Department of the Interior.Īs the westernmost Aleutian Island, Attu was directly in the path of 18th century Russian fur hunters as they invaded their way east.
From Attu to Admiralty Island, there are place names that recall some of the darkest points in Alaska Native histories, moments that should never be forgotten.įrom 'Dictionary of Alaska Place Names" by Donald J. This is particularly true for the many Alaska place names that directly refer to tragedies experienced by Alaska Natives. A short moniker, like the name of a bay or beach, can be both accurate and fail to offer a true understanding of what took place at that location so many years ago. However, some of these ominous place names obscure the extent of their horrific inspirations. The 1954 United States Coast Pilot notes that Deadman Sands on Kvichak Bay is so named because “a number of fisherman have been lost when trapped by the tides.” Coast and Geodetic Survey field party witnessed a fatal “fight between a whale and killer whale” in a cove southeast of Seward, they named the location Killer Bay. When prospector Joe McGahy was discovered dead in a stream northwest of Wiseman, the waterway became known as Deadman Creek. Deadman’s Slough in Fairbanks is named after the 1904 murder of fisherman Jacob Jaconi along its banks. Some Alaska place names suggest more bloody origins that, again, often prove literal in origin. Moose Pass on the Kenai Peninsula is named after the incident when a mail carrier struggled to pass an ornery moose. “Chanshtnu” translates to “grassy creek,” a direct description. The “Chester” in Chester Creek is a mangled version of Chanshtnu, the stream’s Dena’ina name. Anchorage is so named because it was a safe place to anchor ships, an actual anchorage. Many Alaska place names, those not named after individuals, have surprisingly straightforward, even literal origins. Have a question about Anchorage history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story.
#Anchorage daily news series
Part of a continuing weekly series on local history by local historian David Reamer.
Remnants of a dock at Massacre Bay on Attu Island in the Aleutians.
0 kommentar(er)
