List of National Historic Landmarks in Alaska facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The National Historic Landmarks in Alaska are special places that tell the story of Alaska's past, from its time as a Russian territory to becoming a U.S. state. There are 50 of these important landmarks in Alaska.

The National Park Service runs the National Historic Landmark program. They choose buildings, areas, and other things that are super important to the history of the whole country. These landmarks show us about Alaska's old cultures, its Russian history, and its role in World War II. But they also tell many other interesting stories!

What are National Historic Landmarks?
Important Historic Places in Alaska
Historic Areas in National Parks
Places That Used to Be Landmarks
Images for kids
See also

What are National Historic Landmarks?

The National Historic Landmark Program is managed by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. government. The National Park Service decides which places are important enough to be called National Historic Landmarks. They look at certain rules and then suggest places.

The Secretary of the Interior, a high-ranking government official, then reviews these suggestions. Based on special rules, they decide if a place should become a National Historic Landmark. Both places owned by the public and private citizens can be chosen.

Being a National Historic Landmark helps protect these historic places. It can offer tax benefits or grants to help owners take care of them. It also helps keep an eye on anything that might harm the historical importance of the place. If an owner doesn't want their property to be a landmark, the Secretary of the Interior can still say it's "eligible" for the title.

Important Historic Places in Alaska

Here are some of the National Historic Landmarks in Alaska, telling us about different parts of its history:

World War II Sites

Adak Army Base and Adak Naval Operating Base: This military base was built in 1942 during World War II. It was a key starting point for American forces to attack the Japanese-held islands of Kiska and Attu in the Aleutian Islands campaign.
Attu Battlefield and U.S. Army and Navy Airfields on Attu: This island was the site of a very tough battle during World War II. Only 29 out of 2,500 Japanese soldiers survived. It was the only land battle of the war fought on U.S. soil.
Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears, U.S. Army: These were the only U.S. military forts in the Aleutian Islands before the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Navy attacked them in June 1942 during the Battle of Dutch Harbor.
Fort Glenn: This well-preserved base was important for defense during World War II.
Japanese Occupation Site, Kiska Island: This island, along with nearby Attu, was one of the only U.S. lands taken over by the Japanese during World War II.
Kodiak Naval Operating Base and Forts Greely and Abercrombie: These facilities in Kodiak were also important during World War II.
Ladd Field: During World War II, this airfield in Fairbanks was a major stop for the Lend-Lease program, which supplied war materials to Allied countries.
Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses: This base was set up in 1939 and helped protect the North Pacific during World War II.

Early Alaskan Cultures and Settlements

Amalik Bay Archeological District: This is an important archaeological site located in the Kodiak Island area.
Anangula Site: This site shows the earliest signs of people living in the Aleutian Islands.
Bering Expedition Landing Site: Located on Kayak Island, this is where Europeans first met native people in Alaska.
Birnirk site: This site near Barrow has sixteen ancient mounds from the Birnirk and Thule cultures.
Brooks River Archeological District: This archaeological site has twenty well-preserved spots with many ancient tools from the Arctic Small Tool Tradition.
Cape Krusenstern Archeological District: This area has 114 old beach ridges, each formed about 60 years apart. They show how people lived there for over 5,000 years!
Chaluka Site: This site includes a large mound that gives us clues about where the Aleut people came from.
Church of the Holy Ascension: Built in 1826 by the Russian American Fur Company, this church helped native people get used to Russian ways in Alaska.
Dry Creek Archeological Site: This site near Healy provides proof for the idea that people crossed a land bridge from Asia to North America long ago.
Fort Durham Site: This was one of three trading posts set up by the Hudson's Bay Company in Alaska.
Gallagher Flint Station Archeological Site: Found in 1970 during the building of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, this was one of the oldest archaeological sites in northern Alaska at the time.
Holy Assumption Orthodox Church: This is a Russian Orthodox church in Kenai, Alaska.
Ipiutak site: This site is very important for understanding the Ipiutak culture.
Iyatayet site: This site shows evidence of several different cultures, dating back as far as 6000 BC.
Kijik Archeological District: This area is important for the history of the Dena'ina Athabaskan Indians.
New Russia Site: This was a Russian trading post that was attacked and destroyed by Tlingit natives.
Old Sitka: Also known as the Redoubt St. Archangel Michael Site, this was a Russian-American Company settlement built in 1799. It was destroyed by a Tlingit attack in 1802.
Onion Portage Archeological District: This is perhaps the most important archaeological site in Alaska. It was a place where caribou crossed a river, and people have lived there for thousands of years.
Palugvik Site: This site on Hawkins Island has a large mound that gives us information about the Eskimo culture in the area.
Russian-American Building No. 29: This log building in Sitka dates back to the years after the U.S. bought Alaska in 1867.
Russian-American Magazin: This old storehouse in Kodiak was used by both Russian and American trading companies in Alaska.
Russian Bishop's House: This house in Sitka is one of only four examples of Russian Colonial Style buildings still standing in the Western Hemisphere.
St. Michael's Cathedral: This church in Sitka is a key example of Russian influence in North America.
Seal Island Historic District: These historic buildings in the Pribilof Islands are related to the hunting of northern fur seals and the rules put in place to protect them.
Sitka Spruce Plantation: In 1805, Russian settlers started planting Sitka Spruce trees in Unalaska. This was the first recorded tree-planting project in North America, an attempt to grow timber for the settlement.
Three Saints Bay Site: This was the location of the very first Russian settlement in Alaska in 1784.
Wales Site: This site helped scientists discover how the Thule culture came after the Birnirk culture in the ancient whaling communities along the Alaskan coast.
Walrus Islands Archeological District: This group of islands has very old sites that show 6,000 years of human life.
Yukon Island Main Site: This site is connected to the Kachemak Bay Culture.

Gold Rush and Other Important Sites

Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall: This meeting hall in Sitka was built in 1914. It was the first chapter of the Alaska Native Brotherhood, started by Tlingits in the early 1900s to fight against discrimination and speak up for native people.
American Flag Raising Site: In 1867, on Castle Hill in Sitka, the Russian flag was lowered, and the American flag was raised, marking the moment Alaska became part of the U.S. In 1959, when Alaska became the 49th state, the first 49-star U.S. flag was raised here. It's also known as Castle Hill.
Cape Nome Mining District Discovery Sites: These sites near Nome are important because of their role in Alaska's gold mining history.
Chilkoot Trail and Dyea Site: This was a major path from the coast to the Yukon goldfields in the late 1890s during the Gold Rush.
Eagle Historic District: This historic area has over 100 well-preserved buildings from the Gold Rush years along the Yukon River. In 1905, explorer Roald Amundsen announced his successful journey through the Northwest Passage from here.
Fort William H. Seward: This was the last of 11 military posts set up in Alaska during the Gold Rush era.
Kake Cannery: Built between 1912 and 1940, this cannery is important for the history of salmon canning in Alaska.
Kennecott Mines: This site is where copper was found in 1900, leading to a lot of mining activity.
Nenana (river steamboat): This river steamboat, located in Fairbanks, is the only wooden one of its kind still existing.
Sheldon Jackson School: This school in Sitka is the oldest place for higher education in Alaska.
Skagway Historic District and White Pass: This historic frontier town and the trail leading to White Pass were very important during the Gold Rush. Over 100 buildings from that time still stand. This area is even mentioned in The Call of the Wild by Jack London.
George C. Thomas Memorial Library: This building was the public library for Fairbanks from 1909 until 1977. In 1915, U.S. officials met here with native Alaskans to discuss land claims.

Historic Areas in National Parks

Some historic places are already part of the National Park System, like National Historic Sites or National Historical Parks. These places are already very protected and are often not also named National Historic Landmarks. There are two such places in Alaska:

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park: This park is part of the story of the Klondike Gold Rush. It's also connected to a National Historic Landmark in Seattle, Washington.
Sitka National Historical Park: This park is located in Sitka, Alaska.

Places That Used to Be Landmarks

Sometimes, a place that was once a National Historic Landmark loses that title. This usually happens if the place is destroyed or its historical importance changes. Here are two examples from Alaska:

Gambell Sites: These five archaeological sites helped us understand how people lived on St. Lawrence Island for 2,000 years. But over time, the sites were damaged by people looking for ivory, so they lost their landmark status.
Sourdough Lodge: This lodge, built with logs in 1903–05, was one of many inns along the Richardson Highway. It was destroyed by fire in 1992, so it was no longer a landmark. It had been one of the oldest continuously running inns in Alaska.

Images for kids

Historic aerial photograph of the Adak Army Base and Adak Naval Operating Base in early 1944, a busy harbor ringed by installations with snowy mountains in the background.
The Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall in Sitka.
A view of the Amalik Bay Archeological District.
Castle Hill in Sitka, where the American flag was raised.
The Anangula Site, showing early human occupation.
A World War II Navy Dock on Attu Island.
Photograph of Kayak Island from offshore, believed to be the Bering Expedition Landing Site.
Mounds at the Birnirk site.
The Brooks River Archeological District.
Aerial photograph of the Cape Krusenstern Archeological District, showing the coast where the archeological strata are found.
The Anvil Creek Gold Discovery Site.
The Chaluka Site, an important archaeological location.
Historical photograph of a dense line of miners climbing over the Chilkoot Trail during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Photograph of the Church of the Holy Ascension on a sunny day.
Photograph of archaeologists working at the Dry Creek site.
Historic photograph of U.S. Marines in defensive trenches during the Japanese attacks of 1942, while fuel tanks burn in the background.
The Yukon River at Eagle, part of the Eagle Historic District.
Fort Glenn Army Airfield in 1942.
Fort William H. Seward in Haines, Alaska.
The Gallagher Flint Station Archeological Site.
Photograph of the front of the Holy Assumption Orthodox Church.
The Ipiutak Site.
The Iyatayet Site.
The Kake Salmon Cannery.
Photograph of the red-painted Kennecott Mines facilities rising up a hillside.
The Kijik Archeological District.
Historic photograph of Japanese troops raising the Imperial battle flag on Kiska Island.
Kodiak Island Air Station.
Ladd Army Airfield in 1943.
Leffingwell Camp Site.
The steamboat Nenana in 1988.
A plate marking the Russian possession at Old Sitka.
Giddings Cabin and Cache at Onion Portage Archeological District.
The Russian-American Building No. 29.
The Russian-American Magazin.
Photograph of the two-story, yellow Russian Bishop's House.
Photograph of St. Michael's Cathedral in the sunlight.
Aerial view of St. Paul Island, part of the Seal Island Historic District.
Richard Allen Memorial Hall at Sheldon Jackson College.
Buildings at the Sitka Naval Operating Base.
The Sitka Spruce Plantation.
Photograph of the Golden North Hotel in the Skagway Historic District.
The George C. Thomas Memorial Library.
A depiction of the Shelikhov settlement at Three Saints Bay.
The Wales Site.
Round Island, part of the Walrus Islands Archeological District.
The Yukon Island Main Site.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway.
A Native Alaskan Totem Pole at Sitka National Historical Park.
The Ayveghyaget Site, part of the former Gambell Sites.
The Sourdough Lodge.