SEWARD JOURNEY

We leisurely continue south on Seward Hwy to the end of the 130mile trip from Anchorage. It is a most beautiful trip all the way. We pass by the large and serene Kenai Lake after crossing the mountain pass at Summit.

We go through another deep snow area and pretty lake at MOOSE PASS. You can tell by the name it has many moose!

We drive along a salmon spawning creek,through canyons and a river on to SEWARD which is located on RESURRECTION BAY and the end or actually the beginning of the Seward highway.

*The Alaska Railroad is a nice way to travel this route if you don't wish to drive.*

Alexander Baranov, a Russian fur trader and explorer was sailing from Kodiak Island to Yakutat in 1792. He discovered this bay and found shelter from a large storm. As this was on the Russian SUNDAY OF RESURRECTION he named this *Resurrection Bay*

Seward was named after Secretary of State William Seward. He negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. This 'deal' became called *Seward's Folly*

In the 1890s,Capt.Frank Lowell and his family came to live here. In 1903 some people came to establish construction of a railroad.

Seward was incorporated in 1912 and the Alaska Railroad was constructed between 1915 to 1923. By 1960,Seward was a major ocean terminus and supply center. It was the largest community on the Kenai Peninsula.

On Good Friday,March 27,1964

Alaska was hit with the 9.2 *Great earthquake*. It created huge tsunami waves in Resurrection Bay. The Railroad terminal was destroyed and several people were killed. Many boats and homes were destroyed. The city is now moved from the head of the bay to the side-hill area.

*True story*

A friend of mine was in a small fishing boat when the earthquake and tidal waves [tsunamis] hit Seward. His friend was with him. The huge wave caught and carried their boat out with it. As they rushed by the hillside, his friend grabbed a treelimb and held on as the boat went out with the wave with my friend in it. As the wave came back into the bay, this man in the tree was able to drop back into the boat as it went by him. Both men and this boat survived and got back to shore. Other boats on the bay then were never seen again.

The *Alaska Sealife Center*opened in May 1998. It has wonderful sealife and experimental preservation methods.

The *Chugach Heritage Center*is close by and holds many wonderfully interesting attractions.

The 4th of July is a rollicking day in Seward. It is a 'mad dash' race up a rocky 3,022 ft *Mt.Marathon*[on left side of photo] If it rains it is also very muddy and slippery! The public race is open to everyone that dares..from about age 12 to ??? It was officially started as a tradition in 1915.

The annual *SILVER SALMON DERBY* is held in Seward . People come from all over to catch the largest salmon. The first prize is well worth the effort!

Wonderful boat excursions are available from Seward through Resurrection Bay and on through the *KENAI FJORDS* National Park.

There will be seen many seabirds,whales,dolphins,sealions,puffins,otters and glaciers calving into the sea. The Kenai Fjords are the seaward ends of the Kenai Mountains that are slipping into the sea, dragged by the collision of two tectonic plates.

*The 1964 Good Friday earthquake dropped this shoreline SIX FEET IN ONE DAY!

We leave beautiful Seward to the local folks as we travel on~

Click on the license to move on!

"You might be an Alaskan if..Your idea of a traffic jam is to wait to pass 10 campers on the highway."