Module 10- Timeline

The Dillingham economy is based on fishing and it is a hub
for many of the outlying villages. The management of the Fish and Game, Togiak Wildlife Refuge and Southwest

Dillingham Harbor by Sue Rose

Region Schools  is in Dillingham. The Russians came to the area for fur trading but when Alaska was sold to the United States, Americans were more interested in fishing. Today Dillingham is populated by people from diverse backgrounds, especially in the summer.  School is made up of predominately Native students, but there are many students of European and Russian descent.

The following are some important events in the history of Dillingham:

N.Dance(1776) Painting of Captain Cook

1778 Captain Cook expedition and first known contact in Southwest Alaska  between Natives Europeans.  There is evidence that Native peoples lived in the area as much as 2000 years ago and perhaps even 4,000 to 5,000 years ago .

The Natives were Yup'ik Eskimos, Athabaskans and Aleuts. The coastal Native people called the Agulrmiut(Yup'ik speaking) were constantly at war with the Natives who lived on Kuskokwim River.

Sea Otter from Captain Cook's Journals UAA website

1818 Alexandrovski Redoubt Post was built by Russians as a fur trading center. It was built on a bluff with views of the river and Bristol Bay. There was an abundance of fish on the beaches and waters below the Redoubt as well as many fur-bearing animals in the area.



There were many goods traded at this center such as

Americanizing the Russian Fur Trade: The Alaska Commercial Company

tobacco, knives, needles, cooking ware, mirrors, jewelry and clothing.  To get the Natives interested in trading their furs at the post the Russians hired individual Natives they called toyons whom they rewarded with medals and gifts.  The toyon tried to encourage the other natives from his village to bring furs to the Alexandrovsi Redoubt Post, it was not always so successful.

The Alexandrovski Redoubt was built across the river from where Dillingham now lies at the small village of Nushagak. Many years after the Redoubt was closed,the Nushagak River channel changed and it began to erode around Nushagak so the people who were living there relocated to where Dillingham now stands.

Russian Orthodox Church

1837 Russian Orthodox Mission church was built in Nushagak. By 1948 there were about 1000 Natives who were part of the mission.

Nushagak cannery 1900

1883  Alaska Commercial Company opens the first cannery in Nushagak.  The company used very little local labor, most came from Europe or elsewhere and left after the fishing season.

Check for $7.2 million used to purchase Alaska from the Russians

1886  United States buys Alaska from the Russians. Although unpopular at the time, the purchase of Alaska which was championed by Secretary of State William Seward proved to be profitable and a good move by the Americans.






                                                    1889 Congress passes

Salmon fishing on the Nushagak 1912  Univ. of Washington Library

legislation to prohibit barricades in the rivers.  This was an attempt to help regulate the practice of setting barricades and traps across the river which made fishing easier but less sustainable. 






1917-1918 flu epidemic. A Russian Orthodox priest brought the flu to Bristol Bay when he came to attend Easter Ceremonies. Within days of contracting the illness, death came to many, especially babies and older people. Only 500

Winter Scene at Kanakanak Hospital photo by Elizabeth Pearch

residents were left.  There was an orphanage built at Kanakanak where the Dillingham hospital now stands. Many orphans from other regions of Alaska came to the area and then later settled in Dillingham.

1920's aviation arrival to Alaska.  It made everything quicker and faster-paced.   Before that dog sled was the preferred method of travel.

1941-1943  World War II During World War II a DC-3 made a

The Bennett-Rodebaugh Company was a bush-flying outfit in 1920s Alaska.

forced landing in the Dillingham area, an airstrip was built so that the plane could fly out. In 1944 the  airstrip was extended so   
that it could be used by  the public.

CAUSE AND EFFECT STATEMENTS


1.The arrival of the Russians helped to diversify the population of Dillingham in some interesting ways. When the Alexandrovski Redoubt was built, the Native peoples intermingled with other Natives and the Russians. Because of this intermixing, relations between the Native populations became more hospitable and the warring Agulrmiut and natives of the Kukokwim tolerated each other.  So much so that the Agulrmiut were able to hunt in the interior without fear of being killed.  The Agulrmuit population grew and they began to learn Russian, some were baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church.(Readings from Southwest Alaska)

 The Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1837 a Russian Orthodox priest came to the Easter services in 1917 and unfortunately brought the flu with him. There was hope that the area, because of its isolation and remoteness,  would avoid the flu epidemic. However, the population was virtually wiped out by the epidemic, only 500 residents remained.  The orphanage that was built to house the flu survivors brought flu survivors from other areas who later settled in Dillingham which further contributed to a diversified population.

2. When the United States bought Alaska, the fishing industry flourished because the Americans were interested in the fish rather than the furs of the Russians.
With the advent of  World War II there was an increased demand for fish and the fishing industry in Bristol Bay once again prospered. During the 1920's  the fishing industry had been in a slump because of over-fishing.  In the long run, the increased demand for fish contributed to the decline of fish by  exacerbating the already poorly managed fisheries. (Alaska at War) Also because of World War II more local Natives were hired to work in the canneries.



 3. Pilots first started flying into Dillingham in the 1920's. World War II contributed to the development of  the aviation industry all over Alaska.  In Dillingham during the war, a DC-3 had to make a forced landing.  An airstrip had to be built so that the plane could fly out.  The airstrip was improved in 1944 so that the general public could benefit from it.  This led to cargo and passenger airline travel to and from Dillingham.

 REFERENCES

Readings from Southwest Alaska, edited by John Branson, published by Alaska Natural History Association (1998)

US Fish and Wildlife, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge ( 2011 ) retrieved from http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/History.cfm?ID=74535

The Last of Yesterday, the History of Dillingham and Nushagak Bay, Dillingham High Alaskan History Class, 1972-73

Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, BBAHC 90/30 Celebration(2012) retrieved from http://www.bbahc.org/history.html 

Alaska at War,edited by Fern Chandonnet , The Salmon Industry at War by Bob King (1995) Alaska War Committee

Module 9-Alaska Governance and Contemporary Issues

Essential: Pick one contemporary issue from your region and discuss - explain the issue, identify the major players and their positions.

A few days ago there was a vote in Dillingham on a proposed "fish tax" as well as the annexation of the fishing waters around Dillingham.  Lots of emotions and opinions were in the air.  My first response was against additional taxation.  However on closer examination the issue did not seem so black and white.

Proposed Dillingham Annexation

The City of Dillingham proposed an annexation of the commercial fishing waters around Dillingham, about 396 square miles of water and 3 square miles of land as well as a 2.5% fish tax.  This tax would help the City of Dillingham pay for the costs of supporting the fisheries in the Nushagak Bay.  It will help the city to recover some of the lost revenue "from non-Alaskan fishermen in Nushagak Bay, and, from Nushagak Bay fish that are processed outside the Bay."(July 2010 Frequently Asked Questions about Dillingham’s Proposed Annexation)

Only 20% of fisherman in 2008 in the Nushagak Bay were  Dillingham residents while 42% were other Alaskans and 38% were non-Alaskans.

Sunrise by Jayne Bennet, City of Dillingham web site

The fish tax would include taxation on where the fish is sold and where it is taken out of the water.  Many fish from the Dillingham area are processed elsewhere so Dillingham has not benefited from state fish-processing taxes.

Dillingham doubles in size during the summer and needs the extra revenue to help maintain and make improvements in the services and facilities of the harbor and boat dock, including bathrooms and trash services. 

Dock photo by Cindra Barrett City of Dillingham web site

The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation was against the fish tax and annexation because of the high cost to fisherman.  They would like to encourage more people to get into fishing, but the cost is prohibitive.  Just the fishing permits alone cost around $125,000, while a boat costs at least that much.  A fish tax would be one more added expense.

Dave Piazzi, Superintendent of Southwest Region Schools, is against the fish tax because of the detrimental effect it would have on student enrollment.  New families would not be motivated to get into the fishing industries and villages would lose population and perhaps even close down.

Kim Williams , executive director of Nunamata Aulueskal is against the tax because it is beneficial only to Dillingham, whereas the fisheries in the area are regional and so all of the outlying villages should also benefit.(Nielsen, M.)

The Dillingham City Council could have annexed the land on their own without putting it up for a vote, but they wanted the communities' input.  They also plan to look into helping lower-income fishermen with the additional costs.

The 2.5% fish tax and the annexation of the Nushagak Fishing District and the Wood River fishing area into the City of Dillingham were approved by a narrow margin on April 13, 2012. This is supposed to bring an additional $700,000 for the city.  In addition to boat harbor and dock maintenance, the extra revenue will be used for roads, library and the schools.

Examine:

1. Identify the Alaska Senate and House Districts in which you live (Use current, not pending, letter and number.) Identify the name  and political party of your state senator and representative.  Identify the type of local government you have (city? borough? what class?)  Identify the tribal government, if any, in your area, and if possible find out if it is an IRA or traditional council. 

City of Dillingham

Alaska Senate-S
House Districts-37
State senator-Lyman K. Hoffart, Democrat
Representative-Bob Herron, Democrat
Dillingham is a first class city with a city council 
Tribal government-Curyung Tribal Council(an IRA) 
 

2. The state has a Model Borough Boundary Study to eventually divide the unorganized borough into several distinct boroughs so that everyone in AK will be in a borough. ( Map available for download - go to publications list at Borough Incorporation.) Review the powers of boroughs. What is your opinion about this? Can rural Alaska support another layer of local government?  What are potential tax bases for these boroughs? If you had to create one borough from the unorganized borough, where would it be? Explain your choice of boundaries.

One option that was proposed during the fish tax /annexation debates in Dillingham was to create the Dillingham-Nushagak-Togiak Borough. This would create, according to some, a fairer distribution of taxes collected among the outlying villages and Dillingham. 

Boroughs have many of the same powers as cities in regulating education, land use and tax collection.  The difference is that the power would be regional power rather than city.  To become a borough the region must have common interests and a common geographical location. 

The types of boroughs are unified home rule,non-unified home rule, first class, second class and third class boroughs.  The difference between a first class and second class borough is that the first class can adopt an ordinance to exercise power while a second class must have a vote.  A third class borough has only two powers, regional education and taxation.  In Alaska there are no first class boroughs, 7 second class, 1 third class, 3 unified home rule and 5 non-unified home rule.(Bockhurst, Don)

Boroughs can exercise greater control over education and taxation in an area., which I believe is a good thing.  The residents of any area know more about what their community and schools need than anyone outside of the area.  A borough could also contribute to the preservation of the culture and way of life of Native peoples in outlying villages.

I support the proposition that Dillingham and near-by villages  become a borough so that those villages could benefit from extra taxation to improve their qualitiy of life.  Perhaps there will be more disagreement about how to use funds because the interests of the villages might be different than those of Dillingham.

A colleague of mine whose family has fished in the area for many years told me that there are quality issues with the fishing industry in the Dillingham area.  These could be helped with extra monies. The revenue could be used to refurbish fishing boats so they could get cleaner,less damaged fish to the canneries in a shorter amount of time, all of which would improve the quality of the fish and help fishermen to realize a greater return.

I don't believe that the creation of a borough in this area is off the table.  But it will take some time since it seems to be a fairly complicated and involved process.

References:

Nielsen, Misty Annexation opponents unveil Bristol Bay borough study (2012) retrieved from http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/1214annexation_opponents_unveil_bristol_bay

Alaska News Nightly: April 13, 2012 retrieved from http://www.alaskapublic.org

 City of Dillingham, Why is Dillingham proposing this? (2012)  retrieved from http://ci.dillingham.ak.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={3104A52B-8880-41E1-AB32-19C0F13720F8}

Bockhurst, Don, Borough Government in Alaska (2012)retrieved from: http://commerce.alaska.gov/dca/LOGON/muni/muni-boroinc.htm 

Evaluation:

This was a very large module, but I really appreciated looking into issues in my area and understanding a bit about the government, wow its complicated! I have a lot to learn but this entire course has peaked my interest in many areas and I do feel more knowledgeable than when I began.

Blogs I have visited:

  Shannon writes about the Alaska Native Claims Act and how it wasn't all good for the Natives.  She also is starting to introduce government to her kindergartners, its never too early!

Robin has finished her time line !  I was interested in what she brought up about the inter-relationship between culture and language.  

I enjoyed reading about the natural resources on Prince of Wales Island in Christy's blog.  What a beautiful place

Module 8-World War II 1939-1945 A turning Point in Alaska

Essential Question:  Explain how Alaska's location was considered 'strategic' during World War II.  What were the war activities/events that supported the perspective of 'strategic' Alaska? 

Alaska's location was considered strategic during World War II because of its proximity to Japan and  its central location in the Great Circle Route connecting North America to Asia by sea and air. It also became an important stopover for shipments, by both water and air, in the lend/lease program with Russia and the war with Nazi Germany.


 Alaska was primarily seen as the first line of defense against

Japanese Empire

Japanese empire building.  Japan had successfully extended its reach into China, Malaya and Thailand. It wanted to go further into the Pacific and Australia. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States, Japanese strategists felt they could further weaken the American fleet by diverting American attention to the Aleutians. There was competition between the United States and Japan over the Asian markets, especially trade with China.  They were also both interested in having Russia as an ally. 


There was a fear of Japan cutting off coastal shipping ad blocking war shipments to Russia in the lend-lease program. 

Alaska became a great stopover for aircraft going through Alaska and Siberia to fight the war with Nazi Germany.  Naval bases were built in Kodiak, Sitka and Dutch Harbor.   Air force bases were built in Fairbanks and Anchorage. 

Alaska-Siberia World War II Air route

Aircraft were beginning to be seen as military weapons and in 1920 it was shown that a plane could fly easily from Alaska to the United States and the United States to Alaska. As Alaska's Heritage says, Alaska is a "central location on global air routes."

Although, according to the Alaska Historical Society "the Japanese threat to mainland Alaska and to its coastal shipping never became that dire", the defensive build-up in Alaska actually helped the Americans to fight the war in Europe against Nazi Germany.  The airways and waterways were kept open so that American troops could be sent via Alaska to join with our Russian allies in fighting.

 

 Examine: Describe the major events in the Aleutian Campaign of World War II.

Aleutian Islands 1942-43 

June 1942 Japan attacked and occupied Attu and Kiska Attu, the furthermost point on the Aleutian Islands is only about 650 miles from Japan, an advantageous location for both sides.  The weather is so extreme and unpredictable on Attu that many people did not believe it was useful as a base or likely that the Japanese would ever attack there.

However, others believed it was a strategic move by the Japanese to divert American attention away from the Pacific. The occupation was also seen as a way to keep Americans from invading Japan.

This was the first and only occupation of American soil during World War II by a foreign invader.  Although it was believed that this could be a first step by the Japanese in occupying the United States, American troops were slow to respond.  The Japanese learned to acclimate themselves to the harsh weather and conditions of the islands

Clearing Weather in Adak where Americans first landed

May 1943 Americans land on Attu.  Because of the extreme weather conditions on Attu, the Americans, who were ill-prepared, suffered from a a lack of food as well as from frostbite and other weather-related illnesses.  What was supposed to take only a few days took two weeks until the Japanese finally surrendered. Many American lives were lost in this battle, the casualties were just "second to those at Iwo Jima"

. 

Troops hauling supplies to fight Japanese Chichagof area

Americans were better prepared with supplies and clothing, for the battle at Kiska.  However when they arrived, "the weather was strangely clear and the seas quiet". The Japanese had left under a fog that had enveloped the island. This Japanese evacuation had occurred, according to the Military history brochure,"almost three weeks before the Allied landing."


In August of 1943 the island was declared secure. This had a great affect on American morale since the Japanese no longer had a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.

 

Extend:  How did World War II affect Dillingham?

Dillingham was affected by World War II in a number of ways.  First, Japanese-American fisherman were sent to interment camps to wait out the war. Many had married Native women and felt betrayed by their country.  As Sylvia K. Kobayashi in I Remember What I Want to Forget said they were "herded like cattle" and had a "feeling of total rejection" ( p. 285 Alaska at War) Some of the younger Japanese-American men signed up to fight for the United States, even though they were not granted full citzenship.

Another affect on the Dillingham area was that the Japanese were barred from entering Alaska and so could not work in the canneries, leaving those jobs open to Alaska Natives.  Hiring of Natives in canneries in Bristol Bay doubled during the war.(from The Salmon Industry at War by Bob King,p. 212, Alaska at War)

Natives were also recruited in this area as lookouts for the U.S. military.  They were trained as observers and soldiers.  The Natives helped the other soldiers by teaching them how to survive in the woods, catching food and making snowshoes. Buck Delkettie in An Alaskan Scout Remembers (p. 43, Alaska at War), talks about going to Dillingham for rest and relaxation, "dancing and having fun."  Dillingham must have been more of a central location for entertainment back then with dance halls and a movie theater.

An air force base was built on King Salmon, not far from Dillingham.  So Dillingham, although not directly involved in the war, probably had a lot of people coming through.  Remnants of military paraphernalia have been found on the beaches in the area.

Resources: 

 Alaska at War, edited by Fern Chandonnet, 1995, Alaska War committee.

Aleutian Islands, U. S. Army brochure, 2012, retrieved from http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/aleut/aleut.htm

Battle of the Aleutian Islands, 2012, retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands

Alaska's Heritage, Chapter 4-7: Alaskans and the World,  2012, retrieved from, http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php? artID=172 How did World War II affect Alaska?, Alaska Historical  Society, 2012  retrieved from http://www.alaskahistoricalsociety.org/index.cfm/ discover-alaska/FAQs/12

 Evaluation:

 I had heard of the war in the Aleutians, but not much about removing the Aleuts from their homes or putting Japanese-Americans in interment camps,  although I had read  Heart Mountain by Gretel Erlich, about an internment camp in Wyoming.  There is a lot about war that is not very heroic or inspiring.

I enjoyed the resources in this module, there is a lot written about World War II.  I would like to read the two books about the teachers in Attu.

  Blogs I have visited:

Brenda in her blog, talks about trip she took on a mail carrier boat across the Katchemak Bay to the small village of  Little Tutka, a community of only four permanent residents.  She contemplated the danger and expense of delivering the mail.

 Niki  in her Explore Alaska Blog, wrote about the relationship of transportation and the economy.  She also wrote about Sheldon Jackson and his contribution to education in Alaska.

Heather related the sad treatment of Natives in boarding schools and in Alaskan education in general  which had as its goal the obliteration of Alaska Native culture.