Blog

An ulu is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Yup'ik and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, cutting food and, if necessary, trimming blocks of snow and ice.

Traditionally the ulu was made with a caribou antler, muskox horn or walrus ivory handle and slate cutting surface, due to the lack of metal smelting technology in the Arctic. The handle could also be carved from bone, and wood was sometimes used when it was available.

199OT AB0001 001 © Chris Arend / Alaska Stock

Aerial view of the Haul Road under construction over tundra near
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska 1979.
Built as a supply road to support the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, it is named after James Dalton, a lifelong Alaskan and an engineer who supervised construction of the Distant Early Warning Line in Alaska and, as an expert in Arctic engineering, served as a consultant in early oil exploration in northern Alaska.

The Dalton Highway carries a good amount of truck traffic: about 160 trucks daily in the summer months and 250 trucks daily in the winter. The road itself is very primitive in places, and small vehicle and motorcycle traffic carries significant risk. The nearest medical facilities are in Fairbanks and Deadhorse.

Google Street View has coverage of nearly the entire highway, which can now be seen on Google Maps (imaging stops at the security gate leading to the Prudhoe Bay oil field). It is one of the most northerly routes of Google street view in North America.

213CM GA0002 001 © William W. Bacon / Alaska Stock

For thousands of years, the Eagle area was the home to indigenous peoples, including the historic Han people since long before the arrival of Europeans in Alaska.

The first permanent structure by Europeans in present-day Eagle was a log trading post called "Belle Isle", built around 1874. In the late 1800s, Eagle became a supply and trading center for miners working the upper Yukon River and its tributaries. By 1898, its population had exceeded 1,700, as people were coming into the area because of the Klondike Gold Rush.

The gold rushes in Nome and Fairbanks lured people away from Eagle. In 1903 Judge James Wickersham moved the Third Division court from Eagle to Fairbanks. By 1910, Eagle's population had declined to its present-day level (below 200 people).

Many of the buildings from the Gold Rush years are preserved as part of the Eagle Historic District, a National Historic Landmark district.


203BU CM0001 001 © Patrick Endres / Alaska Stock

The Salty Dawg originally was one of the first cabins built in Homer in 1897, soon after the establishment of the town site. It served as the first post office, a railroad station, a grocery store, and a coal mining office for twenty years. In 1909 a second building was constructed, and it served as a school house, post office, grocery store. And at one time, it housed three adults and eleven children.

Earl D. Hillstrand (1913-1974), an attorney, small businessman and member of the Alaska House of Representatives, purchased it in 1960. After the March 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, he moved the structure to its present location. The distinctive lighthouse tower was added to cover a water storage tank, thus completing one of Homer's more historical and recognizable landmarks.

The bar is known for the thousands of dollar bills signed by visitors and tacked to the walls. This practice started many years ago, when a visitor tacked a dollar on the wall, explaining that his friend would be by later. The dollar was intended for buying the friend a drink.

Photo:
203OT HN0002D001 © Bill Scott / Alaska Stock

The Iditarod is a 1049 journey to Nome from Anchorage where both man and dog are tested. Every year dozens of teams leave 4th avenue of downtown Anchorage and make their way across snowy and icy conditions, up over the Alaska Range through the Rainy Pass, crossing frozen rivers, checking in at small remote villages, continuously facing the blistering winter winds on Norton Sound and on past the White Mountains into Nome. It's an annual tradition that never fails to thrill.

....except this year. Where did all the snow go? Oh yeah, it went to Boston. Snowfall has been minimal in Alaska this year...well, pretty much zero in and around the coastal town of Anchorage. But the race must go on....and so it will...in Fairbanks. About 300 miles north of Anchorage, the town of Fairbanks is hosting the 2015 Iditarod for the second time in the race's history. The excitement doesn't end just because Mother Nature decided to throw a curve ball our way. Tune in for a historic Iditarod on Iditarod.com. Also browse our Iditarod gallery with beautiful photos from the trail of these amazing athlete dogs.

http://alaskastock.artistwebsites.com/art/all/all/all/iditarod

The White Pass & Yukon line was created out of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Previously, the most popular route taken by prospectors to the gold fields in Dawson City was a treacherous route from the port in Skagway or Dyea, Alaska, across the mountains to the Canadian border at the summit of the Chilkoot Pass or the White Pass. There, the prospectors were not allowed across by Canadian authorities unless they had one ton of supplies. This usually required several trips across the passes. There was a need for better transportation than pack horses used over the White Pass or human portage over the Chilkoot Pass.

Construction reached the 2,885-foot (879.3 m) summit of White Pass, 20 miles (32 km) away from Skagway, by mid-February 1899. The railway reached Bennett, British Columbia, on July 6, 1899. The last spike was driven on July 29, 1900 and regular service started on August 1, 1900. Ironically, by then much of the Gold Rush fever had died down.

Today, the WP &Y railroad is largely a tourist draw. The scenery of the White Pass route is second to none and the rails of the White Pass & Yukon Route are laid right down to the docks proving very convenient for the many cruise ship passengers that visit Skagway every summer. The railway still uses vintage parlor cars, the oldest four built in 1881 and predating WP&YR by 17 years, and four new cars built in 2007 follow the same 19th century design.

Prior to World War II, Kodiak remained relatively unchanged from the days of Russian settlement. However, as an island out the southern edge of Alaska, Kodiak became an important strategic outpost for the US military in WW II. Ships, war planes and submarines could respond quickly in the event of conflict.

Nearly overnight modern buildings popped up. Military bunkers and gun emplacements were built at Chiniak, Long Island, and Fort Abercrombie. The population of the tiny "village" of Kodiak soared to more than 25,000 in the early 1940s.

On June 3, Dutch Harbor was bombed and residents of Attu taken as prisoners. With the Aleutian Islands under attack, Kodiak troops were poised to retaliate. However, the Japanese were driven back and Kodiak island was spared any military engagement.

Today, bunker remnants remain and even serve as the Kodiak Military History Museum.

October 7, 1988, Inupiaq hunter Roy Ahmaogak discovered three gray whales trapped in pack ice in the Beaufort Sea near Point Barrow in the U.S. state of Alaska.
The hunter used a chainsaw to attempt cutting a path in the ice leading to open water. Fellow villagers helped the hunter by using water pumps to keep ice from reforming overnight. Word spread through the Inupiat community about the whales, and biologists from North Slope Borough, Alaska, visited the site and realized the danger.
The whales' plight gained more attention from the media as journalists called North Slope Borough and flew to the site.
‪#‎OperationBreakthrough‬ was an international effort to free three gray whales from pack ice in the Beaufort Sea near Point Barrow in the U.S. state of Alaska in 1988. The whales' plight generated media attention that led to the collaboration of multiple governments and organizations to free them.
The story of the trapped whales was made into the Hollywood movie "Big Miracle" starring Drew Barrymore.
‪#‎TBT‬ ‪#‎ThrowbackThursday‬
350WR AA0007 001 © Jeff Schultz Photography / Alaska Stock

Alaska is a large state but relatively unpopulated compared to other states in the lower 48. However, when it comes to fishing, every true angler wants to come to Alaska. At Alaska Stock Images, you will find a wide variety of Alaska photos including the most pristine beautiful areas for a dream fishing experience. To find more pictures of Alaska fishing photos, visit our search page.
Perhaps the most famous two words in Alaska are “fish on!” It’s not just a call out to warn fellow fishermen that you just hooked a salmon and are going to need some space, but it’s a sort of “bragging right.” In either case, the fight is on to land the big one.

Alaska is home to many types of Salmon including the Sockeye (Red), Chinook (King), Coho (Silver), Chum and Pink (Humpy). In a large state like Alaska, it’s not surprising that the Salmon can range in size from just a few pounds to over 100 lbs for the big King. The King is the State Fish and the largest of the Pacific salmon species. During migration to their spawning home, King Salmon may travel close to 2,000 miles in a 60-day period. Each female can deposit up to 14,000 eggs and the juvenile fish, smolt, will remain in fresh water for most of their first year until they finally make their migration to the ocean.

Commercial Fishing is an important industry for Alaska - the average harvest for the 1990's was about 185 million salmon. However, the state government maintains a tight control on the amount of wild salmon that are allowed to “escape” each year in order to maintain sufficient numbers for future years.

The renowned Kenai Peninsula and its Kenai River and Russian river are some of the richest water for Salmon fishing, but being prepared for some “combat fishing” is mandatory. It’s not about the solitude here - only getting the fish. Stake your spot on the bank and hope you hook one of the thousands of fish that pass by every year.

Some of the most fun (and most profitable) fishing can be experienced during derbies. Many cities throughout Alaska host derbies including Valdez, Seward, Homer, and Anchorage. By purchasing a ticket, the lucky fisherman who bags the biggest fish takes home not only the fish but the derby money as well! “Tagged” fish can also earn the lucky fisherman prizes as well.

But it’s not just Salmon that will get you the big money. Homer’s Halibut Derby hosts the largest purse. The winner in 2003 pocketed over $46,000! Halibut fishing provides the angler the chance to do some real ocean fishing for a fish that can be in excess of 400 pounds. The more typical size is in the 80-100 pounds, but what they lack in size, they certainly make for in taste and tenderness. Halibut are bottom-feeding fish, and the experts say that the trick is to keep your hook on the bottom of the ocean. Just before the tide begins to turn (slack tide), there is minimal current to disturb your hook and bait, so it is by far one of the best times for fishing.

Salmon and Halibut fishing get all of the glory, but for the pristine remote Alaskan fishing experience, many opt to get away from the crowds to remote stream or lake fishing. The fish may be smaller, but no less thrilling. Grayling, Trout, Arctic Char, Dolly Varden, and landlocked Salmon are the varieties commonly found in the lakes and streams. The Rainbow Trout is one of the most sought after fish my anglers. Known for its strong fight, the Rainbow can be a challenge to land. Another highly prized fish is the Dolly Varden…this time for its quality of taste and texture. The Dolly Varden can grow up to 22 inches and up to 4 lbs. Dolly Vardens migrate from lake locations sea locations. However, only about 50% of males survive due to the rough migration pattern and fighting with other males.

There is no doubt the value that Alaska’s fish contribute to a variety of industries in Alaska….tourism and commercial fishing to name a few. However, ask anyone who has hauled in their first King or posed with their Halibut, it’s not the about the dollars and cents of the industry as much as the experience.

Alaska's state park system encompasses over 3.3 million acres of rugged, unspoiled land. Some of these parks include the Caines Head State Recreation Area, Kachemak Bay State Park, Denali State Park, and the Eagle Beach State Recreation Area. Perhaps one of the most used is the Chugach State Park located just minutes from Alaska largest populous of Anchorage. Chugach State Park is the third largest state park in America coming in at just under a half a million acres.

Chugach State Park is part of the Municipality of Anchorage and includes the Chugach Mountains that overlook the Anchorage Bowl. The Chugach Mountains, Chugach State Park, and Chugach National Forest all take their name from the Chugach people, the Alaska

Native group of people in the region of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound. The Chugach people are an Alutiiq (Pacific Eskimo) people who speak the Chugach dialect of the Alutiiq language.
Chugach State Park has 28 recognized trail heads, three public campgrounds and multiple interpretative kiosks and sites. Chugach State Park also has the Eagle River Nature Center, operated by a non-profit organization, and is located within the park approximately12 miles from the town of Eagle River.
Chugach State Park is generally considered to have three main sections: North, Central, and South.

North park area is approximately from north of the Eagle River section to its border at Pioneer Peak. This area includes the popular Eklutna Lake area. This large glacier created lake also supplies much of Anchorage with its drinking water. The largest mountains of Chugach State Park are also located in the north part of the park.

Central park area includes the southern area of Eagle River to the Canyon Road trailhead on the Anchorage hillside. Some of the more popular destinations in this area include the Crow Creek Mine trail, Glen Alps (Flat Top) area, and the South Fork of Eagle River.
South park area is primarily the areas bordering Turnagain Arm along Seward Highway. Popular hiking areas include McHugh Creek, Windy Corner, and Bird Ridge which all give panoramic vistas of Turnagain Arm, the Chugach Mountains, and the Kenai Mountains. Traveling along the Seward Highway, there are many viewpoints including the most popular Beluga Point (named after large pods of Beluga whales that frequent the area) and Windy Corner which is a common place to view Dall Sheep near or even alongside the highway.