Kenai Fjords A Stern and Rock-Bound Coast: Historic Resource Study

Research successes throughout this study were frequent, unpredictable, and very rewarding. On several instances local residents provided crucial insight and support. We wish to thank the kindness and hospitality of many Nanwalek residents, especially the efforts of Ms. Sally Ash and her family, who provided perspective on local oral history, personal experiences, and family history. Much of this study's historic mining component draws heavily on the fieldwork of the NPS's mining compliance crews, who visited park sites during the summers of 1989 and 1991. Extensive field notes and sketch maps from mining site surveys assisted and greatly supported documentation of historic properties within the Nuka Bay mining district. Archival research and historical narrative provided by AKSO mining historian Logan Hovis established the basis for the Nuka Bay mining district historic context. Other AKSO contributions include the Placer Creek cabin history by architect Mary Tidlow and architectural historian Katerina S. Wessels's expertise on Russian fort construction. Ms. Wessels also assisted with the research and translation of Russian documents.

Many people generously shared their own knowledge of the outer coast and contributed research information. Seward residents Pat Williams, Margaret Deck, Doug Capra, Joe Stanton, and Lee Poleske and other members of the Resurrection Bay Historical Society spent time talking about experiences and giving an overview of research projects conducted on the coast. In addition, many longtime residents from Seward, Halibut Cove, and Homer generously provided the authors with information about the area's fishing, mining, and homesteading history; former federal and state fisheries officials were helpful as well. The names of all these contributors are listed in the bibliography. Michael Stallings's private bibliography of the region, consisting of hundreds of handwritten index cards, provided the authors with an overwhelming first glimpse of how vast, yet fragmented the search for information on the coast would be. Archeologist J. David McMahan with the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology provided photographs and research on the Sather fox farm.

Kenai Fjords National Park Superintendent Anne Castellina and her staff provided excellent support for this project and graciously arranged for both authors to see the park's resources on a firsthand basis. Special thanks go to Jim and Sue Pfeiffenberger, Bill Stevens, and Tony Chapin. At the Alaska Support Office, thanks first go to Senior Historian Sandra Anderson, who wholeheartedly supported our effort and gave us the time to complete this long-delayed project. We deeply appreciate the careful work of proofreaders Bud Rice, Ross Kavanagh, Doug Capra, and Logan Hovis. And finally, for graphics support, we have relied heavily on the assistance and skills of Frank Broderick. Many thanks to you all.