8/05/2009

August 4, 2009 – Hope, Alaska

This morning we decided to walk to Hope (about 1 mile) and check out the town.

A view of Turnagain Arm and the mouth of the Resurrection River (low tide):

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A view of the river:

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The salmon are running and they were being caught:

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A little further upriver where some are spawning (yes, some of them are dead here):

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“I am on my way".

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The river was pretty shallow so you could see lots and lots of fish coming in.  Next time I come to Alaska, I am going to learn how to fish – :-)))

Hope was originally a gold rush town in the late 1800s thru the early 1900s when gold was discovered on Resurrection River/Creek and some of the other creeks in this area.  At one time the population was 3000 people.  WOW!   Some of the buildings are still in use today.

The old school is now the town library:

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The social hall is still the community center.

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The mercantile, now the cafe:

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One of the bunkhouses, now at the museum.  This building was occupied until 1995.

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One of the roads in Hope – that’s right no paved roads:

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The soil in this area was/is very rich so many fruits and vegetables were grown here to supply the miner’s camps.

Hope was also one of the towns that was hit hard by the 1964 earthquake when Turnagain Arm fell SIX FEET – can you imagine?  There was a street and homes that sat in this area:

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One last view of Hope from the marshland (that also had buildings before the quake):

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Although the show “Northern Exposure” was modeled after Talkeetna, I really think Hope is that town.  What a neat little place.

We headed back just as it started to rain.  After a short rest and since it was raining, we took a drive to Portage and Girdwood to check out some other campgrounds.  We do want to spend some time in Portage so hopefully we will get a site.

No campfire tonight – the rain continued.

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