Seward, Alaska: Up close and personal
I am looking forward to my two-days off in the town of Seward, a delightful town that is known as the Gateway to the Kenai. I am sure the town will be busier than I have ever seen as people come from all over the world for the Independence Day Run - yes, run - up Mt. Marathon. And I will be there right in the middle of it all. Set against a backdrop of the Kenai Mountains, Seward is located on Resurrection Bay, 126 miles from Anchorage. At 3,022 foot tall Mt. Marathon provides the dramatic backdrop to Seward; the mountain hovers behind the town. The story goes that back in 1910, a man wagered $100 that no one could run up the mountain and back in under one hour. The first attempt was not successful but the following year runners trained and the $100 was won. Today there are four categories; men, women, children and seniors. In 2010, 400 runners competed. The best time is 43 minutes, 39 seconds! Named after Secretary of State William Seward, the town was founded in 1903. The weight of glaciers and the wear of rivers carved out a natural depression across the Kenai Peninsula from Anchorage south to Seward. The mail run, railroad, and later the highway followed this natural open path. Seward became the closest port to Anchorage for vessels not wishing to sail around Cook Inlet. In 1903, the Alaska Central Railway linked Anchorage to the ice free port of Seward. Now the Seward Highway National Scenic Byway follows the same route, hugging the coast, then winding through breathtaking mountain passes. There still is train service; during the summer The Alaska Railroad Coastal Classic runs between the two towns. Guests embarking or disembarking in Seward take either the highway or rail. It was following this same path in 1925, that diphtheria serum was transported from Seward to Nenana by train and then north to Nome by dog sled in what later became the famous Iditarod Race. Long before the train, the trail was used to transport mail and goods from Seward to the gold miners in places like Hope and Sunrise. When diphtheria broke out in far away Nome the fastest way to get the serum to the ice bound village was by dog sled. Today the 1,049 mile race is run from Wasilia to Nome. The world’s record for fastest time is currently held by Martin Buser who in 2002 completed the race in 8 days: 22 hours: 46 minutes; 2 seconds. Those of you with some time for exploring may want to take the trolley into town or walk the 1.5 miles. From your ship you can see that Seward is divided into two sections; the new part of town around the small boat harbor was built within the last twenty years, and the old part of town is what is left after the 1964, 9.2 magnitude Good Friday earthquake. Seward felt the quake that hit in nearby Anchorage, but the town was destroyed by the ensuing tsunami. Twelve people died from the tsunami; 131 people in total died as a result of the quake. Eighty-six homes were destroyed and Seward’s commercial and economic base was shattered. To learn what happened and see how Seward was affected, stop by the earthquake exhibit at the Seward Museum. While there take a look around at some of the town’s artifacts dating back to the time of the old Russian shipyard and the pioneering Lowell family. Those of you with some time for exploring may want to take the trolley into town or walk the 1.5 miles. From your ship you can see that Seward is divided into two sections; the new part of town around the small boat harbor was built within the last twenty years, and the old part of town is what is left after the 1964, 9.2 magnitude Good Friday earthquake. Seward felt the quake that hit in nearby Anchorage, but the town was destroyed by the ensuing tsunami. Twelve people died from the tsunami; 131 people in total died as a result of the quake. Eighty-six homes were destroyed and Seward’s commercial and economic base was shattered. To learn what happened and see how Seward was affected, stop by the earthquake exhibit at the Seward Museum. While there take a look around at some of the town’s artifacts dating back to the time of the old Russian shipyard and the pioneering Lowell family. The Alaska SeaLife Center is located at 301 Railway Avenue. This new, state-of-the-art, non-profit marine science facility has excellent exhibits of local marine life including puffin dive ponds, seal pools and interactive tanks where you can touch sea urchins and baby octopi. One of the primary purposes of the Center is to study reasons for the decline in marine populations and to figure out how they can be rehabilitated. To that end, there is an excellent exhibit explaining the Valdez oil spill. Some ongoing research projects are also open to the public. The SeaLife Center is wheelchair accessible. After this introduction to the ecosystems of the area, those interested in getting up close and personal with the marine life of Resurrection Bay can book an excursion through the Kenai fjords with any number of local companies.