Alaska Historical Commission Meeting: Actions Items

Spring Meeting, April 3, 2025, 9am-1pm

Certified Local Government (CLG) Applications

No.	Certified Local Government	Grant Category	Project Title	Amount
1	Municipality of Anchorage	Survey & Inventory	Local Historic Resources Inventory, Phase 2	$4,800
2	Municipality of Anchorage	Historic Preservation Planning	Historic Preservation Plan	$49,500
3	Matanuska Susitna Borough	National Register Nomination	DePriest Barn/Farm NR Nomination	$18,000
4	City and Borough of Sitka	Development	Japonski Island Boathouse: Siding, Accessibility, Insulation	$50,000
5	City and Borough of Sitka	Development	Sitka Woman's Club: Cottage Structural Repairs & Wiring Cleanup	$16,000
6	City of Seward	Development	Hoben Park Restoration	$24,000
7	City of Ketchikan	Historic Preservation Planning	Historic Preservation Plan, Phase II	$35,000
			Total	$197,300

April 3, 2025: The Alaska Historical Commission members voted to approve all CLG grant applications, for which the State Historic Preservation Officer will make the final determination on funding levels and, therefore, abstained from voting. AHC member Rebecca Poulson recused herself from voting on an application for which she was involved. One member was absent. Two other seats remain vacant.

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National Register Nominations

Growden Memorial Ballpark, Fairbanks, Alaska

Built between 1961 and 1962 in Fairbanks, Alaska, Growden Memorial Ballpark is the state's most historically significant sports venue. Named for a family killed during the Great Alaska Earthquake in 1964, it has been home to the Alaska Goldpanners, the famed Midnight Sun Game, and the epicenter of Alaska baseball for 65 years.¹ Alaska’s storied stadium is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places on a local level under Criterion A for its association with the Alaska Goldpanners, the winningest team in the minor leagues' history and the globally popular Midnight Sun Game, which will mark its 120th anniversary in 2025.

Growden Memorial Ballpark is also eligible for listing on a state level under Criterion A, and the establishment of the Alaska Baseball League, one of the most prolific minor leagues in the nation for professional player development. However, it is also eligible on a state level under Criterion A for its association with a deeper history of the American pastime, which has roots in Alaska and is as old as organized baseball in New York City or Philadelphia. Moreover, Growden Memorial Ballpark is eligible for listing on a national level under Criterion A for its association with over 500 players, coaches and umpires who participated in the Alaska Baseball League and went on to successful careers in Major League Baseball (MLB), including the first African American umpire, Emmett Ashford, and three Hall of Famers: Tom Seaver, (1964-1965), Dave Winfield (1971-1972), and Randy Johnson (1984), among many other standouts.

Finally, Growden Memorial Ballpark is significant on a local and state level under Criterion B for its association with H. A. "Red" Boucher, founder and manager of the Alaska Goldpanners, the winningest minor league team in baseball, and pioneer of the statewide Alaska Baseball League. Growden Memorial Ballpark’s period of significance starts in 1960, when Red Boucher formed the Alaska Goldpanners team, and continues up to the present, as the ballpark’s only continuous function, which infuses the stadium’s exceptional importance, has only grown more profound to Alaskans over the decades. Thus, Growden Memorial Ballpark has achieved—and continues to gain historic significance—within the past 50 years, qualifying the ballpark for listing under Criteria Consideration G.

April 3, 2025: The AHC members moved that the ballpark qualified for the National Register of Historic Places: Criteria A and B
Level of Significance: Local, State, National
Period of Significance: 1960-present
Area of Significance: Entertainment and Recreation
Motion passed 5-0, one abstain, one absent

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¹ Legendary ballplayer Bill “Spaceman” Lee, who played for the Goldpanners from 1966-1968, has publicly described the Fairbanks program as the best minor league team in the nation. His views have been expressed by numerous ABL players who went on to successful careers in the MLB. Early Team History | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks - Pointstreak Sites

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Pike's Landing Historic Site, Fairbanks, Alaska

The Pike’s Landing Historic Site, situated on the east bank of the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska, dates to the early 1940s and represents the end of the gold mining era in Fairbanks and the start of the era of hospitality and tourism that dominated the late 20th century, and into the present. After filing a homestead claim in 1942 and adding land improvements such as a house, garden, and roads, Interior Alaska’s adverse winter conditions forced Pike and his family to give up on homesteading. However, due to a confluence of economic and social factors initiated by World War II that fundamentally transformed Fairbanks, Pike used his property instead to capitalize on a new type of river user who, rather than working on the river, came to Pike’s Landing to play.

April 3, 2025: The AHC members moved that the Site qualified for the National Register of Historic Places:
Criteria A and B
Level of Significance: Local
Period of Significance: 1942-1976
Area of Significance: Entertainment and Recreation
Motion passed 4-1, one abstain, one absent

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Geographic Name Reports

Kaxchim Chiĝanaa
April 3, 2025: The AHC members moved to approve the name change proposal from “Nazi Creek” to Kaxchim Chiĝanaa. The motion passed 6-0. One absent.

Kaxchim Qayaa
April 3, 2025: The AHC members moved to approve the name change proposal from “Nip Hill ” to Kaxchim Qayaa. The motion passed 6-0. One absent.

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