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