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This Week In Alaska History 11/21-11/28
- Alaska Means Business
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
This Week in Alaska History: November 21–28
November 21, 1993 Chief Walter Northway Passes Away at Age 117
Athabascan elder and traditional chief Walter Northway died in the village that bears his name. Born in 1876, he was one of the last Alaskans to live a full traditional subsistence life before major roads and air travel reached the region. He hunted, trapped, fished, and crafted snowshoes, and served as a respected leader of the Upper Tanana people. The village of Northway was established in 1942 and named in his honor. Hundreds attended his funeral to honor his life and his core teaching: “Do not ignore each other.”
November 22, 1964 Major Aftershock from the Great Alaska Earthquake
A magnitude 7.2 aftershock struck Southcentral Alaska, one of many large tremors that continued for months after the March 27, 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake (magnitude 9.2). The ongoing seismic activity caused additional damage to already weakened buildings in Anchorage, Seward, and Valdez, and kept residents on edge throughout the year.
November 23, 1903 Fairbanks’ First Community Thanksgiving
Miners and residents of Fairbanks celebrated the camp’s first Thanksgiving after two steamboats arrived with desperately needed food supplies just before river freeze-up. The previous summer had brought food shortages severe enough that many considered abandoning the new gold-rush town. The timely delivery of flour, bacon, beans, and other goods allowed the settlement to survive the winter and grow.
November 24, 1947 Freighter Clarksdale Victory Wrecked on Hippa Island
The Liberty ship Clarksdale Victory ran aground on Hippa Island in British Columbia while en route from Seattle to Alaska with 8,000 tons of cargo. All 42 crew members reached shore safely. The wreck broke up in heavy weather, scattering cargo along the beach, some of which was later salvaged for use in Alaska.
November 25, 1955 Alaska Constitutional Convention Continues Work
Delegates to the Alaska Constitutional Convention, meeting at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, continued drafting the document that would become the Alaska State Constitution. On this date the convention was in its later phases, refining articles on natural resources, local government, and individual rights before final adoption in February 1956.
November 26, 1867 First Bill to Organize Alaska as a Territory Introduced in Congress
A bill to provide civil government for the new Territory of Alaska was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, just seven months after the Alaska Purchase. Although the bill did not pass immediately, it marked the beginning of federal efforts to establish law and administration in Alaska, which had been under military rule since the 1867 transfer from Russia.
November 27, 1886 Murder of Missionary Bishop John Schwegler on the Yukon River
Missionary Bishop John Charles Schwegler was killed by trapper Frank Fuller aboard a Hudson’s Bay Company boat near Fort Yukon. Fuller was later arrested and tried. The incident highlighted the dangers and isolation faced by early missionaries and travelers in the Yukon basin during the late 19th century.
November 28, 1943 Alaska Highway Officially Opened to Military Traffic
The 1,387-mile Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction, Alaska, was declared open for military use. Built in just eight months by U.S. Army engineers and civilian contractors, the road provided a vital overland supply route to Alaska during World War II and later opened to civilian travel in 1948.
