David Reamer

author

David Reamer is a historian who writes about Anchorage. His peer-reviewed articles include topics as diverse as baseball, housing discrimination, Alaska Jewish history and the English gin craze. He’s a UAA graduate and nerd for research who loves helping people with history questions. He also posts daily Alaska history on Twitter @ANC_Historian.

In the 1950s, the race to bring television to Alaska was marked by anticipation, suspense and mishaps

Histories of Anchorage: On Oct. 15, KFIA announced it would air a test signal. Notices were posted in stores and local newspapers. The streets quieted. The people waited — but nothing appeared.

By David Reamer●

No expense was too great when royalty came to Alaska in 1967. Then the king of Nepal skipped out on the bill.

History: The general manager of Hickel Hotels, which included the Captain Cook Hotel, was blunt. “We’ve been had,” he declared.

By David Reamer●

In the 1980s, some hoped the new Sullivan Arena would draw the NHL to Anchorage. It didn’t work out that way.

History: There’s buzz about the possibility that the National Hockey League’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken, may come north for an exhibition game in Anchorage. Hopefully their visit would be less doomed than their predecessors.

By David Reamer●

The mob violence that drove Chinese miners from Juneau in 1886 — and the one man allowed to stay

History: The following is the tale of violence, with a singular exception, that contains a lesson about hatred today.

By David Reamer●

In 1940, the artist Sydney Laurence predicted his own death. He was only off by hours.

Anchorage history: Any event, whether positive or negative, was a chance for a joke and a smile for Alaska’s foremost artist. There was nothing Sydney Laurence could not laugh at, his death included.

By David Reamer●

Automobiles were late arriving in Anchorage, but bad driving, an 8-mph speed limit and parking tickets soon followed

Histories of Anchorage: A popular kids game during the 1920s was to hang onto the outside of cars as they sped to and from Lake Spenard. As many as 10 children would hang onto a single car.

By David Reamer●

The postal service in Anchorage predates the city itself — and even gave the young town its name

Anchorage history: For more than 40 years, residents had to travel downtown to pick up their mail. And while everyone hates lines — especially at the post office — the routine became the place to exchange news and gossip.

By David Reamer●

Anchorage’s first bank robbery was also likely the most successful

Histories of Anchorage: Though Fourth Avenue was quiet during lunchtime, it was not wholly deserted, yet no one saw the robber entering or leaving.

By David Reamer●

In 1978, a former owner of Club Paris was murdered. His killer was never found

Histories of Anchorage: “Frank didn’t have any enemies, he never carried any money, and he was a closed-mouthed man,” his close friend Louis Gigliotti told the Daily News in 1979. With all their leads turning into dead ends. The police never arrested any suspects, and Frank Taylor’s murder was never solved.

By David Reamer●

‘Deadman’s Slough’ and the Fairbanks man who (eventually) got away with murder

Alaska history: Deadman’s Slough, a nickname for the Noyes Slough in Fairbanks, is an earned moniker given a nearby murder from that city’s early history.

By David Reamer●

Behind the Anchorage Alano Club building, a long history of doomed Spenard bars

Histories of Anchorage: While many Anchorage buildings have lived multiple lives, few have endured as many permutations in as short a time as 3103 Spenard Road.

By David Reamer●

In Alaska, concerts from major performers are rare — and cancellations hit all the harder

Histories of Anchorage: Some of the most infamous Anchorage cancellations were in the mid-1990s to 2000s, the most notorious of which came from one of Alaska’s own: Jewel Kilcher.

By David Reamer●

That time Ray Kroc of McDonald’s fame had a beef with Anchorage’s bright-yellow Sunshine Plaza

Histories of Anchorage: Gaudy and blockish or vibrant and cheerful? The downtown Sunshine Plaza mall has drawn strong opinions from some unexpected corners.

By David Reamer●

What a 1910 shootout in Fairbanks can tell you about Alaska’s Wild West

History: This particular narrative includes an intoxicated Swiss miner, police, some unfortunate windows, and an opportunity to examine the historical context.

By David Reamer●

The NBA once brought legends like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Anchorage. Here’s why it’s unlikely to happen again.

Histories of Anchorage: Apathy and disappointing ticket sales ultimately drove professional basketball away.

By David Reamer●