Grizzly Challenge
Scavenger Hunt
Hanging in the hallway off the entrance to Girdwood School are four intricate wood carvings by Girdwood's former Mayor Bob Bursiel. His artwork tells the history of our small community.
The town of Girdwood got its start as a trading and transportation route over the Chugach Range. Although people now travel by road, rail or plane, Crow Creek Pass today remains a popular hiking trail.
In 1888, the first gold strike was discovered in Turnagain Arm near Hope. By 1895, the first claims were staked in this area on California Creek.

The fledgling settlement was called "Glacier City." It was later renamed "Girdwood" after Col. James Girdwood (honorary title) who staked the first claims on Crow Creek.

As the town boomed with the prospect of gold, it continued to serve as a trading route to the Ship Creek Basin (today's Anchorage). Part of the Iditarod Trail ran up the banks of Glacier Creek and over Crow Pass to Eagle River. This historic trail is preserved today and is linked to Girdwood Schools' Athabascan Environmental Physics Trail.

1910 brought rail service to Girdwood. The population in 1916 was only 60 people, but on the weekends the population often swelled to 300. Girdwood has long been a favorite place for recreation. The recreational opportunities keep expanding: downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, back country skiing, helicopter skiing, paragliding, flight seeing, sled dog rides, carriage rides, biking, hiking, berry picking, skate boarding, tennis, swimming, fishing, river rafting, gold panning . . . and some-day soon, maybe even golf.

In the late 1930's, the gold mines were forced to close due to private law-suits and presidential orders during World War II. Without gold, Girdwood soon became a ghost town. Today, two gold mines are in operation in Girdwood. Crow Creek Mine still has several of the original buildings and is a great place for the amateur to try gold panning.

In 1949, construction of the Seward Highway woke up the sleepy town. By October 1951, the road was open and the population took a dip again. Today, road crews and construction workers continue to live in Girdwood during the construction season.

In 1954, locals opened the first ski resort. Fear of Russian invasions in 1955, prompted the construction of a 750-car parking lot. It remains in use today as the local airstrip on Glacier Creek.

In 1959 ,a small ski resort opened, complete with a poma lift and a lodge. 1960 boasted the opening of a Day lodge and chair lift. Today Alyeska resort has several chair lifts and a tram to reach to top of Mt. Alyeska

In 1962, lots in Girdwood were a hard sell at $1,000 each. Today you can't touch one for much under $50,000.

In 1968, the first hotel was built. The outdoor pool of the old hotel looks quite different from the luxury indoor facility of today.

The 1964 Earthquake reshaped Girdwood. The highway and old town site found themselves under water as the land near Turnagain Arm subsided 10 feet.

Houses and businesses were relocated up the valley to dry ground in the new town site or down the road to Bird or Indian. Silt from the surrounding glaciers continues to gradually fill in the arm. Today, Old Girdwood is open again for housing and business.

One of the buildings relocated after the 1964 Earthquake was the original school building. Built in the late 1940s, the old school , now referred to as the "Old Library," is quite different from the public school and library building of today.

The students have changed a little too.
Earthquakes weren't the only natural disasters to strike Girdwood. In 1969, an avalanche destroyed the lower chair terminal. In 1973, another avalanche wiped out a chair lift. The Spring of 1999 again brought another dangerous avalanche which briefly buried two people.
Heavy snowfall in 1999, also caved in part of the roof of Girdwood School. Floods are another local hazard. The "100-Year-Flood" of 1995-6 caused flood damage throughout the valley.

In 1970, Girdwood became a first-class city with a profitable ski resort and new chair lifts being built. By 1975, the need for a new sewer system prompted the unification with the Municipality of Anchorage. 2,500 acres of Girdwood land was deeded to the Alaska Heritage Land Bank. Today, city planners are discussing the prospects of opening a golf course along Glacier Creek.

What began as a gold rush town and trading route over the glaciers, has become a resort destination and home for approximately 1,500 outdoor-minded Alaskans.

Traditional local festivals include: Torchlight Parade & New Year's Fireworks, Spring Carnival, Ski to Sea, Glacier Dash, Forest Fair, 4th of July Parade, Oktoberfest, Halloween Carnival, and Holiday Bazaar.

For more information on the history of Girdwood, visit girdwoodalaska.com or the Loussac or Girdwood Library where the former Girdwood Historical Society records are kept. We also recommend these interesting books:

  • Bercee, Loverne. True Tales From The Top of Mt. Alyeska, 1998.
  • Carberry & Lane. Patterns of the Past, 1986.
  • Faulkner, Sewell. Stumpy's Diary 1964, 1987.
  • Gideon, Kenneth. Wandering Boy, Alaska 1913-1918, 1967.

and articles:

  • Alaska Searchlight, Juneau, Alaska, Oct. 3 1896 & Aug. 29, 1896.
  • The Alaska Sportsman, Nov. 1946, December 1946, January 1947, February 1947, & June 1962.
  • The Alaskan, June 1973, p. 5.
  • Alyeska Chronicle, Girdwood Historical Times, Vol. 1, 1981.
  • The Anchorage Daily News, (?date) 1972, Jan. 2, 1983 (C-1), Mar. 23, 1999 (B-1).
  • The Anchorage Times, Dec. 4, 1977 (D-1), July 24, 1984 (D-1).
  • ATU Phone Book, Girdwood, 1982
  • New Horizons, March 1984, p. 22.
  • Ski, March/April 1995.

Last update: November 2000. If you know of any other good historical resources, please e-mail us.
Elementary and Junior High
P.O.Box189 Girdwood, Alaska 99587
Phone:(907) 742-5300 Fax: (907) 742-5320