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Museum
Historic Exhibits
The
permanent exhibits on display reflect the history of Valdez and the Prince
William Sound Region from its earliest days when Native Americans
first occupied the area to the present day. Following, is a brief
visual tour of our Museum. We hope you enjoy it and look forward
to seeing you in person when you visit Valdez!
From
the gold rush of 1898 to the pipeline days of the 1970's you can re-live
the past and experience the present of Valdez. Visit the Valdez Museum
and learn about the history of this dynamic town.
They
came for gold
Thousands
of would-be prospectors passed through Port Valdez during 1897-98 to use
the All-American Route to the Klondike Gold Fields. Hundreds of these
transients in search of riches stayed here and formed a booming little
town at the head of the bay. Endure the difficulties of the
trail and that first long winter through various quotes and photographs
from those early days.
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Our
miner's cabin is an approximate representation of what a typical prospector's
cabin would have been like. The pot-bellied stove and bearskin coat are
reminders of the harsh winters. You can feel the roughness of the hand-hewn
benches and imagine what it would like to be a miner in Valdez's pioneer
days.
Click
on the image to see a larger view.
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Reflecting
the economic importance of Valdez, the army established a fort here in
1900. Among Fort Liscum's armaments was a Civil War era cannon which
stood
guard
over Valdez for years and now proudly protects our museum.
A
beacon from the past
The
Cape Hinchinbrook Lighthouse lens served as a beacon to mark the entrance
to Prince William Sound, and warn mariners of the dangerous shallows nearby.
Funds for construction of the site, 88 miles from Valdez, were appropriated
in 1906 and the station was completed in 1910. In 1967, the
lens
was replaced by a two headed aero beacon.
This
Fresnel (pronounced Fruhnel), named after the inventor, is made of brass
with 68 glass prisms. It weighs 1,600 pounds. With a candle
power of 234,000, the light could be seen for a distance of 22 miles.
The
light house from which this lens comes, serves as a model for the Valdez
Museum logo, and reflects Valdez's history as a transportation center in
Alaska.
Click
on image to see a larger version.
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A
highlight of our museum has to be the fully restored 1907 Ahrens Steam
Fire Engine. The steamer was built in Cincinnati and served the city
of Valdez until 1935.
Over
thirty volunteers worked for two years to restore this engine to its original
1907 state. Restoration work was complete in 1984. The highly
polished chrome and glittering gold leaf artwork is a sight to behold.
Click
on the image to view a larger version.
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Another
one the museum's prize show pieces is the Pinzon bar. The mahogany
bar was made in Chicago in 1880 and came to Valdez by way of the horn.
More that a hundred years later people still enjoy leaning against the
rail and sharing conversation over the bar.
Click
on image to view a larger version.
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Disaster
on Good Friday!
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On
March 27, 1964, Valdez and much of Alaska experienced a devastating earthquake
followed by several local giant waves. 32 Valdezans lost their
lives when the Valdez city wharf crumbled into the turbulent waters.
See our dramatic photographs and learn how much damage a major earthquake
can do in a small town.
For
more information on this disaster and Old Town Valdez, please see our Old
Town Model Project page.
Click
on image to see a larger version.
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A
New Valdez
In
the 1970's, the relocated town had a sudden influx of people when Valdez
became the terminus for the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Now dozens of
tankers dock at the terminal each week to transport the oil to other cities.
Our dynamic display highlights the crucial areas of the terminal facilities
and it contains the first barrel of oil to pass through the pipeline.
The
EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill
| Valdez
gained notoriety when another disaster happened on a Good Friday, this
time it was Good Friday, 1989. Instead of a natural disaster, this
was a man-made disaster when the Exxon Valdez went aground on Bligh Reef
in Prince William Sound. Life was again changed forever in Valdez,
Prince William Sound, and around the world as a result of this oil spill.
This
original quilt, by Cordova resident, Riki Ott, represents Prince William
Sound as it was prior to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It is entitled
"Slice of Life" and was purchased for the Valdez Museum by the Friends
of the Valdez Museum.
Click
on the image to view a larger version.
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Your
trip to Alaska would be incomplete if you missed this wonderful museum.
Fun and educational at the same time, you leave feeling as though you've
experienced almost a hundred years of excitement in Valdez. We're
pretty good for a small town local history museum. Come and visit
and see for yourselves.
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Valdez Museum Home Page.
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