Whittier History

Early Activities in the Whittier Area

Transiting the land between Prince William Sound and the Turnagain Arm has always been a vital part of life in Alaska, although modes and routes have continued to change. Chugach Eskimos have hunted and gathered in this area for thousands of years. They trekked over Portage Pass and Portage Glacier to trade and fight with the Athabaskan Indians of Cook Inlet.

Miners and prospectors also used Portage Pass to reach the gold fields of Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula in the late 19th century. Often dropped off at the head of Passage Canal, these adventurers used pack trains, sleds and pulleys to drag equipment and supplies over Portage Pass in hopes of striking it rich in Cook Inlet or on the Kenai Peninsula. During this period, Portage Glacier still covered most of Portage Lake. Travelers climbed to Portage Pass and traversed the eastern edge of Portage Glacier to Bear Valley. From there they would walk the front of the glacier onto the base of Begich Peak and drop down to Portage Valley. This route proved to be both difficult and dangerous.

The Whittier Glacier near Whittier was named for the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier in 1915.

In 1914 the Alaska Railroad Corporation began to consider ways to construct a railroad spur to what is now the town of Whittier. While railroad manager Otto Ohlson championed this route because of its ability to provide a shortcut to a deep-water port (a trip to Seward added 52 more miles), this route didn't become a reality until World War II.

John Greenleaf Whittier

Whittier's Role in World War II

Fearing what seemed like an inevitable invasion by the Japanese Empire, the U.S. Army established Camp Sullivan in Whittier and engineer battalions began construction of a railroad spur from Whittier to Portage in 1941. The Army saw several advantages in digging a tunnel to facilitate the operation of the railroad spur and creating a supply depot in Whittier. First, persistent cloud cover and ground fog reduced the ability of Japanese bombers to attack the area. Also, the distance from Whittier to Anchorage is 52 miles shorter than the trip from Seward. Significantly, Whittier had the benefit of being an ice-free port. Lastly, the digging of a tunnel avoided the steep railroad grades required to traverse the Kenai Mountains. This line became Alaska's main supply link for the war effort. Army engineer Anton Anderson headed up the construction. The tunnel currently bears his name.

On April 23, 1943 workers completed the spur, which consisted of a 1-mile tunnel through Begich Peak and a 2.5-mile tunnel through Maynard Mountain, thus linking Whittier to the Alaska Railroad's main line at Portage.

With a new rail connection from Whittier to Portage, the area began to change. By the mid-1940s, work crews and supply ships began to arrive, and the population, including military and civilian personnel, swelled to over 1,000.

Life After World War II

After World War II, the face of Whittier began to change again with the construction of several large infrastructure projects built by the U.S. Army. These included the erection of two large multi-story buildings--the fifteen-story Hodge Building and the six story Buckner building (two of 10 planned buildings), a power plant and a petroleum tank farm.

The Hodge Building (now called Begich Towers, named in honor of Alaska's first congressman) was originally built for family housing and civilian bachelor quarters. The massive Buckner Building, completed in 1953, was called the "city under one roof." Another large project--Whittier Manor--was built in the early 1950s by private developers to serve as rental units for civilian employees.

Begich Towers and the Buckner Building were at one time the largest buildings in Alaska. The Begich Building is now a condominium, and houses nearly all of Whittier's residents. The first, fourteenth and fifteenth floors are zoned for commercial use. In 1964, Whittier Manor was turned into a condominium.

Today, the Buckner Building is abandoned, but not razed. Two factors combine to make the safe demolition of the building cost-prohibitive. First, the building was constructed using a large amount of asbestos, making demolition an environmental hazard. Second, even if the building were to be demolished, disposing of the debris poses a significant challenge.

Whittier's Camp Sullivan remained an active Army facility until 1960, when it was decommissioned. The population of the town thereafter dropped by over 80%.

Whittier was severely damaged by tsunamis triggered by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake; thirteen people died, as the waves that engulfed the town reached over 40 feet.

Today's Whittier

The town of Whittier was incorporated in 1969. While it features a marina, the town has never attracted a sizeable population. The census of 2000 included only 182 people, comprising 86 households, and 46 families residing in the city.

Whittier has become a popular port of call for Princess Cruises' ships, avoiding the congestion often found in Seward. Whittier has connections to Anchorage and the interior of Alaska by both highway and rail. It is the embarkation and debarkation point of the Denali Express nonstop rail service to and from Denali National Park, operated by Princess Tours. Whittier is also popular with tourists, sport fishermen and hunters. The town annually attracts approximately 700,000 tourists.