Imagining Anchorage

The Making of America's Northernmost Metropolis

by Barnett, James (ed.)

Hartman, Ian (ed.)

Anchorage has grown from a town site of tents to become the largest city in the state. It just celebrated its centenary in 2015, but it has seen inhabitants for millennia. Combining full-color images with insightful essays, Imaging Anchorage is the most expansive and comprehensive take on this exceptional city.

This book brings together twenty renowned contributors, from historians to long-time locals, to tell a piece of Anchorage’s story. The essays cover the major movements in Anchorage: the first people, the arrival of Europeans, the founding of Anchorage, and its transformation into a modern city. The chapters highlight topics such as indigenous history, exploration and early colonialism, the rise of the oil industry, the of economic importance of Alaska Native Corporations, the civil rights movement in Alaska, and the role of the military through Anchorage’s past and present.

James K. Barnett is an Alaska attorney and author. Ian C. Hartman is associate professor of history at the University of Alaska Anchorage.