Alaska Stories

Nov 17 2024 26 ep. 5 mins 2
Alaska Stories Podcast artwork

Memories, Pioneers, and History

www.alaskavipclub.com

  History  Society & Culture
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This is the Remarkable Z.J. Loussac

Nov 17 2024 5 mins  
From 1954 to 1985, Anchorage kids and adults enjoyed spending time in the downtown Loussac Library at 5th and F streets. The picture above is from 1955.So who was this Loussac fellow?His full name was Zadrich Joshua Loussac, also known as Zachary or Zachariah or even “Zach”. He was born to Jewish parents in Pokrov, Russia (near Moscow) in 1882.Gold FeverAt the age of 18, Loussa

Did You Watch These Popular Anchorage, Alaska Kid's TV Shows?

Nov 10 2024 7 mins  
Can you name the Anchorage kid’s TV shows in the picture above?Remember how much fun it was to get a glass of milk, some cookies, and to take a seat in front of the family TV to watch your favorite Anchorage local kid’s TV show?In this edition of the Alaska VIP Club, we’re remembering a few of your favorites.By the way, the shows in the picture above are:In the top row, start

Popular Anchorage, Alaska Restaurant Memories that will Make You Hungry

Nov 03 2024 3 mins  
What places come to mind when you remember your favorite restaurants in Anchorage, Alaska?Here are just a few to get you started.* The White Spot* The original A&W Drive-In* La Cabana* A wonderful steak at Club Paris* Anchorage's Tastee Freez* Peggy's Airport Café* Benny's Food TruckRemember Bob’s Big Boy?Here’s a memory from Julie:“My favorite restaurant in Anchorage was th

A Fascinating Look at How they Named Anchorage, Alaska Streets

Oct 20 2024 6 mins  
Pictured above is the Muldoon homestead, built in the winter of 1940 - 1941To get to his Homestead, He needed a RoadMuldoon Road in Anchorage, is named after Arnold L Muldoon who actually built the road from the Glenn Highway to his homestead.His original road was a “corduroy road”, which was made by clearing a path and then tree trunks were laid across the ground.Arnold’s pa

A Powerful Explosion Created Alaska's Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

Oct 13 2024 4 mins  
In the photo above is an explorer’s 1916 camp in the Valley of Ten Thousand SmokesFor five days in 1912, the Alaska Peninsula experienced violent earthquakes.Then the Mount Katmai volcano erupted in southern Alaska, 265 miles southwest of Anchorage.The explosion of the eruption was so strong that it destroyed the top of Mount Katmai and a new crater was formed.In addition, an ent

A Fascinating Treasure Chest of Coke Show Radio Memories

Oct 06 2024 12 mins  
On Christmas Eve, 1959, a small booth sitting on the roof of the Bun Drive-In, a burger place in Anchorage, Alaska, became home to a new program on KENI radio, called The Coke Show.And it became a huge hit.Long before cell phones, Anchorage teens who were listening to the Coke Show, picked up their rotary dial phones and called in their dedications and song requests to DJ Ron Moore

How Portage, Alaska Became a Ghost Town

Sep 22 2024 4 mins  
The tiny coastal town of Portage, was located about 47 miles southeast of Anchorage, Alaska, on the Seward Highway. It used to sit on the shore of Cook Inlet. More about that later in this edition.The town was an early transportation hub connecting the coastal areas with the interior of Alaska.The port at Portage was busy with both cargo and passengers. There were also railroad fac

This is Sydney Laurence, Alaska's Amazing Denali Artist

Sep 15 2024 5 mins  
His love for the mountain, known as Denali, moved him to create wonderful paintings.Mountains treat Anchorage, Alaska to the glories of summer with a splash of fireweed, a reddish flower that graces many mountains in the Great Land.But as winter approaches, “Termination Dust”, otherwise known as snow, covers the mountain tops. In early fall, when residence see Termination Dust,

The Fascinating Story of Alaska's Own, Matanuska Maid Dairy

Sep 08 2024 4 mins  
Remember the name and the picture on the milk carton of the young lady on ice skates with the fur-trimmed parka? That was as much a part of your life in Anchorage as Gilman’s bread or going to see a movie at the 4th Avenue Theatre.Most of us had a carton of Matanuska Maid milk on the table at breakfast. And we all remember that the young lady on the carton was known as the Matanu

One Daring Gold Rush Drove the Skagway, Alaska Invasion

Sep 01 2024 6 mins  
While the Klondike gold fields were in Canada, along the Yukon River, the cheapest entrance was through Skagway, Alaska, or Dyea which was located across the Lynn Canal.It’s estimated that 100,000 prospectors, known as “stampeders” packed the docks headed for Skagway and Dyea on their way to the Klondike in 1897.Most left for Alaska by steam ship from Seattle, Portland, and S