June 9 - 11, 2024 Hanging out in Valdez and the Historical Museum

Sunday (6/9) and Monday (6/10) were our down days - Laundry, Cleaning, Shopping, Paperwork, etc. etc.

On Tuesday, 6/11, we made our way to the Valdez Historical Museum and Annex.  There are two museums.  The first one told the story of the native peoples, the town, the gold rush, the earthquake, and the oil industry.  The second one had larger artifacts, more information and interviews on the earthquakes, and a diorama of Old Town Valdez.

Some items that I found interesting....

A map of the village and first peoples of Prince William Sound:

Many of these tribes have been able to reclaim their lands.

Details on some of the tribes:

I like the fact that many of the tribes are teaching their cultures and history to the younger generations.

Sad:

These parkas are made from bear gut:

The next section was on the gold rush.

"In 1898, more that 4000 prospectors arrived here on their way to Alaska's Copper River Region and the Klondike gold fields.  This new "All American Route" required a dangerous crossing of the Valdez Glacier.

This is the supply list that each prospector was required to carry:

WOW!

Replica of an early cabin:

This bar reminded me of many of the bars in my area - because of the woodwork and carvings:

This was very interesting,  I need to check out the original at the Ferry Terminal:

Another cool tidbit about the oil:

A furry fish - LOL!:

There were a few videos in the museum and we sat and watch the one on the 1964 earthquake.  It was very emotional.

From there we went to the outside displays:

This is the restored fire truck depicted in the above picture:

We made out way to the Valdez Historical Museum Annex - a few blocks away.

This museum had many artifacts but the big display was Old Town Valdez and information on the 1964 Earthquake.  There were many videos and interviews on the earthquake which fascinated both of us.

(Note:  If you are interested, google "Valdez Museum Video of Earthquake."  There are a number of them and many are emotional - views from the folks who experienced it and their losses.)

This was the sled used in carrying the "Real" First Barrel:

One of the questions I asked along the way was "why is there so much stuff around homes."  I was told that many things were kept because it was hard to get parts.  So when things broke down, parts were taken from other things.  Also neighbors worked together in swapping parts.  Makes sense to me!

They had a really nice area on the earthquake:

Did you notice the height of those tsunami waves? - Oh My!

The most impressive display in this museum is Old Town Valdez.

The cases that contain the models of each section of the town.  Sadly, I could not get pictures because of the lighting shining off the cases:

Both museums are worth a visit if you are in town - very impressive.

Leaving the museum, we made our way to the dock area.  Statues in that area:

Beautiful, isn't it:

Cruise ship was in port:

Another wonderful day in Valdez!

Stayed tuned for some more adventures!