring a series (AMIPA) is planning a Historic Aviation Footage Film of panel discussions at UAA on the Alaska Native Claims Ǥͳǡ ǡDz ͵ͲǤϐ – A New Generation.” Panel 2, in February, was “Where ǡǡ ǫdz ʹͻǡ͹ǣͲͲȂͺǣ͵ͲǤǤǡ ǡ ϐ ͳͲͳ ǡ͵Dz The Queen of Dago Lake, and rare footage taken by the CAA Ǥdz Ǥǡ ͳͻ͵ͲǡͳͻͶͲǡͳͻͷͲǤϐ ǢǤǡ Ǥ ǢǡǤ """s### Commissioner of Health and Social Services for the State of Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Alaska.