History

History of the Port of Alaska (Port of Anchorage)

A new window on the waterfront history of Anchorage is now available: over 500 pages of photographs, articles, brochures, ads, and graphics documenting the maritime history of Port of Anchorage. Digitized from two oversized folios of clippings, this is the only complete and continuous maritime history of Anchorage spanning three decades—the 1950s through the 1980s:

• Construction of the ocean terminal
• 1964 earthquake
• Cargo container revolution
• Intermodal transportation system
• Oil pipeline years
• Arrivals and departures of noteworthy vessels like the USS ALASKA, ALASKA STANDARD, GREATLAND, ANCHORAGE

This era defined the massive change of the port from stevedored cargo to the container ship age; the creation of fuel tank docks to support the modern airport; and the storage of construction materials like cement that made the commercial expansion of Anchorage possible. Hundreds of Alaskans from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds built the docks of Anchorage and worked offloading the staples of economic growth. In 1964, the largest earthquake in Alaska history destroyed the Port of Seward, a major shipping hub, but did not damage the new Anchorage dock and port significantly. After the disaster, the Port of Anchorage grew into the intermodal transportation hub that today supplies most of Alaskans with bread and milk, gas and oil.

This is the story of the growth of the Port of Anchorage.

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Port of Anchorage Historical Folios

Click on the section below to view individual pages or use the search-box to search all historical documents.

Folio #1 1958 – 1968

Section 1: 1958 – 1962
Section 2: 1962 – 1964
Section 3: 1965 – 1966
Section 4: 1966 – 1968

Folio #2 1969 – 1989

Section 1: 1969 – 1972
Section 2: 1972 – 1976
Section 3: 1977 – 1982
Section 4: 1982 – 1989