| Sara Irwin Goudreau, Valdez |
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| "In 1974 we watched vehicles from all over the U.S. roll into Valdez with rock screens attached, just having driven over the Alcan, or Alaska-Canadian, Highway." |
| Who she is: Longtime Valdez resident and, since 2006, president of Gold Rush Days, five-day summer festival that typically starts the first Wednesday in August. |
| Don't miss: A Stan Stephens cruise out to Meares Glacier. |
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| Did you grow up in Alaska, or how did you come to be in Valdez? |
| My husband Steve and I moved to Valdez from Michigan in 1974, at the beginning of the "oil boom" and the beginning of the Trans Alaska Pipeline construction. |
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| What was Valdez like then? |
| It was definitely a boom town, increasing in size from about 600 residents to over 10,000. Daily we watched vehicles from all over the U.S. roll into Valdez with rock screens attached, just having driven over the Alcan, or Alaska-Canadian, Highway. The highway at that time was partially dirt, and a rough ride. |
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| What would you want people to know about Gold Rush Days? What are a few highlights? |
Gold Rush Days is a time to remember the past—when Valdez was a gateway into the Klondike gold rush area of 1898—and honor our future.
There’s a parade, an open-air market, tours of historic Valdez homes, Can-Can girls and a hoosegow. We’ve also added a Height of Fashion Wine Walk and a Geocache for Cash event that takes participants from historic Thompson Pass up to Mineral Creek Canyon. We can truly say there is something for all ages. If you can't find something to do on the schedule of Gold Rush events, there are always fish waiting to be caught |
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| What’s a hoosegow? |
| It’s a jail. Ours is painted bright red with black bars and has can-can girls riding around in it picking up miscreants who don't have Gold Rush garters on. |
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| What are your memories of Valdez in 1989? |
| Whenever I write about it, I always capitalize it—the Oil Spill of 1989. It was a traumatic event that affected our community. Not only were we inundated with people from the outside, and the concern over the environment, particularly the wildlife, was a major focus. Two memories always come to mind: the wildlife emergency center that was set up outside our community college, and the boom "gold rush" atmosphere that permeated the community. People flooded into our town daily, prices increased drastically, and townspeople were low profile. |
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| What surprises people most about Valdez today? |
| The absolute beauty of the area. |
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| What is an experience in Valdez that you think visitors shouldn't miss? |
| My personal favorite trip is the ride on Stan Stephens Cruises out to Meares Glacier. |
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| What's your favorite book about Alaska, and why? |
| The Milepost—I wouldn't leave home without it. It's a travel guide, but even more a history guide, and a guide to a fishing spots, picnic areas, camping, hotels, good restaurants. We still take it with us, even after 34 years in the state. I recommend it to everyone who visits Alaska. |
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| Where in Alaska do you like to visit as a traveler? |
| I love the Chitina/McCarthy area. The Gilpatrick's Hotel Chitina is a refurbished historical building, as is the Kennicott Lodge in McCarthy. The history of the entire area is centered around the copper strike prior to WWII. Chitina and McCarthy still have many structures and remnants standing from that age. Travel the road between Chitina and McCarthy and you’ll be traveling on top of the old railroad bed that used to bring the copper from the mines. You can still find the occasional railroad spike along the 65 miles of dirt road. |
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| What do you find are the biggest misconceptions visitors have, either about Valdez or Alaska itself? |
| In Valdez, we don't live in igloos, we don't have 24 hours of darkness, and no penguins or polar bears wander the streets—just an occasional black bear in the summer. |
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| What's your favorite season in Valdez, and why? |
| Spring! With the sun, everyone comes out of their homes to mingle. |
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