Although at one time photography was banned in Whittier, Alaska, because a secret facility resided there, that is no longer the case in this remote and wind-swept location guarded by Whittier Glacier. Originally known as H-12 and built to support the World War II effort and to provide a more reliable supply route for the Alaska Rail Road, today Whittier is a popular launch point for cruises, halibut charters, sea kayaking, and the Alaska State Ferry.

This tourist destination has a rich and storied past. 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. Many miners and prospectors also used Portage Pass to reach the gold fields of Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula in the late 19th century.

In 1941, the military was drawn to Whittier primarily because it is Alaska's only year-round, ice-free deep-water port. According to Alaska.org, construction of a massive railway tunnel was undertaken to connect Whittier to the rest of Alaska's rail corridor. Anton Anderson served as the chief engineer of this unprecedented project, steering completion of the railroad tunnel through both Begich Peak and Maynard Mountain in less than two years' time. With its combined 13,300 feet, it is the longest highway tunnel in North America.

Using Whittier as a rail port implied several advantages: it presented a shorter voyage than travelling to the port at Seward, reduced exposure of ships to Japanese submarines, limited the risk of Japanese bombing the port facilities because of bad weather, and avoided the steep railroad grades required to traverse the Kenai Mountains.

The U.S. Army began construction of the railroad spur from Whittier to Portage in November 1941, and on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. This line became Alaska's main supply link for the war effort. The first permanent building in Whittier, the Alaska Communications System building is the only surviving structure from the 1942-50 era. During the war it was a secure facility operated by the Army Signal Corps. Today it occupies two floors of the Anchor Inn.

During the Cold War in 1948, a construction boom brought additional structures, including the Buckner Building and its companion structure, the Hodge Building. Completed in 1953, the Buckner Building was once the largest building in Alaska. Literature in Whittier describes it as a six storied, almost 275,000 square-foot building that was initially named The Composite Bachelor Housing Service and Recreation Center. It housed sleeping quarters, a small jail, a 320-seat movie theatre, a four-lane bowling alley, a mess hall, and tunnels connecting the residents to the town of Whittier. The building eventually became known as "The Buckner Building," named after General Simon Buckner who recommended the military build this bomb-proof facility. Although currently owned but virtually abandoned, the unstable structure is still-standing.

Continued on Page A3:

Alaska Travels

The companion structure that also survived the Great Alaskan Earthquake and Tsunami of 1964-which destroyed waterfront and rail yard facilities-is the Hodge Building. It was named for Army civil engineer Colonel Walter William Hodge, the commanding officer of the 93rd Engineer Regiment on the Alcan Highway. Constructed as three separate towers, the wilderness skyscraper was later renamed Begich Towers in honor of Alaska's Congressman Nick Begich.

Its first residents moved in during the summer of 1956. Part of a completely self-sufficient complex, the towers were designed to allow residents to remain indoors for months at a time during the harsh coastal Alaskan winters. It is not uncommon for winds to blow at 60 miles per hour and for Whittier to receive 36 feet of snow in the wintertime-that's feet, not inches! With its laundromat, market, post office, police station, convenience store, and health clinic, this maintained fourteen-story condominium now houses nearly all of Whittier's residents.

Both the Buckner Building and the Hodge Building have been referred to at times as a "City under One Roof," In 1972, the City of Whittier purchased the Cold War buildings.

Today, the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, better known as the Whittier Tunnel, is a dual-use, or bimodal, highway tunnel. The tunnel was originally only for trains, but demand for easier access to Prince William Sound spurred the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to build a roadway through the tunnel. By 2000, people were able to drive to Whittier using this unique single-lane passageway into and out of Whittier. Whittier Tunnel tickets start at $13, with traffic alternating direction every half hour. Visitors can enter into Whittier on the bottom of the hour (at the half hour mark), while traffic leaves Whittier on the top of the hour.

Perhaps because of his famous lengthy narrative poem, "Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl" first published in 1866, the town of Whittier is named for American poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Whittier's poem examines how a family prepares for a snow storm or passes time when snowy weather prevents travel, going outdoors, or completing any work. As the poet describes a snowstorm's ability to block out the sun, bury a house, and transform the whole world, he depicts the power of nature. In his description of a family preparing for and seeking refuge from a powerful snowstorm, Whittier additionally defines rural, American life as simple and isolated. One of the main themes of "Snow-bound" is that no-matter what happens, family will provide solace, help, and comfort.

The approximately 2.5 mile Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel was carved into Begich Peak and through Maynard Mountain from 1941-1943.

Although Whittier identifies as one of the most isolated places-isolated by both geography and wintry weather, the locale offers incredible views of the ocean, waterfalls, mountains, and glaciers.