“Alaska Story Time with Aunt Phil” back on television on Monday mornings! I’m so excited that Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA Channel 11 asked me to start doing my Alaska history show again.
The first episode aired last week. We talked about the popular Delaney Park, which served the residents of Anchorage as a firebreak in 1915, an airstrip in the 1920s and a golf course before becoming a space where people can picnic, play sports and just enjoy being outdoors.
Click here to watch Delaney Park segment
This week we traveled to Whittier and shared the story of Anton Anderson. The chief engineer for the Alaska Railroad led the charge blasting 2.5 miles through Maynard Mountain in the early 1940s to connect the deep-water port of Whittier to the main railroad so America’s military could deliver soldiers and supplies to Anchorage. Cars and trains now run through that tunnel.
Click here to watch Whittier Tunnel segment
Anderson, who arrived in Ship Creek in 1915 (which became Anchorage), helped engineer many of the routes that the Alaska Railroad still runs today. And with company coming from Michigan this week, my husband and I will be sending our friends on trips along those rails.
Hope you all are enjoying the beginning of your summers as much as we are having fun in the warm Alaska sun!