Talk:Fort William H. Seward

Photos
Photos and/or photo uploads are needed.
 * HABS photos do not seem to be available for this site.
 * Some of NRHP photos linked in article may possibly be public domain and, if so, can be used.
 * New photos would be helpful.

Historical photo
A 1920 photo of the fort offers the appearance that it was built on mudflats, with buildings connected via a network of boardwalks. This differs from not only most other photos I've seen, but my own personal recollections in visiting Haines in years past. As is the case with many other Alaska NRHP articles, this one is little more than a photo and a bunch of templates. If there is an explanation for this, I've yet to come across it.RadioKAOS (talk) 00:19, 16 September 2012 (UTC)

More info needed
Unless we're just dumping more NRHP-type random cruft to make it appear as though it's really not a stub, here's some hints as to filling in the holes in the history. First off, the edit which recently expanded the article included "about 0.5 mi from the city of Haines". BZZZT!! The corporate entity known as the City of Haines ceased to exist in 2002. However, the fort was within Haines corporate limits for decades prior to that (more on that below). On the ground, there's not much to distinguish the two apart from a few patches of woods in between. Exact information is available, though a bit sketchy, on its history after it was sold to private interests. In 1952 or thereabouts, a pair of Fairbanks businessman, Paul Greimann and Chuck West, developed it as a resort hotel (per DeArmond). I haven't come across much information about this venture other than the suggestion that it was short lived. I have a copy of West's autobiography, but haven't gotten around to reading any of it. Not long after, in 1956, the fort was incorporated as the City of Port Chilkoot. Carl W. Heinmiller, one of the incorporators of the Port Chilkoot Company (described by the Truman Library as a retired major, while not mentioning whether or not he was stationed at the fort when it was active), served as its mayor for most of its existence and was heavily involved in various economic development proposals related to the property. I believe Port Chilkoot merged with Haines in or around 1970. Most pre-statehood municipalities were incorporated for the purpose of providing local control over schools. The advent of statehood and the establishment of the borough system in general, and the 1968 incorporation of the Haines Borough specifically, shifted local control of the area's schools and spelled the end for the need of any such autonomy. Most information on the City of Port Chilkoot is available from publications of the League of Alaskan Cities (now the Alaska Municipal League) and the Alaska Local Affairs Agency (now part of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development). Also, it could help to mention the fort's location on the Chilkat Peninsula, especially if there was any strategic advantage to the location. RadioKAOS / Talk to me, Billy / Transmissions 21:27, 2 September 2014 (UTC)