Delaney Park Strip facts for kids
The Delaney Park Strip is a long park in Anchorage, Alaska. It stretches for 11 city blocks. At first, it was a wide open space to stop fires from spreading. Later, it became Anchorage's very first airport!
History of the Park Strip
People in Anchorage often call it the Park Strip. It's the oldest park in the city. It was created in 1917. The park is named after James Delaney, who was one of Anchorage's first mayors.
At first, it was just a firebreak. But in 1923, it became a golf course. People also used it as an airstrip for airplanes.
Local people worked for free to make a landing field for Noel Wien. It was a big field, about 300 by 2000 feet. Noel Wien was going to fly a new plane called a Standard J-1.
Wien's first flight happened on June 4, 1924. By the end of that month, he had flown 170 passengers. He took two people at a time on a 15-minute ride. These were the first passenger flights from Anchorage. Wien also started the first flight between Anchorage and Fairbanks from the strip on July 6.
In 1932, a new airport called Merrill Field opened. So, the Delaney Park airstrip was no longer needed for planes.
In 1954, the Parks & Recreation Department started adding fun things to do. They made places for ice skating, softball, horseshoes, and later, tennis. In 1958, the Park Strip hosted the big Alaska Statehood Celebration.
On the 75th anniversary of Noel Wien's flight to Fairbanks, his two sons, Noel Merrill and Richard, flew a Boeing Stearman. They got special permission to take off from the park. This was just like their father did years ago.
Today, the park is used for many community events. People enjoy sports and festivals there all year long.
What You Can Find at the Park
- Two soccer fields for playing games
- Six softball fields for baseball fun
- Eight tennis courts for racket sports
- Two sand volleyball courts
- Five horseshoe pits for a classic game
- An ice hockey rink and ice skating area in winter
- A running route around the park for winter exercise
- A fitness center at Pete’s Gym
- A special place to remember Pope John Paul II, who visited in 1981
- A memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr.
- The Victims for Justice Tree
- The Purple Heart Memorial
- An Aviation Memorial, remembering pilots and planes
- The E.G. Fenn Memorial
- The POW/MIA Tree
- A memorial for Organ and Tissue Donors
- The C.A. Berg Tree
- The R.O. Robertson Tree
- A Veterans' Memorial, honoring those who served
- A bandstand for concerts and performances
- The Centennial Rose Garden
- Parking spaces along 10th Avenue next to the park
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