Girdwood, Alaska

Girdwood, Alaska

Girdwood is an unincorporated year-round ski resort community within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It lies in a valley in the Chugach Mountains near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, 38 miles (61 km) southeast of Anchorage proper.

It is surrounded by seven permanent glaciers. Summer activities include hiking, fishing and rafting, but Girdwood is best known for winter skiing and snowboarding at Alyeska Resort on Mount Alyeska.Girdwood also hosts the Girdwood Forest Fair every summer.

The town has served as a backdrop for at least two films: "The Chechahcos", a 1924 silent film about the Klondike Gold Rush, and Warren Miller's 1997 "Snowriders II". Girdwood is the home of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens and Olympic gold and silver medal-winning skier Tommy Moe.

Girdwood was shown on CBS on January 20, 2008, as the Finish Line for "The Amazing Race 12".

Girdwood is the official residence of Alaska's senior U.S. Senator, Ted Stevens.

History

Originally called "Glacier City", Girdwood was founded as a supply camp for placer gold miners with claims along the creeks feeding Turnagain Arm. It was renamed for Colonel James Girdwood, a Belfast-born, Scots-Irish entrepreneur and linen merchant who staked the first four gold claims along Crow Creek in 1896.

The town was moved 2.5 miles (4 km) up the valley after the devastating Good Friday Earthquake of 1964, when the land under the original townsite subsided into Turnagain Arm, putting much of the town below high tide. The land has not all since been reclaimed, as one can still see 'drowned' cabins in the marshy areas where the city formerly extended.

Girdwood was incorporated as a city in 1970 and became part of the Municipality of Anchorage when the Greater Anchorage Area Borough unified with the City of Anchorage in 1975.

External links

* [http://www.timberlinedrivebnb.com/girdwood.html Girdwood Information and Pictures]
* [http://www.powdertour.com Social Community - Member submitted Girdwood Images]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Girdwood (Alaska) — 60°56′33″N 149°09′59″O / 60.9425, 149.16639 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alaska political corruption probe — refers to a widespread investigation from 2003 to the present by the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service into political corruption of lawmakers in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Alaska Educational Radio System — (AERS) is an Alaskan non profit organization and is licensee of radio stations that are affiliated with Pacifica Radio, National Public Radio and other community radio and public broadcasting networks. AERS has studios in Anchorage and… …   Wikipedia

  • Alaska — This article is about the U.S. state of Alaska. For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). Alaskan redirects here. For other uses, see Alaskan (disambiguation). State of Alaska …   Wikipedia

  • Geography of Alaska — Alaska is one of two U.S. States not bordered by another state; Hawaii the other. Alaska has more sea front than all of the other US states combinedFact|date=June 2007. It is one of two non contiguous states in North America; Hawaii the other.… …   Wikipedia

  • Anchorage, Alaska — Anchorage redirects here. For other uses, see Anchorage (disambiguation). Anchorage   Unified Borough and City   Municipality of Anchorage …   Wikipedia

  • Government of Alaska — The government of Alaska is divided into various departments. Alaska has 246 federally recognized tribal governments and one federal Indian (Native American) reservation. [University of Alaska Justice Center… …   Wikipedia

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Anchorage, Alaska — Location of Anchorage in Alaska This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Anchorage, Alaska. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in… …   Wikipedia

  • 1964 Alaska earthquake — The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaska earthquake, began at 5:36 P.M. AST on Friday, March 27, 1964. Across south central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing buildings, and tidal waves directly caused about 131 deaths. This… …   Wikipedia

  • History of Anchorage, Alaska — This article covers the history of Anchorage, Alaska, USA. Russian purchase to U.S. Territory Russia presence in southcentral Alaskan was well established in the 1800s. In 1867, U. S. Secretary of state William H. Seward brokered a deal to… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”