Valdez waterfront, ca 1912 (THWAITES 196)

Caption on image: Valdez, Alaska PH Coll 247.473Valdez is located on the north shore of Port Valdez, a deep water fjord in Prince William Sound. It lies 305 road miles east of Anchorage, and 364 road miles south of Fairbanks. It is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. The Port of Valdez was named in 1790 by Don Salvador Fidalgo for the celebrated Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdes y Basan. Due to its excellent ice-free port, a town developed in 1898 as a debarkation point for men seeking a route to the Eagle Mining District and the Klondike gold fields. Valdez soon became the supply center of its own gold mining region, and incorporated as a City in 1901. Fort Liscum was established in 1900, and a sled and wagon road was constructed to Fort Egbert in Eagle by the U.S. Army. The Alaska Road Commission further developed the road for automobile travel to Fairbanks; it was completed by the early 1920s. Tsunamis generated by the 1964 earthquake destroyed the original City, killing several residents. The community was rebuilt in a more sheltered location 4 miles to the west. During the 1970s, construction of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline terminal and other cargo transportation facilities brought rapid growth to Valdez. In March 1989, it was the center for the massive oil-spill cleanup after the Exxon VALDEZ disaster. In a few short days, the population of the town tripled.
Subjects (LCTGM): Valdez (Alaska); Waterfronts--Alaska--Valdez; Piers & wharves--Alaska--Valdez; Fishing boats--Alaska--Valdez
Subjects (LCSH): Docks--Alaska--Valdez