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August 28, 2020 Karen Lewis

Happy Birthday Seward, Alaska!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 117th Birthday Seward, Alaska! August 28th, 1903 is the official birthday of the city of Seward when John Ballaine and 82 other pioneers arrived in Resurrection Bay to build the railroad north. However, there were other settlers already present including the Lowell family with matriarch Mary Lowell, who came in 1884.

Check out some early day photos of Seward below, all are part of the Sylvia Sexton collection from the Seward Community Library Association. Sylvia Sexton was a prominent businesswoman in the early days of Seward. You can learn more about her and see more of her photos here.

Fancy Shooting by Sylvia Sexton

A crowd of people watch a skeet shoot near Seward, Alaska’s downtown beach. 1906 (SCLA 1-120)

Aerial view of Seward by Sylvia Sexton

Aerial view of Seward, Alaska, taken from Bear Mountain. The Coast Guard Cutter Haida is tied up at the dock. Circa 1920s (SCLA 1-1504)

Baseball Game by Syvlia Sexton

A large crowd watches a baseball game with crew members of the U.S.C. Maryland playing against locals in Seward, Alaska. From front: “Baseball game, Seward & Cruiser Maryland. S. Sexton.” in 1913 (SCLA-1-645)

A railroad car travels on a trestle by Sylvia Sexton

A railroad car travels on the trestle at the head of Resurrection Bay in the early 1900s. (SCLA-1-627)

Snowy 4th Ave in Seward by Sylvia Sexton

Snow is piled high on Fourth Avenue in Seward’s business district. (SCLA 1-528)

Brown and Hawkins Storefront in Seward, AK by Sylvia Sexton

A group of men and children stand in front of the Brown & Hawkins store in Seward, Alaska in 1910. (SCLA 1-217)

View of 4th Ave in Seward, Alaska by Sylvia Sexton

A northward view of Fourth Avenue in Seward, Alaska in the early 1900s. (SCLA 1-216)

A vegetable garden in Seward, AK by Sylvia Sexton

A vegetable garden in Seward, AK in 1908. (SCLA 1-142)

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